SuperDelegates: Democratic leaders don’t trust voters
Frankly, I find the process of caucusing and choosing delegates to the Democratic National Convention in order to finally choose the Democratic Presidential candidate to be extremely confusing. Yet, just when I though I was getting a handle on it, I learned about “Super Delegates.”
These are men and women from every state who are designated by the Democratic party as smarter than the rest of us. They’ve been given the power to cast (and change) their vote for whomever they wish. I list Minnesota’s below.
According to CNN
A few decades ago, Democratic leaders felt that sometimes, Democratic voters were choosing poor presidential candidates.
Jimmy Carter, for example, was an obscure candidate who developed so much popular appeal that he essentially forced Democratic Party leaders to accept him as the nominee … So the party changed the rules for picking its nominee.
For the Primary this year, turns out that Clinton has nearly twice as many Super Delegates on her side as Obama has on his. You can find a list of Super Delegates for all 50 states who have, and have not, announced their support, by clicking here.
As you can see here, in Minnesota, the Super Delegates supporting Obama actually outnumber those supporting Clinton.
Obama
——
Rep. Jim Oberstar
Rep. Keith Ellison
Rep. Betty McCollum
Hon. Mee MouaClinton
——-
VP Walter Mondale
DNC Jackie Stevenson
DNC Rick Stafford
There are about 800 Super Delegates appointed, not elected, by the Democrat leadership. Considering a candidate only has to get about 2,000 votes to get the nomination, in a close race (and who doesn’t think the Obama/Clinton race isn’t close?) their votes could decide the outcome.
What do you think about the issue of SuperDelegates? Do career politicians and other high-level “establishment” professionals deserve this amount of power? Or should the “unwashed masses” get their way, unpopular candidate or not?
February 6th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Makes me wonder if it was worth my 20 min. to go and vote at the caucus last night! That and the disorganization of the whole thing–having 2 precincts caucusing at the same location, wondering if I was standing in the correct line (and if I wasn’t thinking that my vote might not count), not checking to see if I was who I said I was when I signed in a voted….and what was with voting on scrap paper in front of 10 pairs of eyes?? I heard others actually took a vote of hands! And what about the many people who stood in line to vote, but then couldn’t because the caucus had closed-2 hours isn’t enough time for all those people….and now “super delegates???” I’m sorry, but something is messed up!
February 7th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Thant sounds eerily like my experience as well. The double lines without explanation, the scribbling my name and address on a sheet of paper, then scribbling the name of my presidential choice on a smaller piece of paper at a lunch table surrounded by scads of confused citizens.
As Jonah put it so succinctly as we surveyed the backs of hundreds of people from the end of the line: “Democracy: Inaction.”
February 7th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Yes! And if these delegates are so ’super,’ then why do they need to change their minds?
If you think about it, the long lines at least prevented people from coming back and voting again, negating some of Valerie’s other concerns! But it was quite shady, and while primaries are less fun and ‘action-packed,’ they do provide a certain sense of electoral security that caucuses lack.
And Chris: Don’t forget “electile dysfunction!”
February 9th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Here in Colorado our caucus was exciting, busy if not a little kaotic. As is any large group of excited masses that come together for a purpose. We met at an elementry school, then broke into precincts. We all bumped into each other and I heard many times ; don’t you live on my street? Good I’ll follow you, just to find out your precincts are divide on the east and west side of your street. We found our way, it was exciting. The clerk went over the rules and regs of a caucus, time limits, no secret ballots, strawpolls, etc…exciting. We voted with a show of hands, and then where given a few minutes to persuede the “other” side to come around to our way of thinking. It was exciting. I think I like the primary process better, I am not a great debator, unless I am trying to convince my kids my way is better. Maybe I’ll use that strategy next time. For me it was exciting to see all of those Dems come together and voice there opinion, I learned a lot, and did I say it was exciting?