Yet, there are several examples of how the Democratic presidential primary is and has been rigged: hundreds of superdelegates pledged their allegiance to Clinton before votes were cast in Iowa, a limited number of debates were scheduled to ensure voters had the least amount of exposure to Clinton opponents, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton campaign falsely accused the Sanders campaign of “stealing” voter file data, the Hillary Victory Fund has funneled millions of dollars through state parties to the DNC, and Democratic women supporting Sanders have faced forms of retaliation.
Senator Harry Reid called the president of the Culinary Workers Union in Nevada for the sole purpose of ensuring “tens of thousands of casino workers” would not have to work on the day of the caucuses. The union president did Clinton a favor, let workers off with pay, and workers from six major Las Vegas casinos showed up to help make certain Clinton did not lose.
The Democratic National Committee has stacked the deck against the Sanders campaign by only appointing three of the 45 people he recommended for the Democratic National Convention committees. Critically, former Representative Barney Frank—a Clinton surrogate, who has been vitriolic in his criticism of Sanders—will co-chair the important Rules Committee. The lack of inclusion of Sanders representatives on the committee virtually guarantees a repeat of much of the disorder witnessed in Nevada—not because Sanders supporters are disposed to troublemaking, but because the DNC openly intends to stifle their efforts to influence what unfolds at the convention.
There are 22 closed or semi-closed primaries, which allow the Democratic Party to block independents or citizens who do not want to affiliate with the party from voting. It effectively enables the party establishment to protect the status quo. Sanders has won only six closed or semi-closed primaries. In New York, the state set a deadline for affiliating with the Democratic Party around six months before the scheduled primary. Numerous New York residents believed the race would be over by April 19 and did not take proper steps to be eligible to vote.
Closed primaries are funded by taxpayers and not the party, and should be inclusive. Yet, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has openly championed their ability to shut people out. “We should not have independents or Republicans playing games,” Schultz previously stated, which implies anyone who is not a Democrat and supports Sanders is trying to sabotage Clinton. It creates the perception that a Democratic candidate with appeal across the political spectrum should not be able to benefit from that broad support during the primary race.
Local Democratic Party headquarters have shared space with the Clinton campaign. For example, in Nevada, the Carson City Democratic Party headquarters rented office space to Clinton. VICE journalist Pete Voelker reported, “It was hard to tell where the Democratic Party’s office ended and the Clinton office began.” Sanders was never offered office space for their Nevada operations.
The DNC’s own rules dictate that national officers or staff “maintain impartiality and evenhandedness during the Democratic Party presidential nominating process.” Henry R. Muñoz III, chief of the DNC’s finance operations, organized a fundraiser for Clinton in San Antonio, Texas, during the summer.
Early in the primary, the DNC helped Clinton limit the number of debates to six debates. According to Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley, the rules were, “There shall only be one debate in Iowa and only one debate in New Hampshire, and anybody that goes off script or participates in other debates, other than those sanctioned by the DNC, will be forbidden from attending other debates. It is a very undemocratic way to run the Democratic Party.”
Establishment Collectively Stunned To See Citizens Reject Rigged Democratic Primary | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community
