Donald Trump is calling upon Bernie Sanders supporters who are sick of a “rigged system” of superdelegates to either vote for him (unlikely) or stay home on Election Day.
I will confess that I had no understanding of the superdelegate system that has been in effect since 1968. I feel that the idea of giving “special Democrats” extra weight in choosing a nominee is an idea that needs overhauling — or at least modifying. It seems antiquated and elitist.
But does this mean that this election season is rigged against Sanders? No, it doesn’t. He and everyone else knew the rules going into the election, and I would argue that these rules need to be examined and changed after the election.
But for Sanders to imply and for Trump to blatantly state that Hillary Clinton is in some way responsible for rigging a system that has been relatively unchallenged for over 40 years is just inaccurate.
Furthermore, if one subtracts the influence of superdelegates from the equation, Clinton still has enough delegates at this stage to win the nomination. I find it insulting that Trump would try to manipulate Sanders supporters who, I feel, have the intellectual acuity and common sense, albeit with mixed emotions, to pull the lever for Clinton in November.
Rachael Naismith
Florence