Thank you, Mark. A couple points to consider: (i) I wouldn't characterize it as the Dem machine making Harris president now - delegates were allocated to Biden following the primary and when he withdrew, he endorsed Harris, so it makes sense his delegates would follow; (ii) Biden's delegates are NOT required to follow his endorsement - in fact, a totally new candidate could emerge that polls better than Harris does against Trump, leading delegates to change their allegiance before or at the convention (based on how the delegates think the local areas they represent collectively feel)

While this does give "smoky backroom' vibes at times, this process has largely worked throughout U.S. history, even during very contentious convention cycles, and it's probably more effective at achieving party unity than a more direct democratic approach, but reasonable minds could certainly differ on that point.