Bernie May Fall Victim to Hillary, but the Superdelegate System May Fall Victim to Bernie

Bernie Sanders fought long and hard but ran up against the superdelegates (he ran up against pledged delegates and Democratic primary voters, too, but who's counting?).

Bernie Sanders may take solace in shooting down the superdelegate system.

Bernie Sanders appears to have finally lost his struggle for the Democratic nomination for president. For now, his legions may refuse to face that reality, but they may draw comfort -- and a bit of pride -- if the Democratic Party listens and alters the nomination process:

Toni Yes, it left Sanders in the awkward position of having railed against superdelegates and then basing the entire rest of his campaign on them.

What’s your feeling on the possibility of a change in the superdelegate system at the convention? A compromise to cut them significantly could be a tool for Clinton to make peace with Sanders and his supporters. Elizabeth Warren, who is a superdelegate, has come out against superdelegates, so momentum seems to be building. But getting rid of them entirely wouldn’t be easy, right?

Nate I don’t have a great sense of how likely it is that they’ll change the superdelegates, but they’ve probably been more trouble than they’ve been worth to the Democrats so far. It wouldn’t surprise me if people were willing to cut or reform them in some way.

That's the best prediction about this subject I've heard. If Clinton offers to recommend such a rule change during this convention on superdelegates in the future, she may help bridge the gap between her and Sanders, helping in turn to bring Sanders' mightily disgruntled followers her way. If Sanders has some victory, especially where his followers were most exorcised, it could help draw the splintered party back together.

At a time when the emerging power of the millennial vote is beginning to grow, it would be such a loss to the only progressive party The U.S. has if the millennials were yet lost again.