Markos Moulitsas: "The Backup Nominee Is Joe Biden"

Markos Moulitsas says these are your Democratic choices unless Sanders wins the pledged delegate count (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo; source)

by Gaius Publius

I didn't mean to do this twice, but events compel a few questions. Markos Moulitsas, a strong Clinton person, is apparently a strong anti-Sanders person as well. Either that or his friends-with-connections whispered something into his ear that he repeated out loud. Or both.

"The Backup Nominee is Joe Biden"

Note this brief exchange on his own site, Daily Kos. Moulitsas wrote a piece about how Bernie Sanders' campaign manager was "delusional" if he thought Sanders was going to win the nomination by using super-delegates to upset the pledged delegate vote, which he assumes will be Clinton's. No problem; it's his right to think and say so.

In particular, he wrote this (italics in original; my underscores):

There are two candidates. No one else has delegates. By definition, someone will have a majority of pledged delegates. What that candidate won’t have is a majority of all delegates, including the supers. But who cares? The only count that matters is pledged delegates. And if Sanders stages the biggest comeback in anything history to win a majority of pledged delegates? Kudos to him! He will have earned the nomination!

But pretending that 1) we’re going to have a brokered convention, when the math literally says it’s impossible, and 2) pretending that the super delegates would abandon Clinton for him despite his historical and current antipathy toward the Democratic Party is simply delusional.

Now to the comments section. One writer, ManhattanMan, added a reply that included this (bolding in original; my underscore):

If (God forbid) something happens to seriously damage Hillary’s electability, we’ll be thankful to have a backup nominee with a few million votes to his name. Ya never know. Safe is better than sorry.

To which Markos responded:

kos > ManhattanMan

The backup nominee is Joe Biden. Not sure why Bernie people think it would go to their guy…

Let's unpack that.

Would the Democratic Super-Delegates Nominate Biden Over Sanders?

I think, putting it all together, Markos is saying:

1. Clinton will arrive at the convention with a majority of pledged delegates.
2. The super-delegates will add to her total. 
3. But if Clinton is suddenly seen as unelectable ... what?
    
4. She would instruct her delegates to vote for Joe Biden, and
5. The super-delegates would follow suit?

I think that's what he's saying. So three questions for Moulitsas:

• Is he really suggesting that should "something" damage her electability, the convention would nominate Joe Biden instead of Bernie Sanders?

•  How does he know this? (Oh please, do share!)

•  Does this remark — "Not sure why Bernie people think it would go to their guy" — sounds as sneering as it seems to sound? 

After all, there's a small matter of Sanders winning all those states and delegates, against Biden winning exactly zero of each. Maybe that's why Bernie people might think "it would go to their guy."

Two from me and I'm done. First, I really would like an answer to those questions, all three of them. Second, if this ever occurs, that Biden is the annointed nominee, Moulitsas can kiss the Party goodbye. Sanders supporters are its future. All Joe Biden can be is the Hubert Humphrey of 2016, his last act as a politician and his legacy.

Have You Helped Your Candidate Yet?

Blue America has endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. If you agree with his policies, is it:

• Time to contribute?
• Time to phone-bank for Bernie?
• Time to make sure all of your friends come out to vote?

Seems so to me (but only if you agree). And thanks!

GP