Whomever could Hillary be talking about?

[rubato]

... Have you been drinking?

Maybe the Fiat 500 was a bit over-the-top. Sorry.

Nice little car. Just the thing for navigating the narrow streets of a medieval town in Provence.


Yrs,
Rubato

[Sue U]

BTW no one expected the Bernie to win Indiana. Don't count him out.

No, Bernie is out. It doesn't matter how many more primaries he "wins," because the allocation of delegates is (broadly) proportional. Even if Hillary "loses" all the remaining primaries by a 10-point spread, she will still gain enough delegates to be the first-ballot nominee at the convention.

I'll still vote for Bernie in the NJ primary, but it will an act in the service of incrementalism, not in the hope of any victory.

[Big RR]

Sue--this is presuming that none of the superdelegates turn to Bernie, correct? I don't think that defection is likely, but it could happen.

[Sue U]

Both Hillary and Bernie would still need superdelegates to win, but Hillary a whole lot less so; she could even suffer substantial defections, but unless Bernie wins all the remaining primaries by margins greater than 80-20, there is no chance he could even come close to a win. Here's a concise wrap-up of the counting contest:

Can Bernie Sanders Still Win? 2016 Delegate Count Does Not Look Good For Vermont Senator
By Abigail Abrams @abbyabrams On 05/04/16 AT 10:22 AM

Bernie Sanders may have won the Indiana primary Tuesday night, but his victory is unlikely to save his proclaimed political revolution. After this week, it is mathematically impossible for Sanders to reach the number of delegates necessary to win the Democratic nomination using pledged delegates alone.

This means the Vermont senator will have to rely on his strategy of winning over superdelegates — party leaders and elites who can back the candidate of their choice — who have already decided to back his rival Hillary Clinton. But Clinton has so far won 520 superdelegates to his 39, making it unlikely that he can move forward down this path.

Sanders' campaign has said he will stay in the race until the Democratic National Convention in July, and has argued that his supporters’ enthusiasm and his electability could be enough to win party leaders over to his side.

“It's virtually impossible for Secretary Clinton to reach the majority of convention delegates by June 14 with pledged delegates alone,” Sanders said Sunday, according to the Washington Post. “She will need superdelegates to take her over the top at the convention in Philadelphia. In other words, the convention will be a contested contest.”

It's true that the convention probably will be contested, but that is because Sanders will contest it. Fifteen percent of all Democratic delegates are superdelegates, so any candidate needs about an 18 percent lead in the elected delegate count by the end of the primary voting season to avoid relying on some superdelegates.

Right now, Clinton's lead over Sanders among elected delegates amounts to about 13 percent of the majority needed, which is more than Barack Obama's 4 percent lead by the end of the 2008 primaries, according to the Washington Post. That margin is likely to stay about the same until the end of the voting, but that's not the whole math picture.

After winning Indiana, Sanders has 1,361 pledged delegates, according to the Associated Press’ count, and Clinton has 1,682, giving her a 321-delegate lead. A candidate needs 2,383 delegates to win the nomination, so Sanders would need 1,022 more pledged delegates if he were to win with those alone, while Clinton would need just another 701.

The remaining primary contests — Guam, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and the District of Columbia — have just 933 pledged delegates up for grabs.

If we're looking at overall delegates — pledged and super — Sanders stands at 1,400 and Clinton at 2,202. That means the Vermont senator needs 983 more delegates to reach the magic number and Clinton needs just 181.

Using a combination of delegates, because it's likely that both candidates will need to do so, Clinton must win about 19 percent of the remaining delegates and Sanders must win about 81 percent of them to reach 2,383, according to an analysis from NBC News.

But just because the math is not in his favor does not mean Sanders' revolution is over. He has said that, aside from winning, he hopes to influence the Democratic Party’s platform at the convention, and that may be a more attainable goal.

For now, though, Sanders is focused on competing as long as he can. In the past, he has criticized the superdelegate system as undemocratic and his supporters often say these free-floating delegates give Clinton, the establishment-backed candidate, an unfair advantage. But with Clinton's much higher total number of delegates, she is significantly closer to clinching the nomination and she has won more of the popular vote than Sanders has at this point. So if the Vermont senator is to win over superdelegates, he will need to take advantage of the system he has so often criticized and convince members of the establishment to support him over the will of many voters.

Source.

[Scooter]

Wasn't Bernie (or at least his supporters) arguing earlier on that superdelegates should not use their votes to override the will of primary voters? And isn't that the strategy that he is now relying on to secure the nomination?

[Crackpot]

Shh don't point out thier hypocrisy. It sends them into fits that would make Wes hang his head in shame.

[Lord Jim]

Wasn't Bernie (or at least his supporters) arguing earlier on that superdelegates should not use their votes to override the will of primary voters? And isn't that the strategy that he is now relying on to secure the nomination?

Yes indeedy...

And I discoursed on this conundrum a little while back, at some length:

I Wonder How Sanders Supporters Would React....

If the situation were reversed and Hillary Clinton was openly adopting this strategy?

Sanders, in an interview with Rachel Maddow:

We think if we come into the convention in July in Philadelphia, having won a whole lot of delegates, having a whole lot of momentum behind us, and most importantly perhaps being the candidate who is most likely to defeat Donald Trump, we think that some of these super delegates who have now supported Hillary Clinton can come over to us. Rachel, in almost every poll, not every poll, but almost every national matchup poll between Sanders and Trump, Clinton and Trump, we do better than Hillary Clinton and sometimes by large numbers. We get a lot more of the independent vote than she gets. And, frankly and very honestly, I think I am a stronger candidate to defeat Trump than Secretary Clinton is and I think many secretary -- many of the super delegates understand that.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/ ... ntion.html

So here's what he's really saying, (and I saw him repeat this theme several times):

" So long as I have won 'a whole lot of delegates' even if Hillary wins the majority of pledged delegates, [at the moment she's ahead by more than 300 in pledged delegates] and even if she got the majority of the votes of primary participants and caucus voters,[at the moment she leads him by more than 2 million votes] I'm going to try to get the superdelegates to ignore all of that, and deny her the nomination and give it to me because I think I have the better chance to win".....


Frankly, I don't really wonder how Sanders supporters would react if Hillary were taking this position; I'm pretty sure of what the reaction would be...

They would be in full hair-on-fire mode, worked up in a red-faced lather of self-righteousness, screaming indignantly, "How DARE she try to deny 'the choice of people' the nomination by using the un-elected superdelegates to steal the nomination from Bernie! Woe be to any of these political insiders who turns their back on the will of the people!"

But apparently since it's Sanders taking this approach, his supporters have no problem with it...I guess when you see yourselves as the guys in the white hats, it's all good...

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15458&p=197280&hili ... re#p197280

[Lord Jim]

It's going to be Slick Hillie and The-Trump-thing in November...

And after I cast my vote for the Hildebeast, you'll excuse me while I hang myself in the bathroom...

Why wait...do it now!

Now that's just rude...


You'll forgive me if I chose not to give you the satisfaction...

[ex-khobar Andy]

TPFKA@W wrote: But her history aside, I never could stomach her.

I have to admit to being a little puzzled by this. If not her history, what is it that offends you about her? Is it the pants suits? Hairstyle?

[TPFKA@W]

TPFKA@W wrote: But her history aside, I never could stomach her.

I have to admit to being a little puzzled by this. If not her history, what is it that offends you about her? Is it the pants suits? Hairstyle?

Detested her since her days as first lady. But I loathed Nancy Reagan equally so. There isn't necessarily a reason that makes it so. Sometimes one simply doesn't like another.

"I do not like you Dr. Fell the reason why I cannot tell, but this I know, and know full well-I do not like you Dr. Fell."

[wesw]

that sam-i-am.....

[wesw]

....I do not like her in the House, I do not like her ugly blouse...

I do not like her or her fox, I do not like her soapy box....

I do not like her derriere , I do like her anywhere...

I do not like the Hill you see

why , even bill just let s her be...

I do not like huma abedin

or her pantsuit gabardine

I do not like her she s insane

her screeching , it does cause pain

try her try her TPK

hold your nose and vote away!

[Big RR]

I'm not a big fan of her either, although she has surprised me in her performance as both a senator and secretary of state, but when push comes to shove you have to decide who you want in the White House and who you don't. And I would have no problem pulling the lever for her (or most anyone else for that matter) over Trump.

[TPFKA@W]

I will not vote for her, never. I guess I will give November a pass

I would vote for Bernie. Pity.

[Joe Guy]

Women have an 'I hate that bitch' gene. They can see a certain woman and immediately put them on their shit list for reasons that only another woman can understand.

Once you realize that, you will quit asking stupid questions, like, 'Why don't you like her?' It's because that other woman is a bitch. It's that simple.

[Bicycle Bill]

I will not vote for her, never. I guess I will give November a pass

I would vote for Bernie. Pity.

And therein lies the problem with the American government.  People say, "I can't vote for the ONE SINGLE SOLITARY PERSON I think would be best, so I'm not gonna vote at all."  And then they wonder why someone like Trump seems to be the people's choice and could end up getting elected.  HINT:  It's not because he's the people's overwhelming choice; he's the choice of the majority of the people who gave enough of a good goddamn to show up at the polls and the caucuses.  It's because every vote that is NOT cast against Donald Trump is in effect a default vote FOR him.

There's a quotation, generally attributed to 18th century Irish philosopher Edmund Burke, which goes something like
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing".
Thank you for proving that this observation is still relevant more than two centuries later.

So go ahead; stick your head in the sand and "give November a pass".  Ignore the fact that once you're inside that voting booth you can take your pen and write in the name of Bernie Sanders — or Deion Sanders, or Colonel Sanders, or anybody else for that matter.  You'll still have the smug satisfaction of being able to say, "...but  I  didn't vote for him".  Just remember this:  If he somehow does get elected, he's going to be the President of the whole effin' country, the people that voted for him as well as the people who didn't — and also the people who didn't care enough to vote in the first place.  And the country is going to be stuck with him for at least four years.

Is it worth the risk?

-"BB"-

[BoSoxGal]

Excellent post, Bill.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Just remember this: If he somehow does get elected, he's going to be the President of the whole effin' country, the people that voted for him as well as the people who didn't — and also the people who didn't care enough to vote in the first place. And the country is going to be stuck with him for at least four years.

Same as with every president.