‘This election is about saving the American experiment as a republic. It’s also about saving the world…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) A growing number of Democratic delegates are hoping to stop Bernie Sanders from winning the presidential nomination—even if that means isolating Sanders’s leftist base.
Dozens of Democratic Party leaders and at least 93 super-delegates signaled their willingness to go against Sanders, according to The New York Times.
They know this could mean losing to President Donald Trump in November, but the alternative—putting a self-proclaimed socialist on the top of the ticket—would be just as bad.
Many delegates are expecting a brokered convention, the Times reported.
This scenario could occur if Sanders entered into the convention with a plurality of delegates, but not an outright majority.
In that case, many delegates have said they would buck Sanders completely and give their vote to someone else. Only nine of the 93 super-delegates the Times spoke with said Sanders should become the Democratic nominee, even if he only wins a plurality.
At least one DNC member floated the idea of nominating former First Lady Michelle Obama instead of Sanders.
“She’s the only person I can think of who can unify the party and help us win,” delegate William Owen of Tennessee said. “This election is about saving the American experiment as a republic. It’s also about saving the world. This is not an ordinary election.”
Other Democrats, however, are skeptical that the delegates would actually stand up against Sanders if it came down to it.
“I’ve had 60 years experience with Democratic delegates—I don’t think they will do anything like that,” said super-delegate and former Vice President Walter Mondale, before noting, “They will each do what they want to do, and somehow they will work it out. God knows how.”
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., who is also a super-delegate, agreed with Mondale and said Democratic voters are “way, way, way past the day were party leaders can determine an outcome here.”
Still, there’s been an ongoing, “vibrant conversation about whether there is anything that can be done,” Himes admitted.