Why super-delegates should support Sanders

If our Democrats’ super-delegates believe in representative democracy and value the future of our country, it’s time for them to change their support to Bernie Sanders.

I understand how in the beginning, the seemingly obvious choice for the Democratic nomination was Hillary Clinton. Four months ago, she seemed the only viable candidate.

Things have changed since then. Bernie has exceeded the expectations of everyone except perhaps himself, and the fever is spreading. With nearly 73 percent of Washington Democrats supporting Bernie Sanders (in caucuses), it is disrespectful to Washington voters for all of our super-delegates to vote for Hillary.

And nationwide, the pledged super delegates, 469 for Clinton and 29 for Sanders, are out of step with the current desires of the American people. They can help shift the imbalance by changing their support to Bernie.

In addition to all the great things that Bernie stands for and we all believe in, Bernie is now the politically savvy vote.

National polls show that in a head-to-head contest, the race between Clinton and Trump is too close for comfort. Sanders, on the other hand, leads Trump by a comfortable 16.5 percent spread in the latest Real Clear Politics average of recent polls

Thirty percent of Sanders supporters say they would not vote for Clinton for president. Virtually all Clinton supporters would vote for Sanders.

Super-delegates should do the right and courageous thing for the sake of representative democracy, the Democratic Party, and the future of our country.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 8:37 AM with the headline "Why super-delegates should support Sanders."