Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Bernie's Babies

Convention delegates are usually seasoned pros with strong party connections.  They, through their candidate, extract concessions before falling in line behind the winner. Bernie has gotten extraordinary platform concessions, as well as reforms in the nominating process.  Seasoned pros, and that includes those few among Sanders delegates, declare victory and live to fight another day.

But Bernie is a life long independent with only a dotted line relationship to the Democratic Party.   His delegates are primarily freshly minted voters attending their first convention.  They drank the revolutionary Kool-Aid, and are now crashing from the sugar high.  They not only believed in the revolution, but were sure of its imminence.  The idealism of the young is their strength and their weakness.

Unlike his delegates, Bernie's voters have mainly moved over to Hillary.  They are made up of many long time Democrats fearful of Trump.  Unfortunately, Sanders delegates are unconcerned that their tantrums may hurt the chances of undecideds buying the Democratic ticket.  When Bill Clinton addressed the convention in support of Obama, he brought the house down.  This time, part of the house may come down on him.

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