Force-Feeding Democrats Mike Bloomberg

On the day of the first vote for president, Patrick Martin of World Socialist Web Site has an excellent overview (see "Corporate media and Democratic establishment target Sanders") of the mounting panic within the wealthy donor class that controls the Democratic Party:

There was even a report by NBC News that former Secretary of State John Kerry, the defeated Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 against George W. Bush, was overheard Sunday on the phone at a Des Moines hotel discussing entering the presidential race himself because of “the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party—down whole.”

Kerry reportedly expressed regret that he would have to resign from the board of Bank of America and give up lucrative paid speeches, but could expect wealthy donors to provide backing because they “now have the reality of Bernie.”

What really alarms the Democratic Party establishment and the corporate media is not the prospect that Sanders might lead the party to defeat, but that his capture of the nomination, would contribute—despite the Vermont senator’s own efforts—to a radicalization of American working people and youth that Sanders would not be able to contain.

[snip] 

Despite Sanders’ claims, however, the Democratic establishment is in no way reconciled to the prospect of a Sanders nomination. The rule change on eligibility for future debates announced Friday by the DNC drops the requirement that candidates have a minimum number of contributors, an action that would allow billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who has only one contributor, himself, to qualify. Sanders’ campaign adviser Jeff Weaver denounced the move, saying, “Now, at this late hour, to change the rules to accommodate a billionaire who wants to buy his way into the party would be unconscionable.”

There was a report in Politico that members of the DNC have begun privately discussing a change in the convention rules to allow so-called super-delegates—elected officials and members of the DNC—to vote on the first ballot of the presidential nomination. Under current rules, they have no vote on the first ballot, which is reserved to delegates chosen in primaries and caucuses, and can vote only if no candidate has an initial majority and the contest goes to a second ballot. Such a change would be transparently aimed at blocking a first-ballot win by Sanders.

If the DNC is willing to change its small-donor rule at the eleventh hour in order to accommodate billionaire media mogul Bloomberg, then there's no question that we can expect more foul play to come. If it is true that the convention super-delegate rule is going to be tossed, then it will basically confirm that 2016 was rigged.

How do the party kingpins expect voters to support such a corrupt organization? Their answer is likely that the voters should do what they are told. And what they are going to be told is that they must vote for billionaire Bloomberg.

Plutocrats would prefer the general election be a contest between two New York City billionaire business moguls than one that would feature a democratic socialist as a contender.

We'll see what happens. But I doubt that the plutocrats will be able to force-feed their preferred scenario to the voting public. There is not enough grassroots support for a Bloomberg force-feed. If Biden were somehow able to muddle through with a narrow victory, the party would be divided, yes, but I believe it could come together in November. Bloomberg? No.