26 July 2016

Democratic Party Primaries Was Rigged From the Start

Debbie Wasserman
The Democratic party selection process appears to have been rigged from the beginning in favor of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and dishing Bernie Sanders.

This came into light during the start of the 2016 Democratic National Convention and confirmed with the resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz as DNC chair. She was under immense pressure after a massive cache of leaked internal emails suggested the party was siding more with Hillary Clinton in the primaries.

The 49-year-old South Florida congresswoman came under withering scrutiny in the middle of a growing controversy over the trove of hacked emails exposed by WikiLeaks.

The leak raised questions over the DNC's impartiality as Clinton was locked in a tense primary battle with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The exposed missives showed DNC staffers collaborating with Clinton even as they attempted to undermine Sanders' presidential bid, which began as quixotic but gathered momentum.

Wasserman Schulz, an 11-year congressional veteran, will step down after the Democrats conclude their convention at the end of the week. DNC vice chair Donna Brazile, a political vet who ran Al Gore's 2000 White House bid, will serve as interim chair until a permanent replacement is selected, the party organization said.

"I know that electing Hillary Clinton as our next president is critical for America's future," Wasserman Schultz said in her resignation statement. "I look forward to serving as a surrogate for her campaign in Florida and across the country to ensure her victory."

Earlier in the day, CNN reported that Wasserman Schultz would not preside over the convention based on a decision made by Democratic officials who were trying to contain the fallout from the scandal.

"She's been quarantined," an unnamed senior Democrat told CNN last 24 July about Wasserman Schultz.

In a statement after her resignation, Sanders called on the party to promote "new leadership that will open the doors of the party and welcome in working people and young people.

"The party leadership must also always remain impartial in the presidential nominating process, something which did not occur in the 2016 race," he added.

The emails show DNC staffers disparaging the Sanders' campaign, as well as the candidate himself. The senator has been a sharp critic of Wasserman Schulz, whom he accused of favoring Clinton's candidacy from the outset.

If Ted Cruz is the most hated person in Republican politics, it is safe to assume that Wasserman is the most hated person in the Democratic party right now.