Or, How the Democratic Establishment Tried to Keep Bernie Off the Ballot, 2020 Edition

The democrats will have a difficult time uniting the party if the primary appears rigged and Bernie supporters will be watching closely.  This page will be updated with unfair, unjust and unusual events that disadvantage the campaign.

• Biased Media Coverage against Bernie.  (On Going)  This is a subjective opinion, but one that is shared by many.  For example,  Chris Mathews related Bernie to “executions in Central Park” after NH primary and then to the Nazi conquest of France after NV caucus.  Frequent guest James Carville compared Bernie’s movement to a cult and said his nomination would be the “end of days.”  One voter so turned off by the coverage decided to vote for Bernie solely because of the biased against him.
• Biased Iowa Debate Moderators.  (January 14, 2020)  In the debate leading up to the Iowa caucus, moderators were particularly hard on Bernie.  Notoriously, on the disputed topic of whether Bernie told Warren that a woman could not win the election, the interrogator asserted the disputed allegation as though it were a fact.  And then disregarded Bernie’s denial, asking Warren “What did you think when Sen. Sanders told you a woman could not win the election?”  According to some, however, Bernie deferred to Warren to run in 2016 and only entered the race after she declined; Warren has not denied this.

• Hillary Clinton Interview.  (January 21, 2020) Two weeks before the Iowa primary, Hillary Clinton “levied scathing attacks” on the Senator in a Hulu documentary and a Hollywood Reporter interview, contending that he is “unlikeable,” “unaccomplished,” and blamed Bernie’s supporters for her loss – short, resurrecting and focusing anti-Bernie sentiment from the 2016 race.
• Senate Impeachment. (January 21 to February 5, 2020) Three senators were busy with impeachment running six days a week, limiting their appearances in Iowa.  While not an attack on Bernie, the advantage it gave to Biden and Pete was largely ignored by commentators when discussing the Iowa results.
• Iowa Poll Scrapped.  (February 1, 2020)  Polls leading up to Iowa caucus showed Bernie gaining momentum.  The Iowa Poll, which traditionally gives a big bump to the leading candidate was scrapped at the request of the Buttigieg’s campaign.
• Rule Change for Bloomberg.  (February 1, 2020) With Bernie’s campaign showing strength and party-favored Biden disappointing in Iowa, the DNC announces that it was abandoning the rule that a candidate needed to have 225,000 individual campaign contributions so that self-funded Bloomberg could participate.
• Iowa Results Delayed.  (February 3, 2020)  The Iowa Democratic party hired Shadow Corp (created several months ago by ex-Clinton operatives), which is funded party by the Buttigieg campaign.  The state party did not allow outside groups to QC the app.  The Sanders campaign, which was secretly monitoring the results, documented discrepancies and mis-allocations of delegates.  The party then decided delay results for three days.  Bernie was deprived of the bump that comes from winning the popular vote and winning (with Pete) the delegates from the first-in-country poll, while Pete, Warren and Biden all declared themselves winners.
• Assumption of the Buttigieg Won Iowa.  (February 3 to 22, 2020) Despite Bernie winning the popular vote, and a “state delegate equivalent” score of 563.207 for Pete vs. 563.127 for Bernie, the Democratic Party awarded 2 extra delegates to the Buttigieg campaign.  Although the AP refused to declare a winner (the traditional arbiter of finality), many media outlets reported Buttigieg as the leader in delegates going into and out of New Hampshire.
• Russia Helping Bernie Smear.  (February 21, 2020)  On the eve of the Nevada Caucus, the Washington Post (owned by Jeff Bezos) broke a story alleging that Bernie Sanders was being helped by Russia, although “[i]t is not clear what form that Russian assistance has taken.”
• Selling Seats to the South Carolina Debate.  (February 25, 2020) An undisclosed percentage of debate tickets cost $1,750 to $3,200, shifting the audience mix.  This might explain the Southern audience’s new cheer for New York City education programs and its offense to questions about the Billionaire’s NDAs, especially when Bloomberg is not even on the ballot.  Big media reported all was normal (1, 2, 3).
• Anti-Bernie Agenda Driving Support of Biden.  (March 1 to 2, 2020) Klobacher and Pete drop out and endorse Biden.  Even Beto give his endorsement, just ahead of Super Tuesday.  This gives the perception of the Establishment running against Bernie, as opposed to supporting any particular candidate.  Warren, who recently received a flood of SuperPac money after her failure to win delegates in SC, however, says she will stay in the race, although the money seems to be going only to super Tuesday states.