Joe Crowley’s Defeat Has a Lot to Do With Democratic Party Superdelegates

The defeat of Crowley shows how grass-roots movements can prevail against the corporate establishment and its vast quantities of cash.

Norman Solomon
By Norman Solomon
Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-NY., speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Tuesday, July 26, 2016.

Conventional wisdom said that powerful Congressman Joe Crowley couldn’t be beat. But his 20-year career in the House of Representatives will end in early January, with the socialist organizer who beat him in the Democratic primary in the deep-blue district poised to become Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The defeat of Crowley shows how

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Democratic Party Set to Purge Progressive Reformists

Refusing to face why the Republicans won in 2016, the national Democratic Party rebuffs proposals to make the party more democratic and less corporate-friendly.

Norman Solomon
By Norman Solomon
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton listens as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speaks during a campaign stop at the University Of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016.

With the Democratic Party’s “Unity Reform Commission” now history, major political forces are entering a new stage of contention over the future of the party. Seven months after the commission’s first meeting — and nine months after Hillary Clinton backer Tom Perez won a close election over Bernie Sanders supporter Keith Ellison to become chair of

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How One State Ended Its ‘Rigged’ Superdelegate System Once And For All

Though Sanders won 64 percent of the Maine vote, he has only received one of the state’s five superdelegates.

Lauren McCauley
By Lauren McCauley
Vote sign

Frustrated by what they describe as a "rigged" electoral system in the face of Bernie Sanders' overwhelming majority win, Democrats in Maine on Saturday voted to adopt a rule change that will essentially eliminate the power of superdelegates to pick a candidate of their choosing. Though Sanders won 64 percent of the Maine vote, he has only

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Nearly 10% Of Democratic Party Superdelegates Are Lobbyists

When it comes to presidential primaries, there isn’t a whole lot of “democracy” in the Democratic Party.

Michael Krieger | Liberty Blitzkrieg
By Michael Krieger | Liberty Blitzkrieg
Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event

On July 25, these superdelegates will cast votes at the Democratic National Convention for whomever they want, regardless of primary and caucus outcomes. Democrats like to describe superdelegates as mostly elected officials and prominent party members, including President Obama and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. But this group,

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