STEALIN' IT FAIR AND SQUARE

No one doubts the fix is in if you ask Bernie Sanders' supporters. In a Politico piece this week describes just some of the Democratic Party's shenanigans at the national and state level.


This weeknd Sanders delegates to the Nevada Party convention reportedly stormed the stage in protest of the way the "party bosses" have shut out the millennial Berners. unable to comprehend that the election if not the future of their party itself depends on keeping the newbies engaged.


But at the same time, there's a distinct possibility that Hillary Clinton may go into the national convention with more elected delegates and, if we can suspend disbelief for a moment and assume republican democracy is actual democracy, she should get the nomination.


So which is it? Have the Clintonians set up and knocked down the bowling pins by appointing cronies to the position of pin boy or presuming she wins some sort of "fair" electoral process, should she win the nomination?


The truth is that both are true- even if Hillary wins by a few votes on the up and up at the same time it's true that that the fix is in.


Admittedly it's hard for people to hold two opposing thoughts in their heads at the same time. But think of it like the OJ trial. While it appears the cops framed him, at the same time, it appears he did it.


The Democrats' problem is more existential than who wins or even how they actually win. It's future depends on the perception of these two factors.


How could the Berners not see it as a "vast right wing conspiracy" to deny Sanders the nomination. The young Berners see it as a "the fix is in" situation because, well, it is.

Here's the bottom like: Most Sandernistas don't really give two tweets about the Democratic Party. And every time they catch another whiff of "the fix" it confirms what they already think they know- Party politics is a dirty, corrupt, circular-firing-squad process from the get go.


And you can't just say "well, it's politics" because what it is is inside-baseball, office politics, not politics as in "electoral politics."

That's what the Democrats are dealing with because even if Clinton has the majority of the total of "elected" delegates, the perception will be that DNC "fixed" the whole process.


The young idealistic Berners don't really care. They have nothing invested in the Party. And the Hillary campaign- and more so her supporters- have dissed the kids at every step of the process.


The Berners may be a lot of things but they aren't stupid. They "get" the fundamental difference between Sanders and Clinton. They see her as a corporate militarist who believes in American Exceptionalism. Bernie, not so much.


Almost half a century ago many Baby Boomers felt the exact same way about the Liberal Lion of the day, Hubert H. Humphrey and peace candidate Eugene McCarthy. And when Hubert was nominated amidst a police riot in the streets of Chicago, the party lost slews of potential Democrats for these 50 years... so far. (and don't nit-pick with us about about McCarthy).

Once again youth is feeling ignored and they hear and they see it in the booming media echo chamber- as Hillary amplifies it and they her with everyone eager to "turn to the general" so they can continue to lead every newscast with the word "Donald Trump."

Democratic Party stalwarts have a bigger problem than getting youth to support Clinton. They have the opportunity to turn them into lifelong Democrats. But if Hillary's campaign and supporters keep it up they'll lose them for 70 years.


We used to say that Humphrey stole the nomination fair and square. Is history repeating itself?


See you in Philadelphia .