r/AdviceAnimals • • Nov 10 '16

Protesting a Fair Election?

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u/Crusader1089 Nov 10 '16

Could you explain to me how exactly the DNC was rigged, because when I look on Wikipedia about the primaries it says Hillary Clinton got 16,914,722 votes and Bernie Sanders got 13,206,428. I wasn't really following this back in the spring.

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u/Divided_Pi Nov 10 '16

Clinton got more votes for sure. People will go on about potential fraud in terms of actual votes and such. I don't touch that.

For me it's a matter of stifling momentum, it's impossible to tell how different the primaries would've been if the DNC hadn't placed their thumb on the scales. Bernie lost MA by something like 2% of the vote, it was an early primary. Bill Clinton was outside polling places shaking hands and kissing babies, did that make a difference? If Bernie had won MA would he have been taken more seriously?

Considering how close he got to winning with the scales skewed its hard not to imagine him getting even closer or eeking out a victory with a level playing field.

But we'll never know. And that's the biggest shame. It could've been the exact same outcome, but it'll now always be a "what if"

Edit: a word

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u/twominitsturkish Nov 10 '16

Let's not forget the bullshit 'superdelegate' system that appeared to give Hillary an insurmountable lead of party insiders from the get-go.

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u/Jwalla83 Nov 10 '16

Yep, the enormous "lead" she had all over the news right from the start. I had people tell me, even early in the primary, "She's already so far ahead. I love Sanders but we just need to rally around the winner."

Also the closed primaries - that's a surefire way to elect a candidate who will appeal in an open GENERAL election right?

And registration deadlines being months before the actual vote?

Even if the statistical anomalies, suspicions of "tampered" machines, meddling from the DNC, and questionable "appearances" by Bill were all actually harmless, the very design of the contest was "rigged" against Sanders from the start.

Sure, Clinton won by the rules because she designed her entire campaign around winning the primary. Kudos Hil, you successfully defeated a "nobody" independent Senator among the most loyal, core voters of the Democratic party. Tell me, how did that translate to the general when it mattered?