Screw the Voters. Let Superdelegates Decide!
Millions of Americans, many of them first-time activists, voted for Barack Obama in the Democratic Party primary. They voted in good faith, expecting their votes to be counted and respected.
Now many young voters are discovering that there are two kinds of delegates at Democratic Party Conventions: real delegates (duly elected from the states) and fake delegates, delegates artificially created by the Democratic National Committee. These delegates, who lack direct support from primary voters, are called superdelegates.
With over 200,000 signatures, a Move-On petition to Democratic Party superdelegates reads: “The superdelegates should let the voters decide between Clinton and Obama. Then support the people’s choice.”
The seating of delegates at Democratic Party conventions has often been a source of conflict. In 1964, Fanny Lou Hamer led a sit-in on the convention floor. The Mississippi Freedom Democrats wanted nothing more than a few convention seats-seats to which they were entitled by open, fair elections in their home state. Walter Mondale, who was to become the architect of the current superdelgate system, refused to seat the elected delegates of color in 1964. Wait until 1968, Mondale insisted, as the representative of the Credentials Committee.
The non-violent mass movements of the ’60s, the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the rise of the feminist movement, the change in voting age, the anti-nuclear campaigns- all generated a groundswell of new voters in Democratic party politics. However, far from welcoming the newly enfranchised activists, party leaders were filled with fear-class and race fear. They never accepted the democratic reforms enacted in the 1970s, when youth and people of color participated for the first time in establishment politics.
The superdelegate system, as we know it, came from the backlash of the 1980s. In January 1982, supported by Mondale, the Hunt Commission and Democratic National Committee reversed grassroots reforms. They rewrote the rules, not to make elections open and fair, but to make sure that centrist (right-wing) candidates maintained hegemony over nominees and party affairs. It was out of fear of new uncontrollable voters that the Commission created a block of uncommitted delegates drawn from a primarily white, male establishment. Mondale, the same insider who prevented elected Mississipppians from taking their seats in 1964, played the pivotal role in creating hundreds of unelected delegates in 1984. Superdelegates comprised 14 percent of the convention in 1984, and eighty-five percent of the superdelegates picked Mondale. Not long after superdelegates picked “the sure winner,” Mondale was trounced in the presidential election. Nevertheless, the superdelgate number passed the 600 mark by 1988. The Jesse Jackson campaign, especially the massive victory over Dukkakis on Super Tuesday, electrified the party and the country. Jackson won 7 million primary votes in 1988, more than Mondale won as the nominee in 1984. Many party regulars were gripped with panic, and some superdelegates organized a stop-Jackson movement within the party. Jackson protested the role of superdelegates, but his challenge went unheeded. Party leaders continued to look for ways to blunt the growing power of grassroots movements. While they could not stop voters from voting, they could dilute the impact of the reform movements by manufacturing added voters as a countervailing force.
Mondale was quite open about the undemocratic aims of the superdelegate system. In a number of talks, he acknowledged that superdelegates were created with the explicit aim of preventing voter insurgencies. He espoused his anti-democratic sentiments in the New York Times, February 2, 1992, where he called for expansion of superdelgate numbers:
“The election is the business of the people. But the nomination is more properly the business of the parties….The problem lies in the reforms that were supposed to open the nominating process….Party leaders have lost the power to screen candidates and select a nominee. The solution is to reduce the influence of the primaries and boost the influence of the party leaders….The superdelgate category established within the Democratic Party after 1984 allows some opportunity for this, but should be strengthened.”
Today, faced with enthusiastic, grassroots support for Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton now espouses the old Mondale position (in the guarded, euphemistic language of a candidate), pitting the party regulars against the danger of the popular vote. I do not intend here to compare the merits of the candidates. But there is a question of principle involved in the superdelgate controversy. The very integrity of our elections is at stake. No vote is safe when a self-appointed group can nullify the results of a primary election that displeases them.
When Obama recently told a reporter that he thinks superdelegates should respect the wishes of the primary voters, Clinton took exception. “Superdelegates are by design supposed to exercise independent judgment,” she said. She also claimed that Obama’s view is “contrary to what the definition of superdelegate has historically been.” Historically she is right, of course. Superdelegates were never expected to respect the integrity of elections. But are we compelled today to embrace a system that was corrupt in its very design? Should voters be supervised, and finally overruled, when the superdelegates disagree with their wishes?
All Democratic members of the House and Senate become superdelegates automatically. Let us not forget that George Bush led the vast majority of Democrats by the nose into pre-emptive war, implicating most of the current superdelegates in the biggest catastrophe of recent decades. What makes these individuals wiser than nurses, technicians, custodians, lawyers, teachers, athletes, fire fighters, proprietors-all who voted in good faith in the recent primary? Why don’t the superdelegates do the job they were elected to do-end the war-and let the voters do their job in the primaries-select the next nominee?
And finally, what is the difference between superdelegate intervention in the outcome of the primary and the right-wing intervention in Florida in 2000, when Republican judges stopped the counting of votes, and appointed Bush as President? How many times will the loser in an election be imposed on the electorate?
Superdelgate Intervention Unconstitutional
Even critics of superdelegate deals tend to underestimate the gravity of the issue. In its very essence, the superdelegate system is unconstitutional. It destroys the right of primary voters to choose their own nominee. It offends the principle of one person one vote. In three primary cases (Nixon v. Herndon, 1927, Nixon v. Condon, 1932, Smith v. Allwright, 1944) the Supreme Court affirmed that the right to vote in a primary (a right which includes the right to be counted and respected), is protected by the Constitution. Officials cannot legally circumvent the vote. These were discrimination cases, but the arguments apply directly to the superdelegate situation in the Democratic primary.
Up to a point, a political party is master of its own house. But no party, or group within a party, can legally tamper with primary results. In Terry v. Adams (1953), the Court ruled against the “Jay Bird Association,” a group of powerful white Democrats who tried to create a private enforcement process within the Democratic primary. Justice Clark ruled that “any part of the machinery for choosing officials becomes subject to the Constitution’s restraints.”
The superdelegate system flouts the very purpose for which primaries were conceived. “Fighting” Bob LaFollette, the Wisconsin progressive who organized the first primaries in 1903, hated boss-controlled conventions. The aim of the primaries is to remove the nominations from the hands of professionals and the wealthy donors whom professionals obey. The superdelegate issue should not be resolved through deals or negotiations. The integrity of elections is not negotiable. The superdelegate system deserves to be abolished.
Oh yes, there is one small practical consideration, an afterthought perhaps. If the superdelegates, in their arrogance, defy the majority will of the voters, the stain on the Democratic Party nominee-Obama or Clinton-would nearly destroy the chances for victory in November. The Party would be divided. Idealistic voters would be disillusioned. And McCain, who happens to be associated with electoral reform (McCain backed Arizona’s Clean Money system) could easily turn superdelegate meddling into a scandal. The Republican Party has no superdelegates.
Respecting the will of the voters is a precondition to unity in the Democratic Party and victory in November.
Paul Rockwell, formerly assistant professor of philosophy at Midwestern University, is a national columnist who lives in the Bay Area.
The primaries were a $400,000,000 joke. Obama the Fog-Man beats Corporate Hillary!
It’s hard to see how super-delegates could be much worse.
If Obama is not the clear winner before the convention, he is toast. The Democratic establishment will put Hillary in as the nominee guaranteeing that McCain will win the presidency. Disenfranchising Obama will result in half of the Democratic base simply staying home on election day. How to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. With 70% of the country against the Iraq war, we will have an election between two warmongers.
Great article, great posts. If the Clinton people overrule the voters on this it will be one of many betrayals that Clinton and the party bosses have crammed down our throats. Even as we anticipate the restoration of our system through the the hope that Obama might be on our side when and if he gets in, the Dems in congress and senate act as though the President has a gun to their heads. Maybe he does. This could be the year of alternative parties. We need to pay attention to them as well. I will vote for Obama, although I don’t have total confidence in him. I will not vote for Hillary because I do have total confidence in her. I know she will (continue to) betray us.
Vote Green or Socialist. Granted, it won’t mean a lot unless it is done in MASSIVE numbers but energy wasted whining about the corrupt system ain’t gonna change it. Intellectualizing on pages like these ain’t gonna change it.
What’s gonna change it is….Hm? NOTHING!
“Mondale (ancient Piece of Dim Shit)… acknowledged that superdelegates were created with the explicit aim of preventing voter insurgencies.”
Superdelegates are an Electoral College for the Dims. Like the Ring of Power, it works, but once they put it on, they join the DARK SIDE. In this case, they signed up more than 30 years ago. They are in it up to their tidy whiteys.
I HOPE THEY DO take it from BHO. I hope they demonstrate to the entire world that “Democracy” is the joke that everyone here already knows it to be.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
I’m no BHO fan, he talks pretty but this ain’t my first rodeo. That said, for the Dims to take it away from him and give the nomination to HRC, well, that would be perfect. Fucking traitorous Dim animals.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
Are you willing to shut down Washington DC from a Monday to Friday with 3 million other Americans?
The monsters will not stop until WE ACT and not through some Dim shill organization. And we The People will show the monsters what they can do with their “Free Speech Cages for Citizens”.
Pieces of 8.
What if most of the superdelegates don’t care about a divided party or even about losing in November? What if their overriding concern is keeping the party corporation-friendly? In other words, what if they force voters’ hand?
First there would be anger, resentment. Then there would be voter absence in November. Then there would be McCain being sworn in as president. The “supers” can bank on the whole thing blowing over, for, after all, what choice would Democratic voters have? It’s not as if they would form a third party or anything.
Imagine the consequences.
1.Hillary(and the corpratocracy)pull out the super delegate hat trick.
2.McCain gets elected; war never ending.
3.Hillary will then no doubt lose the next senate election and become a national pariah.
OR
1.See #1 above.
2.Somehow squeeks by and is elected. Howls of protest all over the country.
3.She will now be beholden to no one but the large corporate interests she favors.
4.The U.S. winds up with a female George Bush.
Either or, we lose.
In 2006, the DNC failed to truly support the voters of Connecticut who nominated Ned Lamont for the US Senate. Consequently (and with the aid of a stupid legislative loophole), Joe Lieberman remained the senator from that state. If the superdelegates and/or Florida and Michigan decide this process, against the wishes of the voters, then it is time for a new party.
The likeliest scenario is that the superdelegates will respect the wishes of the voters, even if — ESPECIALLY IF — Obama wins the pledged delegates.
The reason is that those with power in this country really aren’t threatened by him. Capitalism accommodates its FDRs, its JFKs, its Barack Obamas. It needs liberals to sustain its legitimacy. Liberals offer capitalism the alibi of fairness. And now is a good time for liberals to run the government.
Thanks for this detailed history and absolutely accurate and well-argued essay on the scandal of the “super delegate” system. It should be broadly circulated, especially within the campaigns, to help avert yet another election in which the Democratic Party destroys itself by sheer stupidity.
as a Florida voter, I say not enough attention has been paid to our disenfranchisement… talk about the constitution… did we vote to not be heard?… I do think the issues are complicated… when people talk about “the people’s voice”…which people- the ones that actually vote? the small tiny majority that exercise their right to vote or moreoever-can? have transportation? can get off long shifts at work in time (or have the where-with-all to have learned about early voting, etc.), how about the ones who can’t read?
I am hoping my vote in florida can count and it makes sense there is some adjustment in superdelegates to represent those of us whose voices were cut off–not by our choosing… yes it is complicated if you add into the mix that the candidates didnt work the ground here, but you get my point.
cheers-h
Surrender,
I’m choosing to NOT go along with your screen name, and cast a (sadly) meaningless vote for a third party this November - perhaps ensuring a McCain victory.
I think it was RFK Jr who said both parties are corrupt: Republicans are 95% bought and paid for, while Dems are 70% bought and paid for. I agree with that sentiment. However, I also choose to vote for the lesser of evils. I’ve heard too many Naderites espouse that “there would have been no difference” between what Bush has done the last 7 years versus what Gore/Kerry would have done. Bullshit, IMHO.
It took the Christianists over 30 years to put their imprimateur on the Republican party (and I hope they are the cause of its demise/readjustment). I, for one, will continue to fight within the Democratic party, especially during primaries when we can bring in new blood to replace/awaken the old Blue Dog, DLCers.
As to what I do, besides yapping on the InterTubes: call elected officials, call in to shows (call taken twice on NPR nationally), write letters, phone bank, GOTV, contribute when I can. Oh, and always vote. No civil disobediance (yet).
I was for Edwards, now for Obama, otherwise for any Democrat (still guilty for a selfish youth as a Republican).
“They rewrote the rules, not to make elections open and fair, but to make sure that centrist (right-wing) candidates maintained hegemony over nominees and party affairs. It was out of fear of new uncontrollable voters that the Commission created a block of uncommitted delegates drawn from a primarily white, male establishment.”
Vote for wall-to-wall Democrats, huh? Like they are going to change anything that goes against their power base.
This is all very predictable. People want power and when they have it, they want to keep it. Democrats are people, right?
It’s time for the insurgents to rise to the cause and to the defense of democracy. It’s time to do what the power structure fears. It’s time to vote your conscience knowing that doing otherwise empowers the likes of what we now have. It’s time to quietly, yet resolutely, do what we need to do to stop the erosion of democracy and the march of fascism. It’s time.
Courage, conscience, action!
The writer is a mush headed liberal and is a very confused thinker. The article and many of the comments are not very enlightening. I almost never advocate reading an article in the NYT, but there was a decent one on the question of the establishment a few days back. It was, and this is not normally the case, far better than this one, and I recommend it to the reader. The super delegates issue is a very serious one not given to simple answers. The consipiracy speculations about the establishment are particularly off-base because it is not at all empirically clear who the establishment is when it comes to the super delegates. And despiteTHE AUTHOR’S BELIEF, super delegate additions were not a reaction to establishment versus people power. Such a claim is down right silly. For the present, is Ted Kennedy an establishment or anit-establishment person? John Kerry, Tom Dashel, John Edwards? Or Jonh Lewis, Chuck Schumer, Richard Durbin, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley? These are people found on both sides of the divide. Many House members are concerned about Hillary because they serve in Republican districts and fear the adverse influence she might encourage if she is the nominee. I am not at all a supporter of either OBAMA OR HILLAry. The important factor is who can best defeat John McCain, probably the most dangerous man in the world because he is a war monger and war criminal who is only marginally more intelligent than Bush, and there would be many Bush hold over around him, even Uncle Toms such as Colin Powell. One other consideration about super delegates; in the past, George Wallace was running in the Democratic primary, and there was a concern as to how to stop his being the nominee if he won the primaries and caucases. Later on, when he ran as an independent, there were scenarios as to how to deny him the presidencey in the electroal college had he won the majority. The super delegates are not just super reflectors of who won the delegate votes, and should not be considered so. The fact is that the party members who were not supporters of either of the candidates need to have their views reflected as party members–a point that is totally neglected– in the article and responses. I would prefer super delegates making the selection than people such as the author and many of those commenting on it because conspiracy advocates are dangerous people that confuse and obscure the real issues and complexity of politics. We should all be concerned about the posible election of McCain and the focus should be on that, nothing else in my view.
In support of Mr. Rockwell, against the Clinton camp who simply wants more of the same “failed policies of the past”, in support who those who want change at any price because it can’t be worse than these past eight years, nothing can, I submit a letter requested by the Obama’s campaign director. It is an open letter to the super delegates. We all know that the entrenched congress is opposed to Obama and the will of America. They are afraid of change, which is necessary for global survival. I am opposed to the infrastructure of the Greens since the level of anarchy dictates against any real positive direction. Or for that matter a run by Nader, not enough charisma to attract sufficient voters, not that his message lacks importance.
Change is the only hope for this country and the world!
REQUESTED OPEN LETTER DEMOCRATIC CHAIR:
Dear Mr. David Plouffe,
Thank you for your request, although by e-mail. I am a visual artist, Filmmaker and global communicator. I have recently returned from Africa and work on both sides of the Atlantic in Europe. I know from my work that people for the first time in a long time are hoping for a change in America. Europeans believe that Barak Obama offers the possibility that America will once again join the global community. His stated environmental objectives create enthusiasm in those in other parts of the world.
There are some who believe that the democratic will of the people should be overturned by the presumption of power as in the super-delegate issue of the Democratic Party. This raises the specter of large-scale defections toward the Republican agenda should the Democratic Party not align itself with the peoples democratic and non-militant direction. Should this occur it would affect world security and the issue of climate change directly. These issues are dependent upon radical solutions, which include global economic changes. Defection of democrats and particularly the young people-who have a hope of change and believe that change is necessary-risk an upheaval that could possibly tilt the election toward the Republicans. They would refuse to turn out for the Clinton camp.
Many fear that Obama may lose the election as a result of the strange electoral system and candidate approval mechanisms, felt to be undemocratic. This reflects the basic problem of what many think is a so-called democracy in America where a win in the popular vote does not guarantee the change in direction of the country. The Electoral College can make a change as we saw in the 2004 election which allowed Bush to take office; this renders the popular vote, void. The Democratic Super-delegate issue is a reflection of the absurd non-democratic American condition of the Electoral College. Should Barak Obama win the popular vote from America’s Democratic caucuses, delegates and committed states prior to the convention I do not believe that he should accept second place as vice president, which seems to be the mood of the media controlled races and spin jockeys. I believe that he should maintain himself as the democratically designated elected leader of the Democratic Party.
Further, should he be forced to that position by the party, he should leave the Democratic Party and form a third party and run against both Hillary Clinton and John McCain. This is what every one who is really thinking in this country and abroad wants and thinks the USA very much needs. Should that occur I think he should attempt to attract the Green Party and other great thinkers, who believe as he does, and his rhetoric suggests, that we must move away from the “failed policies of the past” if we are to save this world for future generations.
He has stated he has run because the time is now not in the future. The changes needed, are as he puts it, “right now”, not in the future and the perils of environmental collapse are approaching so quickly that we do not have the luxury of another eight years of “business as usual” which would be the Clinton way, before he could claim the office of president.
He is a populist candidate that has offered hope! He should continue that platform with the courage to take these courageous steps necessary if the standard-bearer position is denied to him to effect party change and changes in American direction. He should take this radical shift and direction, if necessary! By doing this he would serve notice to the Democratic Party that democracy is lost to America, by creating a third party should the first place be denied. Should the party be given to Clinton, we all lose and the possibility of change and it goes down with her selection. Should he follow the Clinton policy as suggested by some pundits by accepting the VP we all fail.
If he takes half the country with him to a third party we all have a chance. He believes that the failed policies of the past exist within the entrenched two party systems in congress represented by the Super delegates. The only way of preventing another move to those failed policies is not to allow Hillary Clinton to win by forcing Barak Obama to take second place.
This public denial by him of allowing super-delegates to determine the election would be a way of circumventing the second place the congress and CNN want. It would force the super delegates to reflect the will of the people. I heard one of the super-delegates speaking from Georgia. He was black and under examination by the press, it was clear that the position of many “super delegates” would be to overturn the national-will, regardless of Barak Obama taking the popular vote. This would cause the disaffection of the youth of America. No one has a right to do that since the older generation through “the failed policies of the past” has put the USA and the World in the present circumstances of possibly destroying their future and their life.
In the final analysis the USA did not rise to the level of intelligence and courage necessary for this time by electing George Bush to office for two terms and I doubt that it will by choosing Barak Obama to lead. The media and the democratic establishment suggests this scenario by supporting the status quo and have the temerity to think it can choose the way the people’s will and nullifying the very democracy they espouse, the height of cynical belief. Wolf Blitzer on CNN is the scourge of presumption and simply a clone of the establishment.
0. Aggie67 February 16th, 2008 2:20 am I hope you Americans realise that we, in the rest of the world, are following these primary elections of yours with the greatest of interest. Whatever you do effects us so much. The election of George W Bush seemed to have been such a corruption of the democracy you hold dear, please don’t let it happen again by your incessent bickering amongst yourselves.The world needs you to get back to REAL DEMOCRACY, so that we can all live a safer life.What we can’t understand is why you don’t seem to have “one man, one vote” It all seems to be based on which candidate has the most money, delegates and very strong lobbyists.Definitely not one, man one vote and the winner of the popular vote doesn’t seem to win the election. Weird definition of democracy.
This is an open response from a European blogger. Included below is an open letter to the director of Barak Obama’s campaign director and to Barak Obama. The media continues to do what it can to cast Obama in a secondary position but many of us are aware of this tactic to diffuse his candidacy. I think the party and the public should be put on notice that this is the election that affects the young people and with this new support this tactic will not be tolerated. THIS ELECTION WILL BE BASED ON THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
This following link is not a complete list, but if your representatives are on the list as “decided”, you’ll know which candidate they’ve selected, like it or not!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2008_United_States_Democratic_Party_Superdelegates_%28by_endorsement%29#Hillary_Clinton_endorsements
And they say that the US is a democracy…….hahaha!
The point of drawing out the Clinton Obama drama is to make the horse race exciting. If it was all over on Feb 4th, how would the media keep your attention on the “election” and not on the continuing destruction of our economy, our environment, our civil liberties, and of the Iraqis lives and country.
Instead, this endless bickering keeps people distracted and energized on pointless rooting for one or the other corporate candidate.
Habitat Vic, do you have any reason to assert nastily that Gore/Kerry would have been different from Bush? The accelerated destruction of our civil liberties began under Clinton, and he waged war on Iraq and Yugoslavia while Gore was his vice president. Kerry saluted and reported for duty in 2004, pledging more troops for Iraq.
Just asserting that Gore/Kerry would have been different is not convincing to me. You have no evidence, let alone proof.
I have been posting for a month that it will come down to the convention, which will choose Mrs. BJ Clinton, thanks to the 796 superduperdelegates (70 of whom have not even been named yet).
If that proves to be correct I promise to drink heavily for several days.
There’s only one dance at the Democratic Party.
Take a step to the right, take a step to the right.
Hold hands with the person on your right-let them lead.
Take a step to the right.
Even so, I still hold to my recommendation that you vote Dem for President, and independent (preferably Green) for the House.
The only way to change the behavior of the Democratic Party is to threaten them with involuntary retirement.
Vote Green, for a change.
It is easier to see all the time why the Repug corporate media pushed both Obama and Hillary equally as front runners. They are now laughing their heads off as the Dims self-destruct as usual. One thing the Repugs are great at is winning strategy.
If Dims were half as smart, they would be supporting their candidates, rather than tearing both down and bitching about the super delegates. If they keep this up, they deserve to lose.
Its all Orewellian speak:
Freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
Democracy
Wake up people we live in an oligarchy. Not to mention our entire Congress has sold out to a foreign power desperate for war with Iran.
Its soo over. Time to move or time to protest.
IT AMUSES ME..ALL THIS RANTING ABOUT “DISAPPOINTING
THE YOUNG PEOPLE”…WHAT A CROCK….
ALSO…GET THE REAL SCOOP ABOUT SUPER DELEGATE
SET-UP…WILLIE BROWN FORMER S.F. MAYOR..TOLD
WOLF BLITZER…”MOST PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND…BUT
THEY SHOULD KNOW…THAT IN CAUCUSES AND PRIMARIES…
“PEOPLE CROSS OVER AND CHANGE AFFILIATION…SO THEY
COULD BE AN INFLUENCE”…MEANING OF COURSE LIKE THE
MANY REPUBLICANS I HEARD/READ ETC SAY…CROSS OVER
VOTE FOR OBAMA…THEN NEXT DAY REREGISTER YOUR
AFFILIATION….YOU KNOW WHY THEY IN NUMBERS DID THIS..
BECAUSE…ALL THE REPUBLICANS KNOW….OBAMA WILL BE
TOAST FACING MCCAIN ET AL.. THEY ALSO KNOW…HILIARY
BEEN THERE….AND WOULD BE FAR MORE FORMIDABLE….
I’M NOT EVEN A HILIARY FAN…BUT I SENSE IN THE LAST
TWO MONTHS….A RAT IN THE WOOD PILE…..OBAMA
JUST DIDN’T WALK OUT INTO THE SUNLIGHT AND “ALL”
FELL FOR HIM…HE’S BEEN WOOING THE SUPERDELEGATES
AFTER LAST ELECTION WITH MOOLAH…PLUS SETTING UP
HIS STRATEGIES TO RUN….NO DOUBT HE’S A DECENT SORT
OF FELLOW..BUT MY MIND’S EYE…ONLY SEES …A TALL..
RATHER COLOURLESS FELLOW…WELL EDUCATED…ARTICULATE.
BUT CERTAINLY NOT CHARISMATIC…AS A MATTER OF FACT..
IF ONE WATCHES CLOSELY…HE HAS AN ARROGANT STREAK
JUST LIKE THE ONE HE’S HOPING TO REPLACE….
WITH ALL THE HORRENDOUS PROBLEMS IN THIS COUNTRY
TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE…KNEELING…AT WORDS LIKE
HOPE..INSPIRE…ETC. DO THEY REALLY THINK…A
DRIVE FOR POWER BEHIND ALL THIS..IS NOT THERE?
I guess there’s only one way to avert this foolishness, and that’s for people to vote for Obama in such massive numbers that the superdelegates don’t matter. Of course that was what people needed to do back in 2000, as regards Gore, which they didn’t.
I’m still amazed that enough people voted for Bush so that his cronies could manage to steal the election in 2000.
It was a simple equation, really: Gore = intelligent man, Bush = stupid man.
So why did Americans vote for the stupid one? Do we just identify with stupid people, or are we afraid of smart people?
You perople that blather on abt “undemocratic” practices of the major parties are complete idiots. Why should anyone except party members have any say over who a political party chose for the nominee? These aren’t elections to a public oiffice. Part of the problem is that the media soaks this stuff up when in fact it is innerparty activities. If you think the party selsects its candidates “incirrectly” then join the party and change. Cripes.
This is a joke. All of this talk about “democracy” and here the dems have this system I was completely unaware of - the party choosing the leader? Hmmm… smells a bit like what they do in China and N. Korea.
I just e-mailed the DNC and told them they’d lose one loyal democrat if the superdelegates decide the nominee. WTF?!! I see no point in voting if our votes don’t count. Let them all screw this country.
We welcome into the GREEN PARTY all fed up, disgruntled, and betrayed Democrats and the few honest Republicans who are disenchanted with the Republican Crime Family. Anyone not “willfully ignorant” must know that we no longer have representative government in the United States.
Unless people prefer living in an authorian dictatorship, it is time to abandon the duopoly of the R’s and D’s which share the blame for this increase in oligarchy.
WHAT IF THEY HELD AN ELECTION AND NOBODY CAME???
Our pseudo democratic system serves primarily to legitimize our government….. to put a veneer of legitimacy on things. “You had your vote”….. “If you don’t like them vote them out”. Great efforts are made to “get out the vote”. The more people who participate the more legitimacy it gives the bandits in power. A political system dominated by two huge parties…..in turn dominated by a few influential people, who are free to set up whatever process they choose to nominate candidates virtually guarantees an undemocratic result.
Boycott the election
Howard
I think it was RFK Jr who said both parties are corrupt: Republicans are 95% bought and paid for, while Dems are 70% bought and paid for.
This is the logical evolution of political corruptness ala Karl Rove. In the 60’s the Republicans assasignated JFK, alot of mess and cover up, In the 70’s Nixon had watergate, alot of us v them and tangled web we weave, In the 90’s the Repugs found that assasignation is an antiquated practice, they found they need only assasignate someones character thereby damaging their credibility and all of those around them (VP’s running for pres) and pretty much the whole party, pretty clever huh?, now it has evolved to the point of why even bother with us v them lets just buy them out and or threaten their lives and families and then everyone will be “us” no more them to worry about.
I would love for Obama to be what he claims. Does anyone remember what its like to get all fired up at a political rally, getting intoxicated on their words, with tears rolling down your cheeks like they’re gonna change the world ala JFK? Does anyone remember what it feels like to believe in someone and their ideals and trust them? and trust them? and trust them? I don’t….
As this article, another on the same day in Common Dreams and the comments of many to both articles demonstrates, it is easy to hyper-ventilate about democracy and “super-delegates” who, unless I have missed something, are “people” themselves and not just an “apparatchik” of party hacks; most of them are in fact elected, even if only by those who chose them to serve on the DNC. The practice of “ex offico” members on elected bodies is well established in many political forms. You can say, as some have, that the super-delegate system was set up by the DNC to protect the party against voters’ “mistakes” like their having voted to nominate a biggest loser, McGovern, in 1972. But again, unless I’ve missed something, the Party has managed to nominate “losers” in every following election except 92 and 96, as the super-delegates allowed the primary voters to “speak” in every case and their speaking has produced consistent losers. Truth is, I think, primary group voters suppress THEIR OWN preferences among candidates, nominating those they think can win rather than those they would personally like to see win: the very thing that those crafty, calculating super-delegates are castigated for doing. (And yes, as OFFSCREEN points out at 2:08 Feb 18, primary voters—at least in states with cross-over voting—may vote for exactly those candidates they want to lose in the general election). Bottom line: the call for super-delegates to put aside their “deliberative” function at the convention and vote for the candidate approved by “the voters” displays a pitiable mis-apprehension of the sanctity of our flawed “voting” systems. When did “checks and balances” become such a dirty word?
btw the superdelegate thing is bullshit. It wasnt meant to be about what its about now, its about preventing a popularity contest. Think about this, lets say theres a candidate who is absolutely clueless about how to run a country but he or she is as beloved as John Lennon. Well people might get so intoxicated with love they vote for the incompetent yet loved person. See how that might cause a problem. The superdelegates should simply fall in line behind the desire of the voters. The repugs actually have the system right, winner take all. The other part of this superdelegate thing is about maintaining political power and keeping people in their place. any way you look at it its bullshit. They can try and confuse you with all the verbiage but this is what its about in the simplest of terms.
the election should be national. not by state. election day should be a holiday. our elections should counted over a week, results should not be instantaneous. the simplest of paper ballots should be used. Place an X here. There should be no electoral college. There, that should just about do it…
No need to worry. By the time election day rolls around, the Republicans will be so far ahead there won’t be any reason to vote. To the delight of my Republican friends, the Democrats have already worked very hard to see that this happens, and things are just getting started. Obama has already been discredited as just another plagiarist without any substantial ideas to offer, and Hillary has amply demonstrated a lack of compassion for the human. McCain will laugh his way into office, and maybe appoint Dubbya to the court.
I suspect that people would be whining less about the super delegate issue if the super delegates had come out on record that they were going to vote for Obama. This looks to me to be more of an issue that the super delegates aren’t voting for MY candidate than it is about it being an unfair system.
Personally I don’t think that neither Clinton or Obama are worth a crap.
Until we have worthwhile candidates to vote for, we will have more of the same.
I am praying that a strong third party candidate comes out soon.
Are the “cigar delegates” gonna steal the nomination? Are the “non delegates” (Michigan, Florida) gonna come sweeping in at the last minute? Has this all been planned from the start by Mayor Daley?
I’m bored.
Obama is obviously more popular than Hillary. How are they going to get away with having Hillary as the Democratic candidate?
“If voting could ever change anything, it would be illegal, of course.” The end.
Paul:
The Disenfranchised Voting Tyranny of SUPER Delegates Protecting Themselves Against The Will of The People Must NOT be allowed in the United States. WE THE PEOPLE of the United States need Democracy For America.
You said the DNC formed the SUPER Delegates, but it was not our current DNC. The DNC that formed the SUPER Delegates was a reaction to Reaganism, which was when the DLC came into power. The corporate REPUBLICAN-Lite DLC, the Democratic Leadership Council, that took over Congress, of which Hillary Clinton is a leader of their corporate REPUBLICAN-Lite DLC Dream Initiative, were the ones who brought about the Primary’s SUPER Delegates in the DNC to protect their corporate DLC REPUBLICAN-Lite voting, whenever the corporate REPUBLICAN-Lite DLC 1st came into power in 1984; otherwise I do not believe Hillary Clinton would be all that interested in the SUPER Delegates — Since Hillary Clinton is the one and only candidate who requested the SUPER Delegate vote, I expect Hillary Clinton is relying on her fellow corporate REPUBLICAN-Lite DLC members to protect her and secure her position.
The GENERAL ELECTION is being controlled through the PRIMARY ELECTION process by allowing only DLC candidates to run in the General Election and eliminating candidates of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION in the Primary Election process, which is the reasoning for having Primary SUPER Delegates represent the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION; as the SUPER Delegates overcast the people’s vote after the 70% COMMON POPULATION have already voted for their choices, which is worse than it was in the past when the wealthy slave owners had the 2/3rds BLACK SLAVE VOTE, which gave their MASTERS their representation as SUPER Delegates, but these SUPER Delegates NOW completely 100% disenfranchise the entire 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION in the Primary Election to the point where there is no reason whatsoever for the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION to vote in the 1st place, other than to insure for ones self, that one has a right to speak out against voting tyranny, because one did vote; as long as there is still some semblance of freedom of speech.
Of the two DLC candidates that WE THE PEOPLE have been allowed to vote for, I voted for Barack Obama because he is the only one who is NEW, and NEW has a better chance of being better for the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION than the OLD that WE THE PEOPLE of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION already know.
When the tanks were rolled against citizens of the United States, against the will of local law enforcement, it was Hillary Clinton’s husband that was in power. When NAFTA was started, it was Hillary Clinton’s husband that was in power. There will be no help for the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION from a Hillary Clinton administration, but a Barack Obama administration does have a ray of hope.
Required reading: “Beltway Bacchanal” by Ken Silverstein in Harper’s Magazine, March 2008.
Politicians have been talking about “change” for eons, and once they’re in office nothing changes. Hillary is DEFINITELY a war hawk and a Bush supporter. If she’s the Democratic candidate, McCain will win.
I’m afraid the election has been already decided, probably by the Decider himself.
If the Dems give it to Clinton the Dems will be torn apart. The Reps are less than united. This will be the opening that Bloomberg is looking for and he will run. I will then vote for Nader/McKinney or McKinney.
If the Dems can see fit to nominate Obama, they have a chance for redemption. Obama is clearly not the perfect candidate, but he does portray a forward looking outlook. He will be pushed by his constituency and will agree to a more anti-corporate agenda ala Edwards (especially since he could use Edwards in his camp.)
I will give the Dems this chance and vote for Obama, but if they give it to Clinton by hook and crook I will never vote for any Democrat (or Republican of course) in any race for the next 40 years.
The question remains: will those who find this back door (smoke filled room dealing on behalf of Hillary) appaling to the point of abandoning the party. Or wil they eat a good dose of humble pie and vote for the candidate provided by party elites? Empowerment begins with YOU!
Also, Paul:
The REPUBLICAN PARTY has NO SUPER DELEGATES because the REPUBLICAN PARTY does not represent the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION, NEVER HAVE, NEVER WILL. But if it will make members of the common population support REPUBLICANS, possibly the REPUBLICAN RIGHT WING PARTY will come up with a super delegate or two to foster their deceit. Telling the political truth to the COMMON POPULATION is not a REPUBLICAN’S strong point, therefore, the REPUBLICAN PARTY will tell you they represent whoever of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION that wants to join the REPUBLICAN PARTY, but they do not. The REPUBLICAN PARTY represents RIGHT WING POWER in the United States ONLY. REPUBLICAN RIGHT WING POWER represents only constituents of big money corporations, capitalists, and the elite. Many members of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION are deceived DODO BIRDS working for free for the REPUBLICANS, while never getting any economic help in any form from the REPUBLICANS, because REPUBLICANS DO NOT REPRESENT the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION. Any economic help from a REPUBLICAN will always be just around the corner for any member of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION. The 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION ARE NOT REPUBLICAN CONSTITUENTS AT ALL, but you will never get a REPUBLICANS to tell you that, because it is not in the REPUBLICAN PARTY’S best political interest. It is in the REPUBLICAN PARTY’S political interest to allow anyone who wants to believe they are a constituent of the REPUBLICAN PARTY to think that they are a constituent, even if they work at the lowest paid job and/or their job is being outsourced.
Too many people buy the equality propaganda. There is no equality. The only way there can be equality is when and if the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION QUIT BEING DUPED and realize that they are the COMMON POPULATION — working people — and are not wealthy capitalists in any way; and that if they lose their job they will fall into the ranks of the poor, because the poor are a part of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION. Any member of the REPUBLICAN PARTY who is a member of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION is a part of the political and economic problem; and the economic problem in the United States will begin to be remedied as fast as the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION realize who they are, and start working to retrieve the Democratic Party from the corporate DLC, DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP COUNCIL, a RIGHT WING organization that has overtaken the Democratic Party and is keeping the Democratic Party from representing the constituents of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION by routing representation away from the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION, like is happening with the SUPER Delegates.
Since the election has already been decided by the corporatocracy, why continue with these endless, issueless primaries where the sock puppet candidates get up and chant: “I stand for things! Important things. Good things. I’m a leader! I have a vision! Save the middle class! A better life! A new tomorrow! Faith! People! Change! Unity! We can do it! Together!” Enough already.
So THERE, democrats! When you lose again, you can lay the blame right where it belongs and always HAS belonged: not with Ralph, but right at the feet of your own third-rate country styled political “party”. They were “born to lose” because they’re nothing but republicans in drag.
When you own party steals the nomination in ‘08, (but loses AGAIN) maybe you guys will get serious for 2012.
I think the so-called superdelegates are getting a lot of undeserved bad press. For the most part these are all either present or former elected officials and whatever they do at the convention, they’ll have to answer to their constituants. What’s undemocratic about that. They’re also people who have dedicated a hefty chunk of their professional lives to public service and the Democratic Party. As Party Elders I think their perspective on what would best for the Party and the country is extremely valuable. To put it another way, why should the opinion of average voters, many of whom have never been politically active before in their lives, be valued more than the opinion of these devoted, experienced and in most cases elected public servants? The whole purpose of establishing these Party Elders as special delegates was to act as a counterbalance to the irrational exuberance of voters which at times has lead the party to disaster in the past. For example, if Hillary had the most elected delegates, but these Party Elders thought Obama would actually have a better chance of beating McCain, wouldn’t we want them to weigh in? And what about Ted Kennedy and John Kerry who are both superdelegates? Should they have to vote for Hillary because most Massachusetts voters did? I think this deserves more sober reflection than it’s been getting.
Paul:
The REPUBLICANS have control of their party — Commercial interests and the interests of capital have control of the RIGHT WING, therefore REPUBLICANS do not need any SUPER DELEGATES in the REPUBLICAN PARTY.
The DEMOCRATIC PARTY is fighting the people, the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION, for control of the DEMOCRATIC PARTY, that is why they have originated the use of SUPER DELEGATES. There is no equality in the two parties that are engaged in duopoly against the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION.
The REPUBLICAN PARTY functions on a combination of money and leadership of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION against its best interest.
The DEMOCRATIC PARTY worked on majority votes and leadership of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION in its best interest, until the DEMOCRATIC PARTY was taken over by the REPUBLICAN corporate led DLC, who now leads the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION against its best interest and nullifies the votes of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION with SUPER DELEGATES.
Color yourself empowered if your candidate makes it all the way through the primaries before getting knocked out by the superdelegates. My candidate, Kucinich, was knocked out by the lawyers of MSNBC who barred him from the Nevada primary candidates’ debate. His campaign collapsed financially a few days later.
The last time I was suckered into voting for a “mainstream” candidate was in 1992 when I drove all the way downtown and stood in line for Bill Clinton and voted for…uh, change? Stupid me! I think this time I won’t vote at all. I’m finished with it!
You want change? Wait until the WalMart depots in Mexico deliver an army of a hundred million Chinese light infantry to the U.S., trailed by another hundred million angry Latin American looters.
Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em! I was going to write something snarky about the primary process, but I won’t.
Unless the superdelegates themselves agree to follow the will of the people, the superdelegate system will play itself out just as the Democratic Party intended. Even if it means advancing one candidate the people don’t want over another. This year we’re going to have to either choke on it, revolt, or be happy our candidate won the nomination.
The old mantra “Get Involved” rings true here. If you want to change the superdelegate system, getting rid of it won’t be up to those *not* involved in the Democratic Party. Existing Democratic party workers climbing up the rungs of the Democratic party will be, if they are so inclined.
What we need is some true 60s activism, but follow through with it this time. The Democratic Party added the superdelegate system after the ‘72 election when the “wrong” nominee faced Nixon, and well, we know how that turned out. Since then, superdelegates (as well as the electoral college, another anachronism that needs to go) have determined the Democratic nominee, since they think we’re idiots who can’t be trusted to make the right decision. Nanny state, anyone?
Any elected official that tells you it’s a good thing to let him/her decide for you, needs to be swept out of office. That isn’t what being democratic is all about. And nothing but death due to old age can be done about former elected officials.
Unless of course we get involved with the system and get rid of it altogether.
To lillulu: “Obama is obviously more popular than Hillary. How are they going to get away with having Hillary as the Democratic candidate?”
Obvious to whom? In fact, Hillary has received more votes than Obama so far.
Democrats have worked very hard to throw elections
that is what they are paid to do by their corporate sponcers.They have shown nothing but utter contempt for their constituents.
Republicans have utter contempt for Americans,but they fight tooth and nail for their core constituents, the filthy rich greedocrats and the helplesly brain dead.
One of the reasons Obama is going great guns is because the Repug corporate media is pushing him all they can. They know they can trash him enough for them to win the election, and if he manages to get the job, which is too big now for any man or woman,they will demolish him before he gets started.
Some that are so insanely critical of Hillary may wish she was in the office when the Repubs begin their onslaught to stop everything but war and taxcutting. Many thought Bush was just what we needed too, but certainly got fooled as to what they expected to happen.
I’m not quite sure why people continue to talk about “voting” here and other places.
NEWSFLASH: Our elections are now corporately controlled by computers that are TOTALLY hackable:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GzPXer7946E
http://www.hd.net/drr227.html
And not to raise a sore subject, but check out this young man who went to vote in Long Island on Super Tuesday (for Ron Paul) and Ron Paul was not even on the ballot! It was 7pm and the poll worker said, “He dropped out!” Not. Here ya go:
http://www.videosift.com/video/Ron-Paul-Wrongfully-Left-out-of-Ballots
Regardless of who we vote for in November and regardless of what system is in place, there should be a campaign started NOW on a national level to encourage every voter to DEMAND A PAPER BALLOT AND PEN AND WRITE IN THE CHOICES!
Then we need to DEMAND THAT ANY VOTER WHO VOTED AT THAT LOCATION MAY COME IN AT THE CLOSE OF THE POLLS AND OBSERVE AS THE BALLOTS ARE REMOVED FROM THE BOXES OUT IN FRONT OF EVERYONE PRESENT AND THEN THE VOTES WILL BE COUNTED. ON CAMERA. LOTS AND LOTS OF CAMERAS. THINK “YOUTUBE”.
THEN AFFIDAVITS WILL BE SIGNED WHEN EVERYONE AGREES ON THE COUNT AND THE BALLOTS WILL BE DRIVEN TO THE COUNTY REGISTRAR’S OFFICE BY CARAVAN AND LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE WILL GO IN WITH CAMERAS AND GUARD THE FREAKIN’ BALLOTS!
Josef Stalin: “Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who COUNT the votes decide everything.”
HOW’S THAT????????????
The phoney recent election was just a ploy to make money for the media. It was a MEDIA event. However, this superdelegation will not go well with the many grassroots voters who adore Obama or Hillary. Maybe this time these legilative crooks will not get away with such criminal activities and voters will finally realize just how little Democratic right they have left. However, I expect this phoney rigging will not go over well and so the Feds will probably outfit more tasers for the locals.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, and with liberty and justice for all.”
Do you folks see any reference to a democracy here?
No you don’t!
We are a Republic!
We are not a “direct democracy”.
We do NOT elect “proxy representatives” who are charged to always vote always according to the wishes of the people.
Yes, we do vote for “representatives” or “delegates” of the people for a specified period of time. They are charged to “act in the interest of the people”, but… they form an independent ruling body with “enough authority to exercise swift and resolute initiative in the face of changing circumstances”.
I do believe that we need to understand the process of our particular form of government. We may not like it, but it is all we have.
BTW–none of the candidates we are offered fit my personal “first choice”. Hence I am not lobbying for either Obama or Clinton. I do seriously believe that we would not be well off to have a President McCain!
In spite of all you say - only Edwards consistently polled better numbers than ANY possible GOP candidate.
Did anyone see those superdelagates running with the goalpost as we kicked the field goal? Oh, damn, they were employees of the People of America; Government Officials. And by the way, they were operating unlawfully. The Constitution does not permit such behavior. Hell, we elect, they neglect.
It is perfectly clear that the status quo crowd will do anything to prevent the will of the Peoples of America. This old tired generation of rogues and murders and liars is attempting to prevent the Now Generation from the Changes necessary for progression and fresh new ideas in this country. Yet the Now Generation will be left with the damned debts of all of the activity of this old tired decrepid generation. Trillions of dollars of debt. Hell, with all of their Experience they,ve done some Dumb shit.
Junior, it’s your time to solve the problems that your folks created.
Hillary is a decoy just as John Kerry was a few years ago. Skull % Bones, The Trilateral Commission, and a few other Secret Societies are determined to suppress all attempts by the People, especially Young Voters, to Change the course of Life in America and the World.
Young men and women of all cultures, your generation must stand together behind Barak Obama. He truly is the voice of the majority. The voice for Change. Your Voice.
Let Freedom Reign In America Once Again. Let the sunshine in.
Have you ever looked in the face of age? Or have you lent your ears to what a young man has to say?
Paul,
thanks for the history lesson on Mondale and his anti-democratic beleifs.
As for the need for party elders having a say, they already do. Their endorsements and/or running for delegate themselves is a way they influence others in the party.
And since we’re talking about the Democratic Party, what about the DNC and Democratic Leadership Council?
In 2006 they supported new candidates against proven vote getters. The proven candidates had lost in Republican districts ususally against incumbents, but had done reasonably well (40-47/48%). The Democratic structures (sic?) supported candidates who were against us puling out of Iraq.
An excellent article on this undemocratic nature of the DNC/DCCC is at http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/090607J.shtml#
“Democratic House Officials Recruited Wealthy Conservatives.”
The Superdelegates will NOT respect the wishes of the voters(majority) because thats exactly what the SD’s were put in place to override.
The SD’s are just good old boys forged from years in the Dem party.
If Obama loses because of SD’s, you will see the Green party become the party of choice in 2012, if we still exist.
I propose Green shirts for the next 4 years if Bhillery gets the nomination(or not)
If the Green party gets the nomination, it will be the true test of if we actually have a chance for reclaiming a Democracy.
The WHOLE Primary season screws the voters!!
Most of the nation did not hear Kucinich’s calls to end the war and impeach once the primaries began. Media and fellow Dems kept him out, then later banished Edwards. Gravel? Ha!
Green Party candidates or others, ha, again. IDEAS are UNWELCOME in America. Really.
Why are you only yelling now about the “superDelegates”?
If you only are getting pissed now, you are blind enough to deserve it.
I think instead of eagerly waiting what the superdelegates are going to vote for, they shouldn’t even be given the chance to vote, since the entire system is anti-democratic. Disrupt their vote even before they start. Who really cares what these people think ? The whole issue is that American politics should start listening to the people again. The way to achieve this is by massive civil disobedience.
Also, if the superdelegates block Obama’s nomination, he will become a martyr of democracy and he will get an opportunity to win overwhelmingly if he goed independent after this.
The question is also: what does Obama do if it becomes clear that the Democrat Party has become anti-democratic ?
It’s fine; we’ll complain for the next few weeks or months and then go back to accepting things the way they are. After all, we have mortgages and loans to pay off.
http://www.ryanhartman.wordpress.com
Something to remember; many states (for instance, my own Michigan, whose delegates may or may not be seated due to the date of the primary, and where 45% of the vote went to “Undecided”) have open primaries, which means Independents, Republicans, etc. can, and do, vote in the primary of one party while actually supporting and intending to vote in a candidate from another party.
If the primaries were closed or the result of caucuses, an argument could be made for voice of the people and the rants against the superdelegates. But with open primaries, there can be votes cast in the primary that the candidate will never see in the election.
To put it another way, why should the opinion of average voters, many of whom have never been politically active before in their lives, be valued more than the opinion of these devoted, experienced and in most cases elected public servants?
_______________________________________________________________________
Why indeed?
Because the process was set up that way, perhaps, in order to counter the pre-Enlightenment dictum of confining political power to a political elite instead of deriving it from the consent of the governed? Or am I the naïve one?
Nearly ALL Congressional members are up for re-election in July 2008 in Oklahoma. Vote out all possible DLC members in the Primary Election. These are some of the ones to vote out in Oklahoma and here is a list of all known DLC members that should be voted out across the nation:
ALASKA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Ethan Berkowitz, State House Democratic Leader; AK
ALABAMA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Bud Cramer*, U.S. Representative-5th District; AL
Artur Davis*, U.S. Representative-7th District; AL
Ken Guin, State Majority Leader; AL
ARIZONA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Jerry Anderson, City Council, Tuscon, AZ
Roberto Canchola, Superintendent of Schools, Santa Cruz County, AZ
Ken Cheuvront, State Senator; AZ
Ken Clark, State Representative; AZ
Chris Cummiskey, State Senate Assistant Leader; AZ
Gabrielle Giffords, State Senator; AZ
Phil Gordon, City Councilman, Phoenix, AZ
Leah Landrum Taylor, State Assistant Minority Leader; AZ
Janet Napolitano, Governor; AZ
Elaine Richardson, State Senator; AZ
Greg Stanton, City Councilman, Phoenix, AZ
ARKANSAS - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Marion Berry, U.S. Representative-1st District; AR
Jo Ellen Carson, State Representative; AR
Patrick Henry Hays, Mayor, North Little Rock, AR
Steven B. Jones, State Representative; AR
Blanche Lincoln*, U.S. Senator; AR
Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty, III, President Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff; AR
Mark Pryor*, U.S. Senator; AR
John Riggs, IV, State Senator; AR
Mike Ross, U.S. Representative-4th District; AR
Vic Snyder, U.S. Representative-2nd District; AR
CALIFORNIA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Jim Aldinger, City Council Member, Manhattan Beach, CA
Dede Alpert, State Senator; CA
Phil Angelides, State Treasurer; CA
Toni Atkins, City Council Member, San Diego, CA
Jose “Joe” Baca, U.S. Representative-43rd District; CA
Marty Block, Community College Trustee, San Diego, CA
Cruz M. Bustamante, Lieutenant Governor; CA
Lois Capps*, U.S. Represenative-23rd District; CA
Dennis Cardoza, U.S. Representative-18th District; CA
Steve Cohn, City Council Member, Sacramento, CA
Kathleen Connell, State Controller; CA
Lou Correa, State Assembly Member; CA
Gray Davis, Former Governor; CA
Nadia Davis, School Board Vice President, Santa Ana, CA
Susan Davis*, U.S. Representative-53rd District; CA
Rocky Delgadillo, City Attorney, Los Angeles, CA
Cal Dooley*, Former U.S. Representative-20th District; CA
Joseph Dunn, State Senator; CA
Anna G. Eshoo, U.S. Representative-14th District; CA
Dianne Feinstein*, U.S. Senator; CA
Dean Florez, State Assembly Member; CA
Ron Gonzales, Mayor, San Hose, CA
Wendy Greuel, City Council Member, Los Angeles, CA
Jane Harman*, U.S. Representative-36th District; CA
Robert M. Hetzberg, State Assembly Speaker; CA
Mike Honda, U.S. Representative-15th District; CA
Nicholas Jellins, Mayor, Menlo Park, CA
Victor King, Trustee, Glendale, CA
Zoe Lofgren*, U.S. Representative-16th District; CA
Bob Matsui, deceased (Doris Matsui) U.S. Representative-5th District; CA
Barbara Matthews, Assembly Member, Tracy, CA
Juanita Millender-McDonald, deceased, U.S. Representative-37th District; CA
George Nakano, State Assembly Member; CA
Grace Napolitano, U.S. Representative-38th District; CA
Gavin Christopher Newsom*, Mayor & Board of Supervisors, San Francisco, CA
Alex Padilla, City Councilman, Los Angeles, CA
Scott Peters, City Councilman, San Diego, CA
Loretta Sanchez*, U.S. Representative-47th District; CA
Linda Sanchez, U.S. Representative-39th District; CA
Adam B. Schiff*, U.S. Representative-29th District; CA
Brad Sherman, U.S. Representative-27th District; CA
Tyrone Smith, Water Basin Municipal Water District Board Member, Carson, CA
Larry Stone, Assessor, Santa Clara County, CA
Christopher Travis Swanson, Kern County School Board Member, Tehachapi, CA
Daryl Sweeney, Mayor, Carson, CA
Ellen Tauscher*, U.S. Representative-10th District; CA
Mike Thompson, U.S. Representative-1st District; CA
Juan Vargas, State Assembly Member; CA
Jack Weiss, City Council, Los Angeles, CA
Steve Westly, State Controller; CA
Caprice Young, President of the Board of LAUSD, Los Angeles, CA
COLORADO - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Alice Borodkin, State Representative-9th District; CO
Betty Boyd, State Representative; CO
Don Brown, Jr., City Councilman, Louisville, CO
Fran Coleman, State Representative; CO
Joan Fitz-Gerald, State Senator; CO
Michael Garcia, State Representative; CO
Ken Gordon, State Senator, CO
Peter C. Groff, State Representative; CO
Daniel Grossman, State Senator; CO
Bob Hagedorn, State Senator; CO
DeAnna Hanna, State Senator; CO
Frana Araujo Mace, State Representative; CO
Alice Madden, State Representative; CO
Rosemary Marshall, State Representative; CO
Carl Miller, State Representative; CO
Doug Milliken, Treasurer, Aurora, CO
Alice Nichol, State Senator; CO
Ed Perlmutter, State Senator; CO
Terry Phillips, State Senator; CO
Tom Plant, State Representative; CO
Peggy Reeves, State Senator; CO
Joe Rice, Mayor, Glendale, CO
Andrew Romanoff, State Representative; CO
Ken Salazar, Attorney General; CO
Abel J. Tapia, State Representative; CO
Lois Tochtrop, State Representative; CO
Jennifer Veiga, State Representative; CO
Val Vigil, State Representative; CO
Suzanne Williams, State Representative; CO
Sue Windels, State Senator; CO
CONNECTICUT - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Christopher Dodd, U.S. Senator; CT
Joseph P. Ganim, Mayor, Bridgeport, CT
Martin J. Heft, First Selectman, Chester, CT
John Larson*, U.S. Representative-1st District; CT
Joseph “Joe” Lieberman*, U.S. Senate; CT
Dannel P. Malloy, Mayor, Stamford, CT
Eddie Perez, Mayor, Hartford, CT
James Shapiro, City Representative, Stamford, CT
Lewis J. Wallace, State Representative; CT
DELAWARE - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Patricia M. Blevins, State Senator; DE
Thomas “Tom” Carper*, U.S. Senator; DE
Chris Castagno, City Council President, New Castle, DE
Christopher Coons, Council President, New Castle County, DE
Michael J. Hare, City Council Member, Wilmington, DE
Jack Markell, State Treasurer; DE
Ruth Ann Minner, Governor; DE
Norman Oliver, City Councilman, Wilmington, DE
Charles Potter, Jr., City Council Member, Wilmington, DE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Anthony A. Williams*, Mayor, Washington, DC
FLORIDA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
David Aronberg, State Senator; FL
Loranne Ausley, State Representative; FL
James Bennett, City Council Member, St. Petersberg, FL
Bob Buckhorn, City Councilman, Tampa, FL
Jim Davis*, U.S. Representative-7th District; FL
Peter R. Deutsch, U.S. Representative-20th District; FL
Steven A. Geller, State Senator; FL
Bob Graham*, U.S. Senator, FL
Ron L. Greenstein, State Representative-District 95; FL
Robert Henriquez, State Representative; FL
Charles Justice, State Representative; FL
Richard Kriseman, City Councilman, St. Petersburg, FL
Scott C. Maddox, Mayor, Tallahassee, FL
Bill Nelson*, U.S. Senator; FL
Rod Smith, State Senator, FL
Eleanor Sobel, State Representative; FL
Robert Wexler, U.S. Representative, FL
Earnest Williams, City Councilman, St. Petersburg, FL
GEORGIA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Thurbert Baker, State Attorney General; GA
Chuck Burris, Mayor, Stone Mountain, GA
Cathy Cox, Secretary of State; GA
Shirley Franklin, Mayor, Atlanta, GA
Thomas Irvin, Commissioner of Agriculture; GA
Denise Majette, U.S. Representative-4th District; GA
Zell Miller, U.S. Senator; GA
Sam Nunn*, Former U.S. Senator, CEO Nuclear Threat Initiative; GA
David Scott*, U.S. Representative-13th District; GA
Mark Taylor, Lieutenant Governor; GA
Doug Teper, State Representative; GA
Michael L. Thurmond, State Labor Commissioner; GA
Cathy Woolard, City Council President, Atlanta, GA
HAWAII - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Ed Case*, U.S. Representative-2nd District; HI
IDAHO - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Wendy Jaquet, State House Minority Leader, ID
Duane E. Little, Assessor, Shoshone County, ID
J. D. Williams, State Controller, ID
ILLINOIS - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Representative-5th District; IL
John A. Fritchey, State Representative; IL
Daniel Hynes, State Comptroller; IL
Robin Johnson, Alderman, Monmouth, IL
Kevin A. McCarthy, State Representative; IL
Barack Hussein Obama, U.S. Senator; IL
Debra Powell, Mayor, East St. Louis, IL
Jefferey Schoenberg, State Senator, IL
Carol Spielman, County Board Member, Lake County, IL
Patrick D. Welch, State Senator, IL
INDIANA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Janice Bacon, Morgan County Commissioner; IN
Evan Bayh*, U.S. Senator; IN
Daniel Grimes, City Council, Goshen, IN
Baron Hill, U.S. Representative-9th District; IN
Joseph E. Kernan, Lieutenant Governor; IN
Frank O’Bannon, Governor; IN
Bart Peterson, Mayor, Indianapolis, IN
Graham Richard, Mayor, Fort Wayne, IN
Timothy J. Roemer*, 9/11 Commission, Former U.S. Repesentative-3rd District; IN
George Van Til, Surveyor, Lake County, IN
Jonathan Weinzapfel, State Representative, IN
IOWA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Andra Atteberry, State Representative; IA
Polly Bukta, State Representative; IA
Frank Chiodo, State Representative; IA
Preston Daniels, Mayor, Des Moines, IA
Michael Fitzgerald, State Treasurer; IA
Romanie Foege, State Representative; IA
Geri Huser, State Representative; IA
Patty Judge, Commissioner of Agriculture; IA
Matt McCoy, State Senator; IA
Dolores Mertz, State Representative; IA
Tom Miller, Attorney General; IA
Pat Murphy, State Representative; IA
Dick Myers, State Representative; IA
Sally Pederson, Lieutenant Governor; IA
Janet Peterson, State Representative; IA
Brian Quirk, State Representative; IA
Jacqueline Reeder, State Representative; IA
Gregory R. Stevens, State Representative; IA
Tracy Vance, Vice Chairman, Lee County, IA
Tom Vilsack, Governor; IA
Steven Warnstadt, State Representative; IA
Philip Wise, State Representative; IA
William G. Witt, State Representative; IA
KANSAS - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Jim D. Garner, State Representative; KS
Annie Kuether, State Representative, KS
Dennis Moore*, U.S. Representative-3rd District; KS
Kathlene Gilligan Sebelius, Governor; KS
KENTUCKY - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
John Y. Brown, Secretary of State; KY
A. B. “Ben” Chandler*, Attorney General; KY
Robert Jackson, State Senator; KY
Kenneth Ray “Ken” Lucas, U.S. Representative-4th District; KY
Jonathan Miller, State Treasurer, KY
LOUISIANA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
John Breaux*, U.S. Senator; LA
Karen R. Carter, State Representative; LA
Robert Faucheux, State Representative; LA
Michael Jackson, State Representative; LA
Christopher Charles “Chris” John, U.S. Representative-7th District; LA
Donald Jones, Council Member, Jefferson Parish, LA
Eric La Fleur, State Representative; LA
Mary Landrieu*, U.S. Senator; LA
Eugene M. Sellers, Vermillion Parish Engineer, Lafayette, LA
MAINE - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Tom Allen, U.S. Representative-1st District; ME
Patrick Colwell, State House Majority Leader; ME
Marjorie L. Kilkelly, State Senator; ME
David Lemoine, State Representative; ME
Lisa Tessier Marrache, State Representative; ME
Michael H. Michaud, U.S. Representative-2nd District; ME
John Richardson, State Representative; ME
Paul Tessier, State Representative; ME
MARYLAND - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
J. Joseph Curran, Attorney General; MD
Richard D’Amato, State Delegate; MD
Doug Duncan, County Executive, Montgomery County, MD
Michael Finifter, State Delegate; MD
Douglas F. Gansler, State’s Attorney for Montgomery County, MD
Helen Holton, City Council Member, Baltimore, MD
Keiffer Mitchell, Jr., City Councilman, Baltimore, MD
Martin O’Malley, Mayor, Baltimore, MD
Samuel Rosenberg, State Delegate; MD
Casper R. Taylor, Jr., Speaker of the House; MD
MASSACHUSETTS - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Martha Coakley, District Attorney, Middlesex County, MA
Barry R. Finegold, State Representative, MA
John Kerry*, U.S. Senator; MA
Peter Larkin, State Representative; MA
Richard Moore, State Senator; MA
Charles A. Murphy, State Representative; MA
Therese Murray, State Senator; MA
Marc R. Pacheco, State Senator; MA
David Ragucci, Mayor, Everett, MA
MICHIGAN - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Jennifer Granholm, Governor; MI
Thomas Hickner, County Executive, Bay County, MI
Gilda Z. Jacobs, State Senator; MI
Kwame Kilpatrick, Mayor, Detroit, MI
Bill McConico, State Representative; MI
Gregory Pitoniak, Mayor, Taylor, MI
Debbie Stabenow*, U.S. Senator; MI
Bartholomew Thomas “Bart” Stupak, U.S. Representative-1st District; MI
MINNESOTA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Debra Helstrom, State Representative; MN
Steve Kelley, Senate Majority Whip; MN
Randy Kelly, Mayor, St. Paul, MN
Ann H. Rest, State Senator; MN
MISSISSIPPI - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Marshall Bennett, State Treasurer; MS
Mike Moore, Attorney General; MS
Ronnie Musgrove, Governor; MS
MISSOURI - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
John Russell “Russ” Carnahan*, U.S. Representative-3rd District; MO
Sharon Sanders Brooks, State Representative; MO
Richard Andrew “Dick” Gephardt*, Former U.S. Representative-3rd District; MO
Darlene Green, City Comptroller, St. Louis, MO
Jeff Harris, State Representative; MO
Bob Holden, Governor; MO
Karen McCarthy, U.S. Representative-5th District; MO
MONTANA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Max Sieben Baucus*, U.S. Senator; MT
John Morrison, State Auditor; MT
NEBRASKA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Joseph Robert “Bob” Kerrey*, 9/11 Commision, Former Governor & U.S. Senator;NE
Earl Benjamin “Ben” Nelson*, U.S. Senator; NE
NEVADA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Shelley Berkley*, U.S. Representative-1st District; NV
NEW HAMPSHIRE - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Lou D’Allesandro, State Senator; NH
Beverly Hollingworth, State Democratic Leader; NH
Peter Sullivan, State Representative; NH
NEW JERSEY - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Dolores Coulter, Mayor, Barneget Township, NJ
Rush Dew Holt, Jr.*, U.S. Representative-12th District; NJ
Louis Magazzu, Freeholder, Cumberland County, NJ
Jim McGreevy, Governor; NJ
Steven R. “Steve” Rothman, U.S. Representative-9th District; NJ
John Ryan, Council Member, Barnegat Township, NJ
Peter Voros, Mayor, Pittsgrove Township, NJ
NEW MEXICO - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Alfred Park, State Representative; NM
Ray Powell, Commissioner of Public Lands; NM
William Blaine “Bill” Richardson, III, Governor & 2008 Presidential Candidate; NM
Thomas Stewart “Tom” Udall, U.S. Representative-3rd District; NM
NEW YORK - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Barbara Blanchard, County Legislator, Tompkins County, NY
Adolpho Carrion, Borough President, Bronx, NY
William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton*, Head of State-42nd U.S. President; NY
Hillary Rodham Clinton*, U.S. Senator; NY
Joseph Crowley*, U.S. Representative-7th District; NY
Peter Derby, Trustee, Irvington, NY
Eliot L. Engel*, U.S. Representative-17th District; NY
Allen Jay Gerson, Council Member, New York City, NY
Brian Higgins*, U.S. Representative-27th District; NY
Sam Hoyt, State Assembly Member; NY
Steve Israel*, U.S. Representative-2nd District; NY
Carolyn Bosher Maloney, U.S. Representative-14th District; NY
H. Carl McCall, State Comptroller; NY
Carolyn McCarthy*, U.S. Representative-4th District; NY
Gregory W. Meeks*, U.S. Representative-6th District; NY
Eva Moskowitz, City Council Member, New York City, NY
Malcolm A. Smith, State Senator; NY
Andrew Spano, County Executive, Westchester County, NY
Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General; NY
William C. Thompson, Jr., Comptroller, New York City, NY
NORTH CAROLINA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Roy A. Cooper, III, Attorney General; NC
Michael Easley, Governor; NC
Johnny Reid “John” Edwards*, 2008 Presidential Candidate & Former U.S. Senator; NC
Bobby Ray “Bob” Etheridge*, U.S. Representative-2nd District; NC
Douglas Carmichael “Mike” McIntyre, II*, U.S. Representative-7th District; NC
Ralph Bradley “Brad” Miller, U.S. Representative-13th District; NC
Richard H. Moore, State Treasurer; NC
Beverly Perdue, Lieutenant Governor; NC
David Eugene Price*, U.S. Representative-4th District; NC
Eric Miller Reeves, State Senator; NC
NORTH DAKOTA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Gaylord Kent Conrad*, U.S. Senator; ND
Byron Leslie Dorgan*, U.S. Senator; ND
Harvey D. Tallackson, State Senator; ND
OHIO - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Daniel Brady, State Senator; OH
Jane Campbell, Mayor, Cleveland, OH
Michael Coleman, Mayor, Columbus, OH
Eric Fingerhut, State Senator; OH
Leigh Herington, Senate Democratic Leader; OH
David Pepper, City Council, Cincinnati, OH
Margaret Planton, Mayor, Chillicothe, OH
Timothy J. Ryan, State Senator; OH
Derrick Seaver, State Representative; OH
Charleta B. Tavares, City Council Member, Columbus, OH
OKLAHOMA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
David Braddock, State Representative; OK
Robert Butkin, State Treasurer; OK
Bradley Rogers “Brad” Carson, U.S. Representative-2nd District; OK
William Andrew “Drew” Edmondson, Attorney General; OK
Keith C. Leftwich, State Senator; OK
M. Susan Savage, Mayor, Tulsa, OK
OREGON - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Chris Beck, State Representative; OR
Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative-3rd District; OR
Ryan Deckert, State Senator; OR
Darlene Hooley*, U.S. Representative-5th District; OR
Vera Katz, Mayor, Portland, OR
David Wu*, U.S. Representative-1st District; OR
PENNSYLVANIA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Lisa Boscola, State Senator; PA
Don Cunningham, Mayor, Bethlehem, PA
Ruth Damsker, County Commissioner, Montgomery County, PA
Michael Diven, State Representative; PA
Jamie Fleet, City Councilman, Gettysburg, PA
Dan Frankel, State Representative; PA
James S. Gregory, City Councilman, Bethlehem, PA
Joseph M. “Joe” Hoeffel, U.S. Representative-13th District; PA
Matthew Mangino, District Attorney, Lawrence County, PA
Jennifer Mann, State Representative; PA
Jules Mermelstein, Township Commissioner, Upper Dublin, PA
Michael Nutter, City Councilman, Philadelphia, PA
Michael A. O’Pake, State Senator; PA
William Peduto, City Council Member, Pittsburg, PA
Anthony Petrucci, County Commissioner, Dauphin County, PA
Stephen Reed, Mayor, Harrisburg, PA
Ed Rendell, Governor; PA
T. J. Rooney, State Representative; PA
Allyson Y. Schwartz*, U.S. Representative-13th District; PA
Timothy Scott, City Council Member, Carlisle Borough, PA
Constance Williams, State Senator; PA
PUERTO RICO - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Kenneth McClintock, State Senator; PR
RHODE ISLAND - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
James R. “Jim” Langevin, U.S. Representative-2nd District; RI
SOUTH CAROLINA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Doug Echols, Mayor, Rock Hill, SC
Douglas Jennings, Jr., House Democratic Leader; SC
Joe Riley, Mayor, Charleston, SC
John McKee Spratt, Jr., U.S. Representative-5th District; SC
SOUTH DAKOTA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Brenda Barger, Mayor, Watertown, SD
Timothy Peter Johnson*, U.S. Senator; SD
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin*, U.S. Representative-At-Large; SD
TENNESSEE - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Carol Chumney, State Representative; TN
James Hayes Shofner “Jim” Cooper, U.S. Representative-5th District; TN
Harold Eugene Ford, Jr.*, U.S. Representative-9th District; TN
Albert Arnold “Al”Gore, Jr.*, Popular Vote U.S.President, Former U.S. Vice President; TN
Charles Love, School Board Chairman, Hamilton County, TN
John S. Tanner*, U.S. Representative-8th District; TN
TEXAS - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Gonzalo Barrientos, State Senator; TX
Robert Christopher “Chris” Bell, U.S. Representative-25th District; TX
Jaime Capelo, Jr., State Representative; TX
Elizabeth G. Flores, Mayor, Laredo, TX
Charles A. “Charlie” Gonzales, U.S. Representative-20th District; TX
Ruben E. Hinojosa, U.S. Representative-15th District; TX
Nicholas Valentino “Nick” Lampson, U.S. Representative-22nd District; TX
Silvestre Reyes, U.S. Representative-16th District; TX
Carroll G. Robinson, City Councilman, Houston, TX
Max A. Sandlin, Jr., U.S. Representative-1st District; TX
Charles Walter “Charlie” Stenholm, U.S. Representative-17th District; TX
James “Jim” Turner, U.S. Representative-2nd District; TX
Michael Vilarreal, State Representative; TX
UTAH - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Patrice Arent, State Senator; UT
Ralph Becker, State Representative; UT
Karen Hale, State Senator, UT
James David “Jim” Matheson, U.S. Representative-2nd District; UT
VERMONT - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Nancy Chard, State Senator; VT
Val D. Vincent, State Representative; VT
VIRGINIA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Viola Baskerville, State Delegate; VA
Bob Brink, Delegate; VA
Ray Davis, Registrar, Stafford County, VA
Timothy Michael “Tim” Kaine, Governor; VA
Terance Richard “Terry” McAuliffe*, Former DNC Chairman; VA
Sharon McDonald, Commissioner of Revenue, Norfolk, VA
James Patrick “Jim” Moran, Jr.*, U.S. Representative-8th District; VA
Charles Spittal “Chuck” Robb*, Former U.S. Senator; VA
WASHINGTON - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Brian Norton Baird, U.S. Representative-3rd District; WA
Maria E. Cantwell, U.S. Senator; WA
Jeff Gombosky, State Representative; WA
Jay Robert Inslee*, U.S. Representative-1st District; WA
Lynn Kessler, State House Democratic Leader; WA
Patricia Lantz, State Representative; WA
Richard Ray “Rick” Larsen*, U.S. Representative-2nd District; WA
Gary Locke, Governor; WA
Ed Murray, State Representative; WA
Aaron Reardon, State Senator; WA
Laura Ruderman, State Representative; WA
Ron Sims, County Executive, King County, WA
Adam Smith*, U.S. Representative-9th District; WA
WEST VIRGINIA - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
Thomas Campbell, State Delegate; WV
John Unger, II, State Senator; WV
WISCONSIN - Republican Lite DLC Democrats
James Edward “Jim” Doyle, Governor; WI
Ronald James “Ron” Kind*, U.S. Representative-3rd District; WI
Herbert H. “Herb” Kohl*, U.S. Senator; WI
John O. Norquist, Mayor, Milwaukee, WI
Jeffrey Plale, State Representative; WI
Dan Schooff, State Assembly Member; WI
All members of the House are up for re-election every even-numbered year. Representatives have only a 2-year term.
Senators have a 6 year term, and each even-numbered year 1/3 of the Senate is up for re-election.
As per the Constitution …..
REPUBLICANS HAVE SUPPERDELEGATES!!!
• There are currently 2,380 total delegates to the Republican National Convention, including 1,917 pledged delegates and 463 unpledged delegates. The total number of delegate votes needed to win the nomination is 1,191.
• Unpledged delegates in the Republican Party do not have to indicate a candidate preference, but a majority are elected just like pledged delegates. Of the 463 unpledged delegates, 123 are RNC members who become delegates automatically.
Albeit, the Republican Superdelegets have much less sway than the Democtratic ones.
They would need a majority of 1191 out of 2380- making SDs a possible 10.3% of the Wining vote (123/1191) (and I couldn’t find much about the other 340 SDs, so maybe even up to 38.8%)
With Democrats it’s 2025 out of 4049 with 796 SDs, meaning 796/2025= 39%
And now on all the major election tracker sites (cnn, yahoo etc) ‘Superdelegate’ HAS BEEN REMOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It used to be prominent, now it is only reffered to in fine print, and poorly at that.
MarthaA February 19th, 2008 10:37 am — Thank you very much for the List of DLC creatures. That took a fair bit of time & work and I appreciate it. Saved it for voting use later if we get a chance to have an electio.
The tyranny of the minority masked as the will of the majority. Very common in our time.
The crappy rationalization for superdelegates in both parties is to ensure that any candidate is in the best interests of the PARTY- note it is not a popular vote election, we are not dealing with a mob, but an election machine. An upstart outsider has to be unrevokably popular in order to be recognized by the party establishment. If ALL superdelegates voted against a candidate that say wanted total national and party election reform- they would have to win…
2025 out of (4049-796=3253) or 62% of the ‘popular’ vote, whereas an ‘establishment candidate’ MAY only need (2025-796=1229, 1229/3253) 38% … but don’t even get me started on how the DNC calculates caucus votes or distributes primary delegates- or even the districting problem.
Given that upstart campaigns don’t get much DLC support or $, and that they would realistically need much more than 62%, you would have to have a scenario where an outsider was almost 100% popular among regular voters and was able to get that popular without tv ads, name recognition etc. Maybe Oprah could join the party, run, not compromise while in office, then run again as an outsider with a populist agenda and her own money, then maybe, maybe a non-establishment candidate would be available for consideration.
In other words, this sucks.
oh, go and try reading how a non DNC/GOP cadidate can get on the ballot, much less have an impact. Depressing stuff.
On the bright side, this could be an opportunity to third parties. (of course, ’superdelegates’ as an issue are trying to be removed from public discourse by M$M) but say the Libertarians and Greens could start a PR campaign that clearly shows they use no dirty tricks in nominations. They could also play by their own rules- I believe they don’t have to use the same district boundries in primaries.
You people who stick up for the super delegates are simply amazing. The biggest problems with liberal democracies, and the political parties within liberal democracies, is that people have no direct control over their lives and their party. They don’t have a say in policy, they don’t have a say or power in much of anything. They vote for people to run their lives. That is a poor view of democracy to begin with. Now even their ability to vote for someone to run their life is being hampered. So now, people have no participation in the functioning of the party (they cross their fingers and bow at the feet of the party nobles to please, please have a passing respect for democracy and not what THEY want to do when they’re in power) and no say about who will make the laws that they are legally bound to follow. I think anyone who sticks up for this has a poor view of what democracy is, not surprising in a country that attacks other countries who practice and take democracy seriously (like Venezuela now), and should articulate how they think democracy should function. Should regular people chose their representatives directly? Should the representatives follow the will of their constituents (even if THEY personally disagree) or should these people do what they think is best regardless of the will of the majority? Should regular people participate in decision making and economic policy or should elites decide for them? Answering this will show what your view of democracy.
At this moment, Bill and Hillary Clinton are (and have been for some time now) greasing the palms of every so-called super delegate. Whatever those delegates want in exchange for their votes the Clintons will either give it to them outright or promise it at some time in the near future. The Clintons may yet not need to do this but we all know it’s happening. Will those who did not back Clinton then still vote for HRC over McCain as the evil of two lessers?
Actually “SCREW DEMOCRACY” is more appropriate because AMERICAN DEMOCRACY IS WHAT HYPOCRACY IS BY ANOTHER NAME. There is no “your beloved FREEDOM of EXPRESSION” as you would like tell us in the 3rd world to believe exist in AMERICA, why have you forgotten that there is a homeland security that over-rides everything else ? What then is the difference between Malaysia and the USA because our Malaysian Internal Security Act is a mirror of your HOMELAND SECURITY; why are they different, because you are Americans and are by that definition better than us Malaysian ?
Sure America is the LAND OF THE FREE and every citizen are equal, but as soon as a BLACK MAN IS GOING TO BE YOUR PRESIDENT, YOU HAVE SUPER DELEGATES TO STOP HIM and you call that DEMOCRACY ?
WAKE UP AMERICA YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN US IN ASIAN COMMUNIST OR DICTATORSHIPS. You are just the same as us.
Yes it seems Obama has the lead on delegates, a (comparetvly) slight lead in popular vote and a huge lead in campaign size (active supporters) and it seems now a lead in funding. Obama is winning by bigger margins each time. There are still 800 delegates and 400 superdelegates to go. If Obama’s trend continues then of course, but it’s not over till its over. I personally think that a superdelegatee coup over Obama would be at Clinton’s and the DNC’s peril. Obama simply has more ‘grassroots’ support- and to cancel that out would disenfranchise most new voters and further the apathy of the typical american.
BUT, to say that you HAVE NO VOICE, NO RIGHTS is a bit dramatic. Yes we can see signs of facism everywhere, but speaking towards to the basics of democracy, some of us could use a little dose of PERSPECTIVE.
I’ll ask one question to get you started:
How would you conduct a meeting of 1000 people, and give them all equal opportunity to voice themselves, equal power in decision making, and at the same time equitably provide for the needs of the group?
Having everyone speak would take forever and no one would like it, much less listen to all. Even if it was an open/ongoing web based publication- would people think that everyone (or at least you leading the meeting) read what they had to say? And forget about honest, equitable and constructive debate among a group that size. Ever been to a convention? It’s mostly show, but any voice that gets heard is part of a large/powerfull voting BLOCK, not individual. Equal power in decision making? Well, there are many voting methods- many that are better than our election “systems”. Much can be done in this area. But it’s still a top-down system. Maybe you could devise a superlarge group concensus method, maybe along the lines of wikipedia. Best of luck to you. I’d run out of room talking about meeting needs (if anyone is still reading this)
THE POINT is that there is more to democracy, on your part, than voting. You must exercise all avenues of your power whenever possible, else you will find that power taken away (one of the oldest stories). YOUR POWER: conversation, research, spending, donations, activism, protest, caucusing, voting, pettitioning, joining voting blocks, personal prefferances in where you eat, live, work, shop, pray etc.
You have many avenues of power, very important to you as an individual but they a small part of the whole world/nation. More specifically, your vote does not matter IF YOU DONT TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT. But if you are in a voting block, or even if you just work on your friends and family, then your group does gain power.
Am I stating the obvious? Maybe I’m overreacting to people’s comments where they say ‘all is lost’ when they mean ‘I am lost’.
Ummm…. the suoerdelegates careers won’t be over unless this comes to a head AGAINST and overwhelming popular majority in the Democratic Party.
If Obama squeaks buy, the SDs will remain, maybe revamped and with a new propaganda message for 2012. God knows what would happen if SDs overturn a popular majority in terms of party reconcilliation and future nominations. I just don’t see the party machine loosing its grip anytime soon. It would take outright revolt, and I don’t know what real revolt would mean (aside from us all yelling at the air on CD discussions).
PREDICTION: watch for some kind of bait-and-switch combo manuever of trying to get the MI & FL delegates in, while the superdelegate fit comes to an explosive finish. The outcome could go any wh