- Joined
- May 5, 2019
- Messages
- 9,570
- Reaction score
- 4,543
- Location
- Staten Island, NY USA
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Other
Thus far, few political pundits have parsed the implications of the Democratic Party convention set-up. Here's a start.
The actual primary process prior to the convention will cough up 3,979 'pledged' delegates apportioned among the various candidates.* It's an open and shut case if the front-runner has amassed 1990 or more delegates. Everyone parties and goes home. If the front-runner hasn't reached that total, the first 'vote' of the delegates will not produce a winner. The super-delegates then vote along with the delegates from the first vote. No delegates are pledged in this or subsequent votes.
Got that? OK.
Now, let's assume that Senator Bernard Sanders is the leading candidate as the primaries roll along. There will come a time when the other candidates, if they drop out, will insure that Senator Sanders isn't replaced by the super delegates with another of the candidates. He'll roll into the convention with the necessary votes.
If they decide not to drop out and someone other than Senator Sanders is selected by the convention, many of the Senator Sanders folks will, in all probability, not bother to vote. The effect of that is obvious.
There are other scenarios, I'm sure. Have at it.
* Nb. Some of them may be 'free' from the start if the person to whom they were pledged drops out and specifies that they should vote for someone else.
The actual primary process prior to the convention will cough up 3,979 'pledged' delegates apportioned among the various candidates.* It's an open and shut case if the front-runner has amassed 1990 or more delegates. Everyone parties and goes home. If the front-runner hasn't reached that total, the first 'vote' of the delegates will not produce a winner. The super-delegates then vote along with the delegates from the first vote. No delegates are pledged in this or subsequent votes.
Got that? OK.
Now, let's assume that Senator Bernard Sanders is the leading candidate as the primaries roll along. There will come a time when the other candidates, if they drop out, will insure that Senator Sanders isn't replaced by the super delegates with another of the candidates. He'll roll into the convention with the necessary votes.
If they decide not to drop out and someone other than Senator Sanders is selected by the convention, many of the Senator Sanders folks will, in all probability, not bother to vote. The effect of that is obvious.
There are other scenarios, I'm sure. Have at it.
* Nb. Some of them may be 'free' from the start if the person to whom they were pledged drops out and specifies that they should vote for someone else.