Bernie Sanders still has a path to the nomination, but the national media is aggresively writing him off. With 1326 pledged delegates still up for grabs, Bernie would need to win about 61% to overtake Hillary Clinton in the pledged delegate count. While this might seem high, particularly after New York’s primary, it certainly is not insurmountable.
I know, the superdelegates. Yes, the majority of them have indicated support for Hillary with only 31 supporting Bernie. But I think there is a legitamate debate over how they should vote. I happen to think that the party should choose the nominee with the most support from voters. I think that the superdelegates should vote based off of the will of the voters. This could mean voting for the winner of their congressional district, or the winner of their state, or just for the candidate with the most votes. If Hillary is the leader, then she should get the nomination. But if Bernie happens to overtake her in pledged delegates and votes, then he should get the nomination.
I know others will disagree and support superdelegates voting according to their personal preference. But I want to at least argue that the national media is covering the primary in a inaccurate and perhaps unfair way. All I heard tonight is that Bernie has basically no path to the nomination and should drop out. They usually report the delegate count as though the super delegates are pledged, making no caveats. They talk about Bernie needing landslide victories to secure the nomination. They talk about the Sanders campaign contesting the convention without as many pledged delegates and trying to convert superdelegates, but there is no discussion about what argument should be made to superdelegates if Bernie does end up with more pledged delegates and votes. There was no discussion about how Bernie could overtake Hillary’s lead in pledged delegates. 61% is not impossible, but the casual viewer would think Bernie needs a miracle.
With that said, I disapprove of the increasingly negative (and sometimes petty) tone of Sanders campaign, thinking specifically of the whole qualification debacle. I also disapprove of the idea that they would contest the convention with less pledged delegates and votes (unless it is within a reasonable margin where the recent voter disenfranchisement would really impact the count). This is just ammunition for the media, and it is not good for the unity of the party.
In my opinion, the best strategy for the Sanders campaign is the following. Tone down the mud-slinging; stay issues focused. This was one aspect of the campaign that really got the respect of a lot of voters like myself early on. Say that the candidate with the most pledged delegates and votes should get the support of the super delegates; otherwise he looks unreasonable and has no argument to convert superdelegates. Finally, remind the media and voters about 61+%.