http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/14/superdelegates/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Great article about the effect of superdelegates and how they may be the ultimate decision maker in this year's democratic primary...which of course would be insanely undemocratic.

soxfan..... I understand the system of the delegates, and right now it appears, as if Obama has won the nomination. Of course, the Clintons are die hards and they might have some tricks up their sleeve to derail the Obama nomination. However, I saw something on cable that said when the state delegates and super delegates are counted, Obama is 100 delegates ahead of Hillary. However, we need to remember that super delegates can change their vote and that not all the states have voted. Of course, what is going on in this race for the presidency has been so crazy, no one knows what will happen.

The cable news reporter also mentioned that both Hillary and Obama have given over $850,000 to the super delegates .... sounds like bribe money to me. I am amazed that they are permitted to do that.

leah - another huge issue that is coming up now is the apportionment of the Florida and Michigan delegates. The Democractic party refused to bind those delegates to the state primary vote as punishment for those states moving their primaries up to earlier in the year. Now all those delegates are effectively "superdelegates" in the sense that they have no mandatory directive on who to support.

As for the money...yep it's all bribe money. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

soxfan.....

I know that we are talking about a little over 350 delegates in Michigan and Florida. I wasn't aware that those delegates are being turned into super delegates. I'll bet Hillary is angry over that since her name was on the ballot of both states and Obama's name was only on the ballot of one state. I had heard that because of that snafu on Obama's part that Hillary was going to try to walk away with all of those delegates.

It was a show of solidarity...the Dems (mainly Edwards and Obama) withdrew their names from the ballots to show support for the Democratic Party's decision to punish those states. Clinton, however, chose to leave her name on there. To me, that's a little low, but I'm sure she had her reasons.
I'm not sure if those delegates will be turned into superdelegates or what...I don't think the party even really knows what to do, but I'm pretty sure that the party rules say that those delegates have to be counted one way or another so something needs to be worked out...

Yep...... agree with all you said. I'll bet no one ever dreamed that the race would be so close and that those delegates would become so important.

there's a strong argument to be made that in the Dem primary process this year with such an even proportional split in delegate allocation that there's no real prospect of having a clear winner before the convention. therefore it will come down to superdelegates and party influence where HC may have an insurmountable advantage.

that is one way that one might reasonably argue that HC has it already locked up. no wonder there is all this fainting going on!

Obama 08
"I feel faint"

This is a very good possibility. However, I have heard that many superdelegates are starting to swing towards Obama. Keep in mind that I heard this in conversation (although with a knowledgable person) and not through any scholarly source...plus I've been too lazy to look it up yet.

Bill Clinton for first gentleman



weird election this year. on all levels. democrats have a dilemma. republicans have an aging maverick. voters don't have any compelling options. i think it will be a frustrating experience.

soxfan..... We both mentioned the "bribe" money that Hillary and Obama have given to the super delegates. Now that Hillary is broke and Obama still has plenty in his war chest, how can Hillary swing the super delegates her way? Or, when bribes are mentioned, are they talking cabinet posts and ambassadorships?

leah....can't say that I know for sure. Probably a combination of both, I would imagine.

Clinton was broke before, but between lending her own campaign money, and her supporters' response to Obama's unreal fundraising, she has been building money back up steadily. Although, she's funneling it out just as quickly into Texas and Ohio with their multitude of major media regions haha.