Pick Up Six

Sen. Amy Klobuchar's endorsement of Barack Obama, along with news that six additional members of the North Carolina's congressional delegation will back Obama before the state's May 6 primary, may well signal the beginning of the open spigot for Obama and his superdelegates.

The campaign does not have a reservoir of privately-committed superdelegates just waiting to burst forth on Obama's behalf; if they had, you -- we - would know about them. Peer pressure, more than anything else, will force superdelegates off the fence.

Comments

The Obama campaign denies it. Last time they denied a block of endorsements, they were right.

Posted by neil | March 31, 2008 11:40 AM

Could it kill you to link to a source, Ambinder? Jeez.

Posted by socctty | March 31, 2008 11:48 AM

The Obama camp has denied it's a done deal, but the WSJ was reporting that they were planning on endorsing, so it still could happen

Posted by Dan | March 31, 2008 11:50 AM

"Everybody should just 'chill'. Super delegates shouldn't commit prematurely ... except those nearly 100 who backed me from the start. Or any that have since endorsed me. They should stick to their decisions. And Bill Richardson, who should change his endorsement for me because he owes my husband."

--Hillary Clinton

Posted by LFC | March 31, 2008 11:58 AM

Though I'm not sure how credible stories of superdelegate reservoirs are, I wonder how we would know other than through leaks that such was the case. It seems to me that if a campaign could effectively control leaks, they could maintain a reservoir of unannounced superdelegates and wait for the proper opportunity to release them.

Posted by Meng Bomin | March 31, 2008 12:03 PM

The Raleigh News & Observer has been following up with NC congressmen - denials all around. The six person rumor is wrong. (Six would be astounding, as it's just about all the state's Dem delegation).

http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/more_on_n_c_endorsements
http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/no_more_endorsements_yet_for_obama

Under the Dome is an excellent blog for following NC, and the N&O paper probably the best political reporting in the state. Charlotte Observer does good work as well.
http://www.charlotte.com/politics/
(Donor contribution database is a fun timekiller)

Posted by Jimmy | March 31, 2008 12:05 PM

I should have added ... no one has gone on the record ruling it out, only that they haven't decided to endorse as of yet. If that means anything, I dunno. Other than nothing is imminent.

Take it from a native, our Dems have a strong "Blue Dog" streak here, from the statehouse on up. I'm not sure if that helps or hurts Barack's case re: public endorsements, but the political dynamics for most office holders are going to be quite different from, say MN.

Posted by Jimmy | March 31, 2008 12:10 PM

WSJ mischief? HRC campaign trying to short-circuit expectations?

Posted by lampwick | March 31, 2008 12:20 PM

As wild as this election cycle has been, it's probably best to ignore all rumors and wait until the super delegates actually speak for themselves.

Posted by LFC | March 31, 2008 12:23 PM

The fact is, Marc, on the question of whether Obama has "a reservoir of privately-committed superdelegates just waiting to burst forth on [his] behalf," you're ultimately in the same boat as the rest of us -- you don't know that he does, and you don't know that he doesn't. So why mention it?

Do you mean to suggest that the endorsement by Amy Klobuchar and the pending endorsements by the North Carolina Six would be less valuable or significant, if they weren't part of a "reservoir"? Do you mean, in characterizing these endorsements as Pavlovian responses to "peer pressure," to belittle them as not embodying genuine support?

On the one hand, you appear to be saying that, if Obama were really doing well, he would already have a "reservoir." On the other hand, you appear to be giving yourself permission to discount the possibility that these endorsements are themselves an indicator that he is doing well by attracting real support.

The fact is, these endorsements -- like all endorsements -- will stand on their own merits, whether or not you or anyone else attempts to impart or deny significance to them.

Accept that, and life might get a little easier.

Posted by horizonr | March 31, 2008 12:34 PM

I cringed when I read this line in the post "may well signal the ==beginning== of the open spigot for Obama and his superdel"

The "beginning" ?? No, just a continuation.

Take a look at the superdelegate tallies since way back on SuperTuesday . . . Obama has been killing. It may not be an "open spigoted" flood, but it's been a relentless and overpowering drip drip drip, just count it up.

Posted by SamSinister | March 31, 2008 12:52 PM

“Why do I have to keep proving to people that I am not a liar?!”
-Hillary Rodham Clinton, 2000

Truth is, Hillary Clinton does lie. And, any and every super-delegate has to know it. Although Hillary will continue to lie, thank goodness for that. She’s going to get caught; just you wait and see: http://theseedsof9-11.com

Posted by Peggy McGilligan | March 31, 2008 3:04 PM