Bernie Sanders: DNC Must Not ‘Anoint’ Hillary Clinton As Its Presidential Nominee

Bernie Sanders appeared in defiant mood two days before the California primary during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, emphasizing his commitment to staying in the Democratic race till the Philadelphia convention in July.

Asked whether he still believes he can topple Hillary Clinton from her position as the Democratic front-runner, the Vermont senator hinted that a good performance in the California primary could boost his chances of forcing a contested convention. Admitting that a large voter turnout in California was critical to his performance in the state, Sanders also questioned the media’s treatment of the Democratic race as a foregone conclusion.

Reports suggest that no matter what the result of the California primary, Hillary Clinton is poised to announce her “victory” in the Democratic race on Tuesday, a move which most mainstream media organizations have conceded they are willing to endorse. When CNN’s Jake Tapper told Bernie Sanders that Clinton is set to announce that she has clinched the number of delegates necessary to win the nomination on Tuesday, Sanders appeared to insinuate that such a premature proclamation of victory would be unwarranted, and eventually, far from accurate.

“I think that’s not quite accurate. I think the Democratic National Committee has made it clear that what she would be doing is combining the pledged delegates with superdelegates, but the media should not club those together,” Sanders said.

“Because pledged delegates are pledged to the candidate, but superdelegates can still their change their minds.”

Bernie Sanders has criticized the nature and the role of the superdelegates in deciding the eventual Democratic Party presidential nominee, something which has not only struck a chord with a hefty section of the Democratic voters who believe that the DNC has been unfavorably disposed against the Vermont senator since the beginning of his campaign, but also with a number of superdelegates themselves. Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, speaking to reporters at the Massachusetts State Democratic Convention in Lowell on Saturday, appeared to side with Sanders.

“I’m a superdelegate,” Warren said, “and I don’t believe in superdelegates.”

More than 400 superdelegates had pledged their allegiance to Hillary Clinton even before any other candidate had entered the Democratic race in a process that Bernie Sanders said was similar to an “anointment.”

“Here is my problem. My problem is that the process today has allowed Secretary Clinton to get the support of over 400 delegates before any other Democratic candidate was in the race. It is like an anointment.

“Frankly, I think that’s an absurd process.”

#DNC confirms #SuperDelegates DO NOT COUNT before Conventionhttps://t.co/fxqflsLnVb …https://t.co/Wl2eR7rT9A … @Morning_Joe @BernieSanders

— Nancy Mitchell (@NancyWonderful) June 1, 2016

Meanwhile, when Bernie Sanders was asked if he approved of Hillary Clinton’s portrayal of Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump as a “thin-skinned” candidate who would be prone to going to war, the Vermont senator, while definitely criticizing Trump for his temperament, also attacked Clinton for her history of pro-war decisions first as a senator, and then as the Secretary of State during President Barack Obama’s first term in the Oval Office.

“I worry about that. Yeah, I do,” Sanders said in response to whether he thought Clinton was too eager to use military force.

“I think her support in the war on Iraq was not just an aberration. I think her willingness to push President Barack Obama to overthrow [Muammar] Gaddafi and lead to the kind of instability that we now see in Libya is not inconsistent with her other views.”

Bernie Sanders’ criticism holds weight, especially in the context of President Obama confessing recently that overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi was the “worst mistake” he made during his eight years in the office.

You can watch Jake Tapper’s entire interview with Bernie Sanders below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ9nOUbomS0

[Photo by David McNew/Getty Images]