In what must be a normal routine by now for socialist Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, only this time in Iowa, he won the popular vote by the current count of 71% of precincts in, but will not wear the winner’s mantle, get the bounce to New Hampshire, or get more delegates than supposed victor Pete Buttigieg.

Welcome to 2016 deja vu, all over again. With apologies to Yogi Berra.

I was at the Philadelphia Democratic Convention that year and saw how hopping mad the Sanders people were when they realized they had polled more primary votes than Hillary Clinton but she got the nomination. Now, it’s happening again.

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The Democratic DC establishment, never a big fan of democracy, knows there might be kiddie and communist enthusiasm for Sanders amongst the severely empirically challenged and on out of touch college campuses. They also know he would get clobbered in a rout that would make George McGovern’s 1972 shellacking look like a landslide win.

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That’s not so important to the Democratic establishment. What they care about is that he could take them and their hangers on down with him.

So, he has to be stopped at all costs. A little rule rigging, a touch of delegate shenanigans, some threats to state party leaders, all of which the Democratic powers that be already did to Sanders in 2016? Par for the course to keep them in power and Sanders away from control of the DC gravy train.

The gullible and blind Sanders people don’t get that yet. Though you’d think after 2016 they would. So they gambol from primary to primary under the false illusion their hard work and votes count.

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They don’t.

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As Buttigieg uses his lifestyle status to siphon PC votes away from Sanders, Warren competes with him for the hard left and female votes, and Bloomberg outspends him like a drunken sailor, the scenario is in place to deny Sanders the top slot at the convention even if he gets the most primary votes.

Sound familiar, Bernie?

He may play a kingmaker role in a brokered convention. But since the Democrats are hard left with or without him it isn’t a big role. And so, starting now, the downward spiral begins for Bernie Sanders. It couldn’t happen to a more deserving communist.