How Bernie Sanders Became a Superdelegate

http://time.com/4294398/bernie-sanders-superdelegate/

Running for President made him a Democratic insider

Bernie Sanders and his supporters hate the Democratic Party’s insiders known as superdelegates so much that they’re posting those elites’ names online in the hopes of bullying them into backing the Vermonter. They often omit this fact: Sanders himself is a newly minted one.

Sanders last year joined the ranks of former Presidents, House Speakers and Senate Leaders who can vote for White House nominees independent of how their home states cast ballots. All Democratic Senators are given that rank, and the Democratic National Committee gave Sanders that standing when after he chose to run in the Democratic primary. Sanders still considers himself a democratic socialist and his Senate office calls him an independent.

“When the Senator declared, he became eligible,” a Democratic official said. In doing so, he availed himself of the privilege of being among the party’s elite. He is listed between between fellow Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy and former Vermont Governor and ex-DNC Chairman Howard Dean on page eight of the party’s roster. (Former President Bill Clinton is also there, on page six.)

More than 700 superdelegates—15% of all voting members at the Philadelphia convention—will back either Sanders or Clinton in July. A vast majority of them (nearly 500) already have thrown their support behind Clinton, and many Sanders supporters have called foul, calling their clout undemocratic.

Sanders for months was dismissive of their role, but in recent weeks has shifted his tone. He now says can swing superdelegates over to his campaign, but doesn’t mention he is one himself. “When a lot of these so-called superdelegates begin to see which candidate is the strongest candidate” in a general election against Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, Sanders said on the Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore on Wednesday, “I think some of these guys are going to be coming our way.”

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