Saturday, February 16, 2008
Superduper Delegates
The Democrats, those firm believers in the will of the people, once created a nomination process with an escape hatch to avoid the need to accept the will of the people. They called it the superdelegates. And now the escape hatch has become a trap door.
Once upon a time, the Democrats installed the superdelegate system to prevent the appearance of a brokered convention and to give party leaders a massive say in who would be their nominee. The idea was to give a bunch of politicians a direct vote on the convention floor during the first ballot instead of relying exclusively on the delegates collected by candidates in the primaries. These politicians and influential Democrats (read big cash contributors) would blend into the actual delegates and tip the scales toward the party’s true favorite over any fringe candidate who might be too whatever.
Hillary Clinton thought to use the process to her advantage, as other front runners have done in the past. The political plan is to jump out ahead and attempt to be seen as the inevitable nominee. Then the superdelegates would begin to pledge their votes and thereby increasing a candidate’s vote count without additional primary wins. Many superdelegates fell for the press’ contention that nothing short of a major scandal would prevent Hillary from taking the nomination and they jumped on board the Hillary express. As with the MSM, they failed to see the little train that could coming over the rise. Obama started to win. The inevitability tag fell off of Clinton like taxpayer money in the hands of Congress.
Now, with the primary delegate count so close, the fight for the nomination moves to politicians within the party. However, the battle will not happen in smoke filled back rooms but out in the open where the people can see how undemocratic the Democrat Party truly has become.
As for the Democrat politicians? They are increasingly becoming aware of what happens when you actually give the people a voice. The party stands over the trap door waiting for it to spring open.
Once upon a time, the Democrats installed the superdelegate system to prevent the appearance of a brokered convention and to give party leaders a massive say in who would be their nominee. The idea was to give a bunch of politicians a direct vote on the convention floor during the first ballot instead of relying exclusively on the delegates collected by candidates in the primaries. These politicians and influential Democrats (read big cash contributors) would blend into the actual delegates and tip the scales toward the party’s true favorite over any fringe candidate who might be too whatever.
Hillary Clinton thought to use the process to her advantage, as other front runners have done in the past. The political plan is to jump out ahead and attempt to be seen as the inevitable nominee. Then the superdelegates would begin to pledge their votes and thereby increasing a candidate’s vote count without additional primary wins. Many superdelegates fell for the press’ contention that nothing short of a major scandal would prevent Hillary from taking the nomination and they jumped on board the Hillary express. As with the MSM, they failed to see the little train that could coming over the rise. Obama started to win. The inevitability tag fell off of Clinton like taxpayer money in the hands of Congress.
Now, with the primary delegate count so close, the fight for the nomination moves to politicians within the party. However, the battle will not happen in smoke filled back rooms but out in the open where the people can see how undemocratic the Democrat Party truly has become.
As for the Democrat politicians? They are increasingly becoming aware of what happens when you actually give the people a voice. The party stands over the trap door waiting for it to spring open.
# posted by Richard W Black : 5:19 AM
