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Bernie's Obstacle Course

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She made sure to schedule debates on nights that would attract few viewers, eg Saturday. Online polls, again from the people's media, have shown that the debates got attention anyway, and Bernie won most of them. Debbie should be removed. http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/remove-debbie-wasserman

All members of the DNC become superdelegates to the Democratic Convention, with votes equal to the delegates who have been elected by the voters to represent a candidate. About 30% of the total convention delegates are superdelegates, many of them lobbyists for companies contributing to Clinton's campaign. Most are already pledged to Clinton. Thus, Bernie could win the popular vote but lose the nomination.

The good news is that they are not legally bound to any candidate. Obama was facing the same situation in 2008 against Clinton, but, viewing the overwhelming popularity of Obama, many of the superdelegates changed their position and voted for him that year. http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/superdelegates-might-not-save-hillary-clinton/ This petition asks them to do the same this time. http://pac.petitions.moveon.org/sign/superdelegates-dont-deny

The DNC has just lifted restrictions, put in place by President Obama, preventing the DNC from receiving direct contributions from Wall Street and special interest lobbyists. This will allow a new flood of money for Clinton's campaign. http://usuncut.com/news/the-dnc-opens-the-gates-to-unlimited-wall-street-funding/

Sanders refuses corporate money; this is yet another example of corruption in government that he rails against. Up to now, with the restrictions in place, Bernie's small donors have matched Clinton's contributions from corporate PAC's. With all the previous threats, Sanders supporters have rallied to defuse them; let's hope it continues. Here's the relevant petition: http://other98.com/dnc-dont-roll-back-president-obamas-restrictions-lobbyist-donations/

Clinton has counted on a "firewall" of loyal Black and Latino voters. This is holding up in the South, where she is getting a 2/3 majority in most states so far, where there are many Black voters. Influential Black leaders and artists such as Spike Lee and Cornel West are letting Black voters know that the Clintons have impoverished them further, while Sanders' program will benefit them. "I endorse Brother @BernieSanders because he is a long-distance runner with integrity in the struggle for justice for over 50 years," West tweeted. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/bernie-sanders-and-hillary-clinton-battle-over-black-endorsements

In Nevada, Bernie won the Latino vote. His win in Oklahoma shows strong Native American support. As the campaign moves ahead over the next few months, and he becomes better known in the South, more Black voters will Feel the Bern.

Bernie is especially appealing to young people, who desperately need a sense of a positive future, which is closed to them with the status quo. Many who were previously apathetic are now becoming energized. Young people of all colors are flocking to his camp. Clinton is also is counting on female voters, but many young women are choosing Bernie.

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If Bernie surmounts all the obstacles between now and the Democratic convention in July and becomes the Democratic nominee, he will face a new set. At least, the DNC will have to put their resources behind his candidacy. Whatever their problems with him, he will be infinitely preferable to Trump, Cruz or Rubio. Right now, he's outpolling all of them, doing better than Clinton.

It's hard to predict everything that will arise after July, but a couple of things are obvious.

Election fraud- many states now have electronic voting, which is easily manipulated by those in government who control the machines. http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/31511-why-hillary-can-t-winThere are several ways to defend against this- one is to challenge results and demand recounts, as Bernie did in Iowa. Another is to win by such a landslide that some fraud doesn't matter- as New Hampshire demonstrates. It might be possible to demand paper ballots in states such as Ohio which are notorious for "flipping switches".

Gerrymandering, purging of voter roles, demanding voter ID- there are many tricks that the GOP has used to ensure victory for its candidates. If Donald Trump is the one, the Republican Party may be less eager to employ these. And Bernie's campaign has shown itself to be tough and ingenious when confronting obstacles.

Come fall, if a Sanders presidency seems likely, the powers that be will feel very threatened by the looming political revolution. They may resort to the ultimate solution to prevent it.

Let's not forget that Robert Kennedy was assassinated while running for president. Dennis Carnahan and Paul Wellstone died in suspicious plane crashes while running for the Senate in races that would determine which party would dominate. Secret Service protection doesn't render a candidate invulnerable.

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Carol S. Wolman, MD is a psychiatrist in Northern California. A lifelong peace activist, she is helping to distribute a Peace Plan for the Holy Land- email her for a copy. She also a film producer with Paradise Cove Productions, currently (more...)
 

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