BERNIE SPEAKS ON SEVERAL ISSUES
COMPILATION AND COMMENTARY
BY LUCY WARNER
JULY 27, 2018

FOUR ARTICLES -- THESE AREN’T NEW, BUT THEY ARE SIGNIFICANT. SEE THE NPR ARTICLE BELOW. THE VOTE BY THE BYLAWS AND REFORM COMMITTEE WILL OCCUR IN AUGUST OF 2018. NOTE, THAT’S VERY SOON, AND I DIDN’T FIND AN ARTICLE STATING A SPECIFIC DATE, BUT IT SHOULD BE ANNOUNCED SOON.


https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/27/politics/democrats-smaller-role-for-superdelegates/index.html
Democrats take big step towards a smaller role for superdelegates
By Adam Levy, CNN
Updated 12:25 PM ET, Thu June 28, 2018

(CNN)Democrats charged with reworking the "superdelegate" system took a big step Wednesday to change the way candidates will win the party's nomination for president.

The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee met by telephone and voted in principle on a measure that would severely limit the influence superdelegates have on the nominating process, ensuring candidates earn the nomination through delegates won through primaries and caucuses.

Under the proposal, superdelegates, who are typically party leaders and officials, would not be able to vote on the first ballot for the presidential nominee at the DNC's convention unless a candidate has already earned enough pledged delegates to win the nod outright without superdelegates. The measure prevents superdelegates from delivering a victory to a candidate on the first ballot who hasn't won enough delegates during the primary process.

The DNC secretary would certify the primary and caucus results after the final state contests to determine if superdelegates would be eligible for a first ballot vote.

Congressional Democrats could lose their status as DNC superdelegates

The changes stem from the deep lack of trust Sen. Bernie Sanders' supporters had for superdelegates during his 2016 run for president against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The early support of superdelegates was viewed by Sanders' supporters as having tipped the scale for Clinton.

"We have to make sure that we work to rebuild the trust among many who feel frankly alienated from our party," DNC Chairman Tom Perez said during the call supporting the proposal. "No automatic delegate will cast a first-ballot vote unless the nomination has already been decided."

Sanders, who has not announced his plans for 2020, applauded the decision.

"This decision will ensure that delegates elected by voters in primaries and caucuses will have the primary role in selecting the Democratic Party's nominee at the 2020 convention," he said in a statement through his Senate campaign. "This is a major step forward in making the Democratic Party more open and transparent, and I applaud their action. "

HOW IT WORKS IN THREE SCENARIOS:

SCENARIO ONE: A candidate earns a majority of ALL delegates -- pledged, super, etc.

OUTCOME: All delegates can vote on the first ballot for president.

SCENARIO TWO: A candidate earns a majority of PLEDGED delegates only.
OUTCOME: Only pledged delegates vote on the first ballot for president. The candidate with a majority of pledged delegates would then become the Party's nominee.

SCENARIO THREE: No candidate earns a majority of either pledged or all delegates (for example, if three candidates win delegates and stay in until the convention).

OUTCOME: Only pledged delegates vote on the first ballot.
Pledged delegates could still change their votes to avoid a second ballot if their candidate drops out and "releases" them, in which case they could vote for their personal preference.

If no candidate wins on the first ballot in scenario two or three, superdelegates would be eligible to vote on all ballots proceeding. All delegates become unpledged after the first vote. The last Democratic convention to go beyond the first ballot was 1952.

The committee was nearly unanimous in its decision to support the proposal, with 27 of its 29 members supporting it, with one abstention and one against.

Don Fowler, the former DNC chair who has been with the DNC when superdelegates were created after the 1980 election, firmly opposed the decision.

"I find it a little ludicrous to take seriously the notion that if the majority is attained on first ballot, then the automatic delegates will get a chance to vote for something that will be truly meaningless," he said. "If you take the vote away from members of the DNC, state chairs and vice chairs and other members, you will find that the quality of the DNC members and the state chairs and vice chairs over a period of time will decrease because there won't be as much value in spending time with the party on behalf of the party."

Some members said on the call they were supporting the proposal, even though they think the superdelegates haven't changed the outcome of a Democratic nomination process in the past but recognize the public distrust they have caused.

The committee will officially certify this proposal next month, which will then be put to the entire DNC in August to implement the change beginning with the 2020 election.

Some members of Congress, who are superdelegates by virtue of their role in Congress, have met with Perez previously to protest the changes proposed that led to Wednesday's vote.

"We all agree that there needs to be reform, but I'm disappointed with this too-complicated plan," North Carolina Rep. David Price said in a statement to CNN. Price was executive director of the Hunt commission that led to the creation of superdelegates after the 1980 election.

"There are ways to reduce the number of unpledged delegates significantly, without denying any delegate their vote," he said. "I regret that the Rules and Bylaws Committee chose otherwise."

CNN's Dan Merica contributed to this report.



BERNIE SANDERS’ STAND ON THE RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE

https://berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-statement-russian-government-interference-u-s-elections/
PRESS RELEASE
Sanders Statement on Russian Government Interference In U.S. Elections
FEBRUARY 21, 2018

BURLINGTON, Vt. – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday released the following statement on Russian government interference in U.S. elections:

“It is now clear to everyone that agents of the Russian government were, in a disgusting and dangerous manner, actively interfering in the 2016 elections in an effort to defeat Secretary Hillary Clinton. Based on media reports they intend to interfere in the mid-term elections of 2018. There has also been extensive reporting on the Russian government’s interference in European elections.

“All of this conduct taken together is a direct assault on the free democratic systems that stand in contrast to the autocratic, nationalistic kleptocracy of Vladimir Putin and his backers in the Russian oligarchy. Sadly, despite all this evidence, the only person who seems to be unconcerned about the subversion of democracy is our own president Donald Trump. Russian interference in both the 2016 primary and general election is unacceptable and everything possible must be done to ensure it does not happen again. No candidate, whether Secretary Clinton or anyone else, should have to wage an electoral contest in the face of foreign government intervention. The same is true of other kinds of interference the Russians engaged in, including posing as supporters of the social justice movement Black Lives Matter or members of the American Muslim community.

“Let there be no confusion about my view. What the Russians did in the 2016 election cycle deserves unconditional condemnation. That includes all of their conduct — whether it was active support of any candidate or active opposition to any candidate or the decision to not go after a candidate as a way of hurting or helping another campaign. This is true of any of the 2016 campaigns, including those of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, or my own. As someone who campaigned hard for Secretary Clinton from one end of this country to another, it is an outrage that she had to run against not only Donald Trump but also the Russian government. All Americans rightly expected and deserved a fair election free of foreign governmental intervention. The key issues now are two: how we prevent the unwitting manipulation of the electoral and political system of our country by foreign governments; and exposing who was actively consorting with the Russian government’s attack on our democracy.”

On background from an aide to Sanders: Based on public reporting, especially a Huffington Post piece from March of 2017 — months after the 2016 general election was over — volunteer administrators of pro-Bernie Facebook pages detected an influx of anti-Hillary Clinton trolls in the April – May 2016 timeframe. One of the people featured in the stories about the Russian interference is a volunteer administrator John Mattes of San Diego. In a February 16, 2018 story, NBC 7 San Diego reported that Mattes claims he took whatever information he had to Hillary for America in August and the Obama Administration in September of 2016. Speaking on Vermont Public Radio on2/21/2018, Senator Sanders alluded to the San Diego NBC affiliate’s reporting when he said that someone from the campaign had informed Hillary for America about the influx of anti-Hillary Clinton trolling that was occurring on pro-Bernie 2016 Facebook pages. In doing so, he was using the word “campaign” expansively to include not only the formal, institutional campaign, but also the broader network of volunteers and supporters of Bernie 2016 across the country.



BERNIE ON THE DNC REFORM COMMISSION

“The Democratic Party will not become a vibrant and successful 50 state party until it opens its doors widely to the working people and young people of our country.”


https://berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-statement-dnc-unity-reform-commission-2/
PRESS RELEASE
Sanders Statement on DNC Unity Reform Commission
DECEMBER 9, 2017
Twitter Facebook Email Link
WASHINGTON – U.S. SEN. BERNIE SANDERS ISSUED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT ON SATURDAY FOLLOWING THE FIFTH AND FINAL MEETING OF THE DNC UNITY REFORM COMMISSION IN WASHINGTON D.C.:

“The Democratic Party will not become a vibrant and successful 50 state party until it opens its doors widely to the working people and young people of our country. I am extremely pleased that the Unity Reform Commission has begun that process, voting nearly unanimously to limit the role of super delegates along with making our caucuses and primaries more democratic. Now it is incumbent on the Democratic Party’s Rules and Bylaws committee and the membership of the DNC to enact these critical reforms as soon as possible.”



CHANGES IN REGARD TO THE SUPERDELEGATES

https://www.npr.org/2018/06/27/623913044/dnc-officials-vote-to-scale-back-role-of-superdelegates-in-presidential-nominati
POLITICS
DNC Officials Vote To Scale Back Role Of 'Superdelegates' In Presidential Nomination
June 27, 2018 5:17 PM ET
SCOTT DETROW

PHOTOGRAPH -- Sen. Bernie Sanders is seen after the Vermont delegation cast their votes during roll call at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. After the bitter primary between Sanders and Hillary Clinton, the DNC set up a process that has led to reducing the role of party leaders in selecting the presidential nominee.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

A day after scoring dramatic victories in Maryland and New York primaries, progressives have notched another major win in the Democratic Party.

A Democratic National Committee panel has voted to drastically curtail the role 'superdelegates' play in the party's presidential nominating process. The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee voted 27 to 1 to block officeholders, DNC members, and other party dignitaries from casting decisive votes on the first ballot of presidential nominating conventions.

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Speaking ahead of the vote, DNC Chair Tom Perez said the shift is part of a broader effort to rebuild trust and heal the wounds of the still-lingering 2016 primary. "No candidate should have an accumulated lead, whether real or perceived, before a first ballot is cast," Perez said.

Eliminating superdelegates had been a top priority for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the wake of the 2016 primary. The independent called the vote "a major step forward" in a statement, saying, "this decision will ensure that delegates elected by voters in primaries and caucuses will have the primary role in selecting the Democratic Party's nominee."

Ever since 1984, the Democratic Party has given hundreds of party officials free rein to vote for any presidential candidate they want to, regardless of which candidate emerged from the primary season with the most delegates, or how their home state's primary or caucus turned out.

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With Centrist Democrats' Success, Party's Identity Struggle Gets More Complicated

Superdelegates have never gone against the will of primary voters in picking Democratic presidential nominees. But their ability to do just that, if they wanted, and to affect the trajectory of a race has long been a major tension point between grassroots activists and the party establishment.

The question of how superdelegates would vote loomed over the 2016 primary, when an overwhelming majority of the Democratic establishment backed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Sanders.

Clinton won substantially more pledged delegates than Sanders in primaries and caucuses, but as Sanders' surprisingly strong primary run stretched through the spring, many of his supporters pointed to broad support for Clinton from unpledged delegates as Exhibit A of establishment cronyism.

This frustration reached a boiling point the day before the final set of primaries, when the Associated Press declared Clinton the Democrats' presumptive nominee based on a poll of superdelegates.

In the wake of the election, the DNC established the Unity Reform Commission to recommend changes for future elections. The commission, made up of people picked by Sanders, Clinton and current DNC leadership, recommended drastically reducing the number of unpledged delegates.

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One Year In, DNC Turnaround Has A Long Way To Go

Perez said Democrats ultimately opted for a slightly different plan because he said the remaining pool of superdelegates would have been less diverse.

The unity commission was one of several steps Perez has taken to try and heal the bitter wounds of the 2016 primary, which were exasperated by hacked emails showing many DNC officials openly preferred Clinton to Sanders at a time when they were acting publicly as neutral arbiters. The DNC emails were hacked by Russian operatives as part of a campaign to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, and were released by Wikileaks on the eve of the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

"We have to make sure that we rebuild the trust among many who feel alienated from our party," Perez said at the beginning of the committee meeting.

The new procedures would allow superdelegates to vote for whomever they want in the unlikely event a presidential candidate isn't nominated on the first ballot and the convention becomes contested on the floor.

Given the fact that Democrats expect the 2020 presidential field to be their largest ever, that possibility, while still very remote, is possible.

The full Democratic National Committee will vote on the proposed rule change in August.