There’s one big issue the Vermont senator has reversed himself on — and it could complicate his path to the nomination.
One of the qualities that fans of Democratic front-runner Bernie Sanders like most about him is that he’s been saying the same things for decades: on universal health care, on income inequality, on “political revolution” and so on.
Sanders currently leads the party’s delegate count. The latest polls suggest that he will widen his lead next week, when 16 states and territories — including the big prizes of California and Texas — vote on Super Tuesday. But as Todd pointed out, the same polls also suggest that, because of this year’s fragmented field and the way delegates are apportioned, there’s “a very good chance none of you are going to have enough delegates to the Democratic National Convention to clinch this nomination.
Story continuesOne by one, every candidate on stage — Mike Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar — offered up the same answer.“Not necessarily,” Buttigieg agreed. “Not until there’s a majority.”“The will of the people should prevail,” Sanders said. “The person who has the most votes should become the nominee.”
Then ... something changed. After a 48-point loss in South Carolina, Sanders fell behind Clinton in the pledged delegate count. He never caught up. As a result, his arguments about superdelegates grew increasingly baroque. The turning point came in late March. Fresh off resounding wins in Alaska, Hawaii and Washington state, Sanders debuted two new talking points.
“If I win a state with 70 percent of the votes, you know what? I think I'm entitled to those superdelegates,” Sanders added in May. “I think the superdelegates should reflect what the people in the state want.” Ultimately, Sanders got his wish, and his team was largely responsible for the rule change that relegated superdelegates to the second ballot this time around.
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