When you ask them to do their own research, they won't have it.

From Isaac Asimov:

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”

You might enjoy reading it: The Commercial Energy Working Group (CEWG) is one of the many lobbying organizations in Washington. They make recommendations to federal agencies and try to sway lawmakers on policies. They engage in the basic political work of making the government friendlier to business.

There’s only one problem: who the Commercial Energy Working Group actually represents is a secret.

This violates federal lobbying and ethics laws, according to Public Citizen’s Tyson Slocum, who has urged the House and Senate to investigate the matter. “The Commercial Energy Working Group is one of the most active – and secret – organizations seeking to undermine energy market regulations,” Slocum told The Intercept. “The purpose of my complaint is to force the group to start identifying its membership.”

https://theintercept.com/2016/03/20/mysterious-powerful-lobbying-group-wont-even-say-who-its-lobbying-for/

In 1952, Kefauver won the primaries. Every primary held at that time, IIRC, but I can't swear to it.

The party bosses were angry with Kefauver because his investigation of "the mob," which had made him so popular with Democratic primary voters, had also revealed connections between the mob and Democratic party bosses (which we heard about again when JFK ran).

The nominee in 1952 was Adlai Stevenson, chosen at the convention by Truman and other party bosses, after Stevenson vacillated like crazy over accepting the nomination. He lost.

In 1968, Humphrey entered the contest too late to enter anyprimary. The party bosses wanted him and decided to try to sell him as a conservative Democrat for the South, even though Wallace, running third party, was far likelier than Humphrey to get votes of Southern Democrats who were not still totally loyal to Democrats. He lost.

I've only been looking at Democratic nominees in Presidential elections, start with 1948 and I've only gotten as far as 1968 so far. So, I don't know if there is a more recent example--other than Sanders in 2016, of course--but even 1968 was not a century ago.

their vote controls the system. What a ridiculous notion. Their vote counts, but often for manipulated choices.

Not that the rabid HRC loyalists will find anything wrong with rigging the system. They will enable and defend that crap as long as it's a "real Democrat" doing the rigging.

When we dare to say anything about it, we are accused of engaging in class warfare... the kind that has been, you know, successfully waged against everyone who is NOT rich, for decades.

The media mocks Sanders for being a "socialist", deliberately leaving out the "democratic" part. Meanwhile, we have two front runners who are both very, very rich in comparison to nearly all of us. How can we expect people who spend most of their time raising money through super PACs to listen to us? I mean, unless it's through NSA spy programs or something. Follow the money and you'll find the rot that infests our government down it's very core. Enough is enough. Our democracy, our jobs, our politicians, our futures, our lives... all for sale to the highest bidder.