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A Superdelegate Primary?

25 Mar 2008 01:45 pm

Last week, Gov. Phil Bredesen of TN proposed one, and the Clinton campaign is now indicating that it is open to considering the idea.

Update: Clinton advisers are guiding me away from thinking that they're seriously considering the plan.


Here's what Clinton herself said this morning:


The governor from Tennessee (Phil Bredesen) suggested that there be a convention of superdelegates, and I think that it is an intriguing idea. I have not considered it long enough to have an opinion on it."

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Comments (27)

What does the Clinton campaign have anything to say about it? It's up to the super delegates.

By the way, it's a stupid idea. Super delegates can endorse now, why wait?

The superdelegates can do a conference call like normal people. Or Pelosi can set up a chat room for all the undeclared ones, and they can attempt to reach a concensus.

I'd suggest that when one candidate is endorsing John McCain and trying to argue that every already-cast vote shouldn't matter, pushing that candidate out is a good idea.

Why wait indeed. These super delegates need to grow some...ahem...balls. It might seem like they are trying to shut Clinton down before PA if they came out for Obama now, but she sure didn't mind having around 60 supers in her pocket before the campaign even got underway...why should she complain now if they declare before the rest of the race is up? Oh, right. Because she's going to lose.

Dear Clinton Campaign:

Please confirm or deny rumors that Chelsea Clinton is on full pay and benefits at the Hedge fund she works at in New York while she has been campaigning virtually full time for her mother.

If she is not on unpaid leave, then it clearly looks like that Hedge fund is "lending" a full time employee to the Clinton Campaign and in doing so, making an illegal corporate contribution.

Assuming that Chelsea do not work cheap, it would appear that this contribution is many times the size of the maximum individual donation allowed under FEC rules.

Please tell us the truth.

Obama already indicated that he was interesting in this too.

Obama already indicated that he was interesting in this too.

Whats the difference in the Supreme Court (9) deciding who was President in 2000 and the Superdelgates (say 800 or so) deciding the nominee in 2008? What about the people? What about the votes? I don't think I have ever see a campaign in a primary this desperate to grab power.

I think Gov. Bredesen should be considered for VP. I haven't decided whether I like this idea of his, but I am impressed by the man himself.


Why not a caucus instead of a primary?

Yeah, why don't the undecided Superdelegates just do what everyone else does and MAKE A DECISION!

We don't need some big press event baloney Superdelegate primary. We just need you to get off your arses and declare yourself!

The truth is, all these Superdelegates are not holding out because they are undecided, but because they think they can get something from whomever they end up giving their vote to. They are all slimy politicians. Every single one of them.

Declare yourself already!

"...and the Clinton campaign is now indicating that it is open to considering the idea."

Can't you just add this clause to any plan that offers Hillary a chance to avoid the inevitable?

Superdelegates should decide now. They are cowards.

Yes, it has already been said. Why won't the superdelegates endorse what the people already have decided? Is there a little racial coding going on?

I heard Governor Bredesen interviewed and what he was proposing while I was listening was a Superdelegate CAUCUS, not a primary... in essence a mini-convention in June after the last primary that would be run pretty much like a regular caucus.

I can't imagine that Senator Clinton is going to like that idea at all.

Hillary will like any idea that throws sand in the eyes of the voters, the press, and her opponent. All she's got left is trickery and deceit.

Party leaders, superdelegates, senators, members of Congress: please put an end to this ridiculous, harmful charade. We need a nominee and we need it now.

Clinton is supporting this "superdelegate primary" in order to buy time, and forestall the supers from declaring against her right now. Nothing else.

If the superdelegates are looking for a bit more cover by having some sort of primary (safety in numbers rather than sticking out as an individual, like Richardson), they only have to call one. It would be voluntary, and any super delegate could show up and declare which candidate they support. Simple. If enough asked, I imagine they could even get Dean to help organize it for even more cover.

What the two candidates want doesn't matter. They really have no say in this.

Ooooh, the Clintons approve!!!

Who gives a fucking shit what those two shrews think?

The idea is a bizarre oxymoron. There's already a mechanism in place for superdelegates to pick their candidate. They can do it now if they want, and save all of us a lot of trouble.

http://www.political-buzz.com/

In light of today's poll numbers favoring Obama in the May primary states, query whether this isn't an effort to extend the Clinton campaign into June by shutting off any possibility that the CW will call the race over based on one or more of the May primaries.

obamatons = very angry

What's that about?

Whats the difference in the Supreme Court (9) deciding who was President in 2000 and the Superdelgates (say 800 or so) deciding the nominee in 2008?

Um, a little ol thing called the Constitution? Perhaps you've heard of it.

I'm an Obama supporter, and I say, let's have that superdelegate convention. Right now.

hadenough = very unoriginal

very unoriginal = hillary clinton

qed

hadenough = hillary clinton

"obamatons = very angry

What's that about?"

It's one thing to use Rove's tactics when the object is to fight evil people, like Bush/Cheney, etc. When you're going up against someone who isn't using Rove's tactics it's just disgusting and repellent. What makes me angry is that more people don't think that way. Very disappointing.

"I have not considered it long enough to have an opinion on it."

She should probably sleep on it. We wouldn't want her to misspeak about it and have to correct herself later.

The supers need to declare themselves as soon as possible so that we can shut down this civil war between Democrats and unite against the Cheney-Bush-Rove-Gonzo-McCain-Limbaugh(-etc.) enemy. The longer Hillary Clinton continues her "fight," the more Democrats, independents, and intelligent
Republicans are going to be polarized and mutually alienated, and the more Obama is going to be "defined" as the Republican noise machine chooses.

Bringing this divisive primary battle to an end--and stopping this pitting of young against old, black against white against Latino, men against women, and blue-collar against white-collar--is more important than feeding the egos awill-to-power of Hillary and Bill Clinton.

What's always overlooked is that we Democrats will NOT have a nominee until the Denver Convention in late August. Until then, we have a PROSPECTIVE NOMINEE. If it's Obama, then believe me the press is going to have ample opportunity to dig out whatever dirt there might be. And so of course will the Republicans. But Obama will also have the chance to define himself, free from attacks from what ought to be his own side.

If there is some horrible truth about Obama lurking out there still unknown, then between now and Denver it will certainly come to light. And if so, then the superdelegates--and indeed the "pledged delegates" too--will be able to weigh that and decide whether we still want to stick with Obama, or maybe go back to Hillary, or maybe even draft Gore. Personally, I don't think such real dirt is going to come to light, but the point is that endorsements by the supers and the bringing to an end of this primary campaign is NOT the same thing as Barack Obama actually being nominated by the convention.

So why are the supers still sitting on their mugwumps and refusing to pull the plug on this destructive civil war among the Democrats? Declare Obama the PROSPECTIVE nominee and give him a chance to heal the wounds and put forward his team. Give us a chance to come together again; give the Clintonites a chance to get over their disappointment and rally against the real enemy. If there's REALLY some "unknown unknown" (forgive me for quoting Rummy) out there, we are not committed to Obama until he's the nominee. But quit pussyfooting around--give him the chance to really show his stuff as the candidate behind whom we can unite.

Enough's enough. Obama 08! And calm down, Clintonistas. Let's win this together!

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