# Another election stolen from Bernie Sanders
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [April 4, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144 "2016-04-04T01:22:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/21 "2016-04-04T16:05:44Z")
> [@](#):
>
> IMO, it’s getting more and more to the point where the Sanders followers are trying everything they can think of to get him nominated, including threatening to primary out any sitting Representatives in states where the Congressional primary is after the convention (e.g. Washington state) who refuse to vote for Sanders at the convention.
What’s crazy about that? You vote for the candidate whom you feel better represents your interests, and how that person votes at the convention is one way you gauge how well they represent your interests. And if enough of the people in a district are inclined towards Sanders that they’d do something like that, well then, that’s a sign that that Representative _should_ have voted for Sanders.
Now, crazy would be if Democrats in such districts threatened to vote for the Republican in the general election, out of spite. But they’re not doing that.
---
### Author:  [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/22 "2016-04-04T16:37:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#):
>
> What’s crazy about that? You vote for the candidate whom you feel better represents your interests, and how that person votes at the convention is one way you gauge how well they represent your interests. And if enough of the people in a district are inclined towards Sanders that they’d do something like that, well then, that’s a sign that that Representative _should_ have voted for Sanders.
>
> Now, crazy would be if Democrats in such districts threatened to vote for the Republican in the general election, out of spite. But they’re not doing that.
I agree, it’s not crazy.
That being said, it’s got more than a few problems.
\*It would be logistically difficult (many states have filing deadlines that are coming up quick).
\*The politicians I’ve known don’t respond well to threats. They don’t want to be seen as weak, so they don’t cave in; they stand up to the threat. If anything, demands like this stiffen their resolve NOT to do what they’re being pushed to do.
\*If someone were to primary a non-Sanders-supporting politico, it would probably be unsuccessful (while SOME Sanders supporters will certainly make voting for Sanders at a convention into some kind of single-issue litmus test, MOST voters won’t vote against someone they generally like for one vote they’re not thrilled with).
\*A primary challenge would certainly irritate the sitting representative, who would have to spend money and energy in a primary before getting to the general election, which no one likes to do; being forced to do something like that isn’t going to make the sitting representative think favorably of the activists and their program.
\*If there’s a successful primary challenge, you may have just replaced a strong, popular candidate with a good chance of winning the general election with a much weaker candidate who won’t win against a reasonable Republican. The Tea Party has of course done this several times: see Christine O’Donnell, Sharron Angle, Todd Akin. The upshot could be the loss of an otherwise safe Democratic seat to the GOP. In this sense, primarying an incumbent could indeed mean “electing a Republican.” Is this really what even enthusiastic Sanders supporters want to see happen?
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### Author:  [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/23 "2016-04-04T17:32:33Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#):
>
> You’re late. The Clinton campaign [says he should be on the ballot](http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/274822-clinton-campaign-head-put-sanders-on-dc-ballots) and the DC council is working to make it happen.
>
> Could you go ahead and lay down the specific facts of which other election was stolen, though?
Democrats playing nice. Kudos to the Clinton campaign.
Meanwhile, Cruz is doing everything possible to prevent Kasich from even having his name placed in nomination at the GOP convention in Cleveland.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/24 "2016-04-04T17:34:06Z")
nm
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/25 "2016-04-04T18:49:03Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#):
>
> …
> \*If there’s a successful primary challenge, you may have just replaced a strong, popular candidate with a good chance of winning the general election with a much weaker candidate who won’t win against a reasonable Republican. The Tea Party has of course done this several times: see Christine O’Donnell, Sharron Angle, Todd Akin. The upshot could be the loss of an otherwise safe Democratic seat to the GOP. In this sense, primarying an incumbent could indeed mean “electing a Republican.” Is this really what even enthusiastic Sanders supporters want to see happen?
Agree with your whole post. As to the excerpt above …
Many Sanders supporters have declared loud and long that they see no practical difference between the Republicans and the Clinton / DLC / Establishment Democrats.
I think they’re factually mistaken. But if indeed they believe that, then it’s pretty likely that they’d act as you question: willing to hand a Congressional seat to an R over an Establishment D since they’re perceived by Sanders’ base as equivalent evils.
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### Author:  [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/26 "2016-04-04T19:29:24Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> Agree with your whole post. As to the excerpt above …
>
> Many Sanders supporters have declared loud and long that they see no practical difference between the Republicans and the Clinton / DLC / Establishment Democrats.
>
> I think they’re factually mistaken. But if indeed they believe that, then it’s pretty likely that they’d act as you question: willing to hand a Congressional seat to an R over an Establishment D since they’re perceived by Sanders’ base as equivalent evils.
Yeah, I know. You’re quite right.
My point was that the idea of primarying these elected officials, in and of itself, was not crazy, just dumb and not well-thought-out.
Doing it for the purpose, the _goal_, of replacing a less-than-pure D with an R moves it to the category of “not just dumb but crazy to boot.”
How’s that?
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/27 "2016-04-04T23:34:04Z")
**boffking** , is this the first election of any sort you have paid attention to? Because it looks like it is.
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/28 "2016-04-04T23:51:15Z")
Not so sure you can really say that **boffking** is paying attention _this_ time …
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### Author:  [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/29 "2016-04-05T00:04:44Z")
> [@dropzone](#):
>
> **boffking** , is this the first election of any sort you have paid attention to? Because it looks like it is.
It is the first \*Presidential \* election I have paid attention to. I was 18 in 2012, when there were no Democratic primaries. I did vote for Obama, but I mostly paid attention to the local issues here in Maine. In 2014, I was quite involved in our gubernatorial election, which IMO became a massive disappointment. The vote split 3 ways, and we ended up with 4 more years of a racist blowhard for governor.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/30 "2016-04-05T01:24:48Z")
So in that governor’s race the leftist vote split two ways and you ended up with the far rightist winning.
And the lesson you take from that is it’s a good idea to have the D party split and Sanders supporters stomping off in a huff?
That’s a very novel approach to cause and effect.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/31 "2016-04-05T01:26:03Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#):
>
> …
> My point was that the idea of primarying these elected officials, in and of itself, was not crazy, just dumb and not well-thought-out.
>
> Doing it for the purpose, the _goal_, of replacing a less-than-pure D with an R moves it to the category of “not just dumb but crazy to boot.”
>
> How’s that?
Perfection. Makes sense. Sorry I misread you earlier.
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### Author:  [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2016, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/32 "2016-04-05T08:05:16Z")
Bernie should’ve joined the Democratic Party years ago.
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### Author:  [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/33 "2016-04-20T15:37:46Z")
125k voters were kicked off the registry shortly before the NY primary. Also, the lines were so long at many polling stations that people gave up and left without voting.
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### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/34 "2016-04-20T15:54:25Z")
> [@boffking](#):
>
> Also, the lines were so long at many polling stations that people gave up and left without voting.
Are you saying all the impatient line leavers were Bernie supporters? That’s not a very kind assumption.
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### Author:  [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/35 "2016-04-20T15:58:17Z")
> [@CarnalK](#):
>
> Are you saying all the impatient line leavers were Bernie supporters? That’s not a very kind assumption.
No, but I am saying that it wasn’t a fair election because not everyone could vote. Also, the fact that independents were not allowed to vote in the NY primary basically gave it away to Hillary.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/36 "2016-04-20T16:00:22Z")
For some reason, I’m reminded of the Hillary Clinton _Downfall_ parody video, where she/Adolf fulminates “The voters have stolen my election!”.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/37 "2016-04-20T16:03:15Z")
> [@boffking](#):
>
> No, but I am saying that it wasn’t a fair election because not everyone could vote. Also, the fact that independents were not allowed to vote in the NY primary basically gave it away to Hillary.
Why should someone not interested in joining a particular party have a say in that party’s nominee?
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### Author:  [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/38 "2016-04-20T16:06:51Z")
> [@boffking](#):
>
> Also, the fact that independents were not allowed to vote in the NY primary basically gave it away to Hillary.
NY primary rules have required people to be registered with a party in order to vote in that party’s primary for DECADES. These rules have nothing to do with Hillary. The fact it may or may not have benifited her this time around is irrelavant with regard to the idea of “fairness”. While you may not like the rules, they were established a long time ago.
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/39 "2016-04-20T16:09:22Z")
The only fair contests are open caucuses.
Voters being taken off the rolls in Brooklyn, which went 60-40 Clinton, is part the conspiracy to cheat Sanders out of his clearly rightful win. Hey, they faked the moon landing, they can fake this.
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### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-election-stolen-from-bernie-sanders/751144/40 "2016-04-20T16:12:08Z")
> [@boffking](#):
>
> No, but I am saying that it wasn’t a fair election because not everyone could vote.
But the subject of this thread is elections stolen from Sanders not whether long lines are generally unfair.
> [@running\_coach](#):
>
> Why should someone not interested in joining a particular party have a say in that party’s nominee?
Presumably for the same reason tax payers fund the party’s nomination process - it’s an intrinsic part of American democracy.
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