The final results aren’t in from California yet, but it’s late and it’s time to post…
I voted for Bernie Sanders back in the Colorado Caucuses, but tonight it’s time to congratulate Hillary Clinton for becoming the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. And by “presumptive nominee” I mean the candidate who won the majority of pledged delegates by a clear margin. If this campaign was about the people, then Hillary Clinton has proven that she can win the party’s votes even with a strong campaign from Bernie Sanders challenging her from what used to be the party base to the left — and what seems certain to be a major part of the party’s future.
But, just in case you’re thinking “it’s not over — we can change the minds of the super-delegates”, let’s cover the numbers...
Assuming the voting totals hold pretty close to what they are right now in California:
PLEDGED DELEGATES (4061 total)
Hillary Clinton |
2211 (54.44%) |
Bernie Sanders |
1805 (44.45%) |
There are 45 outstanding pledged delegates to be awarded next week in the DC primary. Including those, the number required to win an outright majority of the pledged delegates is 2031.
SUPER-DELEGATES (704 total; need 2383 with pledged delegates for nomination)
|
Needs |
Has |
Hillary Clinton |
172 (24%) |
571 |
Bernie Sanders |
578 (82%) |
48 |
The number of pledged delegates won in next week’s DC primary will reduce these requirements slightly.
It’s pretty easy to read the tea leaves. Bernie Sanders will not be the Democratic Party nominee through any level of campaigning the super-delegates — not when most of the delegates he needs have already announced their support for Clinton. Sanders’ only path to the nomination is if Clinton becomes unfit or unavailable to be the nominee, and that is something neither Sanders nor we as supporters have any business even discussing. It will come or not on its own, and promoting the conspiracy theories I’ve seen floating around will not magically make them come true.
So let’s make this happen. Let’s elect our nation’s first female President. Let’s keep our dreams of a better future alive and not let it die on the vine of neglect through apathy or hate.