“Fair” is however you define fair. Democratic they weren’t... according to the DNC.

@skado
Fairness is always debated by both sides and I don't see an end to it.

Nobody removed any candidate from primary ballots, nobody prohibited anybody from running. No candidate was removed from debates. All primary delegates were counted and added. All had a fair chance. The nominee won the highest number of delegates. Now what happens in the background is unknown to voters and general public and that happens in both parties and commonly in elections each time. But isn't dirty politics a part of the game?

We have a long and protracted presidential election system in the U.S. unlike short and limited funds election in the U.K. Once an election is held, voters from either winning party begin celebrating and defending. They stop talking about democratic reforms. Other than Pete Buttigieg, nobody talked about democratic reforms, no other candidate including Bernie Sanders.

I have been a Democratic voter, already a part of the choir but Bernie's message fell flat to me for 6 years. I just could not accept the message and euphoria. I saw it as fanatic and so out of touch with the mainstream. Imagine how the rest of the country must have perceived it. Just because we like someone, does not make him or her good. There were Tulsi Gabbard fans right here on Agnostic. Did it mean, she was even closely a presidential material?

@St-Sinner
I can’t, with a straight face, say they were both dirty and fair. I don’t expect fairness, but I do think unfairness must be recognized and called what it is. War is not peace.

@skado

I did not see any unfairness in Democratic primaries at all.

Are you expecting the game of politics and elections be set according to how you think it should be?

I want a thousand other things to be right in this world but all of us have to play the game as it is set until we have the power to change it. Not any of us nor elected candidates have been able to change the system, especially how Washington works. Washington has changed them.

The choice we have is to play the game better, win it and get the power to be able to change it. All candidates, presidents, prime ministers promise a change, often a big change but no representative, president or Congress have changed the system. And we are left out to hang dry year after year.

My point here we must have realistic expectations and must win the game first.

If you challenge a powerful system that you have no control over, it will shoot you dead... like in here....

@St-Sinner

[observer.com]

[cnn.com]

etc., etc.

spade = spade

@skado

Ok, so you are saying the game was set wrong in the first place? The system was not favorable to Sanders to begin with? After being in Washington Congress for 40 years, was Sanders so naive to not understand that rigging would happen? How should other minorities like black, Asian feel about that and why they are not running? I know many in the minorities who can be better candidates than Sanders.

If yes, why play and expect to win. A lot of things are set against us. So should Sanders have played better than blaming the system?

@St-Sinner
Reality is not so dichotomous. There are more than just two options.Sanders was not naive. He moved the ball.

...and many others like you

That's the question alright, and I don't claim to know the answer. But it appears to me the pressure is building, rather than just maintaining or diminishing. Concerns actually have been voiced, but the system has not responded faithfully. History seems to suggest that people don't tolerate an unresponsive system forever.

@skado True, as some concerns have been brought to the attention of those in positions of authority, it is now up to those said authorities to do the right thing. The patience of the people is surely running out...

@skado Unfortunately, the people's intolerance is often expressed by force.

@SpikeTalon, @Petter et al,

It is up to the people in a few more states to do the right thing, amending their constitutions to give themselves the direct initiative, referendum, and recall

They can join the voters in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington. Source: ballotpedia