Election: Popular vote should determine nominee

Re: “Not feeling the Bern” (editorial, 3-31).

Your editorial really struck a nerve. Who decides who becomes a superdelegate, some modern-day incarnation of Tammany Hall? Most superdelegates are obedient politicians who’ll do as they are told, and some are even lobbyists.

By all rights Joe Biden, the incumbent vice-president, should be the Democratic insiders’ pick, but the fix was in. Understanding all too well the obstacles and certain, severe reprisals for bucking the party elites, he chose not to run.

Kudos to Bernie Sanders. Despite his poor odds of winning a rigged game, he has the audacity to stay in the race, thereby revealing the undemocratic, elitist, insiders’ superdelegate system for what it is.

“Democrat” is defined as “a person who believes in the political and social equality of all people; a member of the Democratic Party.” Perhaps it’s time for them to rename themselves the Elitist Cartel Party. The Republicans are no better, and we’ll see more of their insider shenanigans soon enough.

True democracy is both parties eliminating superdelegates or any such equivalents and delegates in every state being apportioned according to the popular vote. No more byzantine, inconsistent rules in each state. Let the voters’ will alone decide the candidates.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Election: Popular vote should determine nominee."