Feb. 12, 2008
Superdelegates Being Courted By Big Names
Despite Phone Calls From Bill Clinton And Breakfasts With Chelsea, They Tell Harry Smith Their Decision Is Personal
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Play CBS Video Video Meet The Superdelegates Three superdelegates share what it's like to take calls from former president Bill Clinton and other "kingmakers" during the heated Democratic contest for the 2008 nomination. Harry Smith reports.
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Video Fast Draw: Super Delegates In both parties, an elite squad of political pundits called Super Delegates has the final say on who gets the nomination. "Fast Draw" artists Mitch Butler and Josh Landis report.
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Former President Bill Clinton joins his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, at her 59th birthday party in New York late last year. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
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News Tools Campaign Calendar The latest list of primary and caucus dates as states continue jockeying for position.
Three superdelegates spoke to CBS News Early Show Anchor Harry Smith this morning about how the campaigns are courting them and the decision they have to make about which candidate to support.
Jason Rae, a junior at Marquette University, is, at 21, the youngest superdelegate. Despite the fact the he was personally lobbied by Chelsea Clinton over breakfast, he said he has not made up his mind over which candidate to support.
Rae told Smith that the lobbying by Clinton and others hasn't been the "hard sell" variety.
"They haven't been pressing me in any sense," he said. "They've just been talking to me like an average voter. The same thing that happens when candidates go to Iowa and New Hampshire and court votes there. It's the same thing with superdelegates."
David Hardt, president of the Young Democrats Of America and a superdelegate from Texas, said he has received personal phone calls from Bill and Hillary Clinton and met privately with Chelsea Clinton.
"When your cell phone lights up and they say that President Clinton is on the phone, your reaction is what?," Smith asked him.
"Oh, this is a joke," Hardt said. "Someone's playing a joke on me. Until you hear his voice, and his voice is unmistakable. You know, I was caught off guard, but a chance to chit-chat with the former president of the United States is just an amazing opportunity."
Nancy DiNardo, chairwoman of the Connecticut Democratic Party, also got a call from Clinton - while she was driving. She, too, first thought it was a joke.
Though superdelegates are ostensibly independent, a close race means that they may well be pressured by the campaigns, their peers, and other members of their party. Nonetheless, Rae said his decision over whom to support would be a personal one.
"I think in the end it has to come down to me deciding for myself who I personally think is the best candidate is for the party," he said.
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See all 28 CommentsWhy should Libs even bother voting? YOU DON''T COUNT!
John has a few problems:
1. He''s old, and does not care about the future (as his endorsing of Bush policies indicate--Bush says the future does not worry him--cuz he''ll be dead)
2. He touted a 100 more years of war (we''d probably be broke and economically shattered in about 5 more of those years)
3. Our economy is in trouble and McCain says he knows next to nothing about the economy
4. He will be perceived as a continuation of Bush and a validation for the GOP.
Tell you what, here, go view this, then come back and we can talk:
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/10_minutes_on_whether_Hillary_can_win
Posted by bookwerm314 at 11:09 AM : Feb 13, 2008
Better yet, give each candidate exactly half-that way, they can be counted and as per the DNC punishment--their count won''t matter as they will each cancel the other''s votes. LOL
"What," Bill Clinton asked Richardson, "isn''t two Cabinet posts enough?"
LOL
Not complicated math.
All the states are proportional, so even in states Clinton won, unless TOO MANY superdelegates want to support Obama, just let the undecided ones go with Clinton until the ratios are right. That way Kennedy CAN vote for Obama at the Primary, who he has endorsed, AND Clinton "gets her share". That way it is still fair, the public is NOT overruled by the Superdelegates, and there is NO ISSUE!
Hilary: "yeah, I''''m tested and I''''m ready!! so what if I can''''t manage my campaign and my core group is splintering...so what if I can''''t manage the campaign money and have to lend myself millions to survive one month? I SWEAR I''''ll do better, when it''''s the entire country and YOUR money, I get to manage--honest"
You have a point Hilary. Bush had ''''experience'''' and it showed he ran all businesses he owned into the ground and had to be bailed out (then he did it on the macro scale with the country) now you are showing that with your experience--you can''''t call a war right, don''''t know how to back off of torture, can''''t release your finances and can''''t even run or direct a Presidential campaign. We gave Bush a shot--why not you?
Why not, indeed.
Strangely, a Democratic Super Delegate is a person selected by their peers to attend the national Democratic Convention,
Posted by tibu987 at 12:00 AM : Feb 13, 2008
Not by their peers, but by back room cronies. the people are not the ones who choose the superdelegates --most do not even know that when they put someone in office, that they are a super delegate. The sD are decided by party insiders and the SDs ARE very loyal, tried and true party insiders.
here is a way to NOT win the favor of superdelegates: talk about bringing about change. Most Superdelegates do NOT want change.They want to control the elections and keep the money and power locked up, they do not want to do the will of the people--they want to fatten their own pockets. Hilary and Bill like SD because they have been party insiders with connections for years. Obama is the outsider and pretty new--the only endorsements he is likely to get are from new SD not the old guard.But there is another factor--the violatility of Obama support. If alienated by insider manipulation, the Independents and blacks and other Obama supporters may not join the Democrat camp no matter what party leaders say. Esp the Indies--if that happens--the leaders will have given Hilary the nom--but she will not sit in the WH and the loss will be blamed on her and the "fixing" of the election by the SD, if that happens, sooner or later, many of them can kiss their Congress jobs good bye too.
You never know what the voters will do, but feelings are running so high, that if the party goes against what the people want, they are liable to do drastic things and Hilary will most likely lose in Nov as Mondale did when the nom was brokered for him. The delegates getting involved with their extra vote is unconstitutional actually--but after Carter--the party wants to make sure that who is selected is who they want, even if the people don''t want their candidate. (they think they can do what they like and we will eat it)
super Delegates are party insiders that are given a personal vote and then can vote again to help pick a nominee. The Dem party came up with this idea after Carter was elected. See, Carter was NOT the choice of the Dems-it was the people''s choice. In petulance, the Dem congress hamstrung their CIC and decided never again could they leave the vote up to common people. So they came up with a new game plan in 1980 that stated that Congressmen, pundits, and those who had been loyal to the party for years could have super votes. There are 796 superdelegates adn they can vote for whomever is running on the Dem ticket. The problem is, to get their votes, they are promised plum jobs, money, positions, and power. IN short they are bought, Whoever offers the best--gets the delegate so their votes are for sale. An SD vote is worth 20% of the votes for the entire election. So in a close race the SD has the votes to make or break a winner and they usually do it on which one is the most insider--this favors the status quo. But it also is very dangerous. For instance, the SD could pick the losing candidate just because they like them better, or want to reestablish old rule or get better offers. this means in the end, the voters do not decide their candidate, but those who are being bought off, will. next post
Concerning the super delegates--if they move to retain the status quo and nullify the vote of the people n favor of their "pick" my family (15, I influence) will vote Republican in the fall. In addition, as many as I can influence (and that is usually a lot) will either not vote or will join me in supporting McCAin. The rationale being, that if the DNC chooses to impose cronyism and their will above the voters as if we don''t matter, then we WILL matter in another way. Further, Michigan and FL forfeited their right to have their delegates counted. "Either a new primary for them is taken or the DNC stands by their punitive measure. These games are the clarion call of a loser who wants to hedge his/her bets--but I can tell you now, if anyone does not have the delegates but is chosen based on back room delegates voting twice or casting the decisive vote--you will see an exodus of dems and Independents such as cannot be imagined and you WILL at least lose the White HOuse if not seats in Congress. We are not kidding.
we will not go quietly into the night, -cram Clinton or Obama down our throats--and the Democrats will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. AGAIN.
http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contact
The Superdelegates will jump of the Clinton ship like rats when water gets high enough. Most of the one who committed early must be looking for political favors and when it becomes clear there''s dry land close (Obama), the rats will find their way there.
Remember a time when a President said it depends what the meaning of %u201Cis%u201D is. Remember a time when someone committed suicide with a gun 3 feet away and rolled his body up afterwards with the subsequent investigation lead by the nation%u2019s elite police(the National Park Service). Remember an era of bullying and political trades like NAFTA. Remember an election lost by Gore because of a President%u2019s poor judgment which lead to the Iraq war. Remember a couple who always blame the Republicans, the blacks, the press, and %u2026just keep filling in the blanks as this changes with convenience. Remember the face of an angry Bill outraged that blacks would vote for someone other than his wife.
Remember Hillary voted and supported the Iraq war. Obama did not.
Ask yourself do you really believe the Clintons tell the truth? Do you believe the Clintons are power hungry? Did the Clintons accomplish health care reform with 8 years in Office? Did the Clintons do anything about Al Queida when they were in power? Do you really want Bill chasing interns in the White House again?
Its time for a change. Its time for Obama.
Strangely, a Democratic Super Delegate is a person selected by their peers to attend the national Democratic Convention, each State has a certain number, the larger the State the more delegates it has, about 761 in all. In addition to the regular electoral votes that a candidate gets for receiving a percentage of the votes in each State, the Super Delegate votes (761) can be given to whomever they want whenever they want. It is an anomaly that should be corrected as it is patently unfair.
Example, Obama could win the popular vote but the Super Delegates could give their "super" votes to Hillary and thus, possibly, Hillary would be declared the winner if it totaled more than those of Obama. Think about it, sounds likes a very unfair possibility to me.
Thanks for any replies....
Cas
Posted by Cas2dy
Hi Cas2dy,
Here is a site that may help answer your question:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18914920
Thanks for any replies....
Cas
My concern now is the course for the Super Delegates to take. They had best honor our votes and give their "Super Electoral Votes" to the popular vote of the people. Our voices, our votes, had better be taken seriously or I see a rise in revolt against the electoral system, the Democratic Party, and the politicians that used their votes against our choice.
Should Obama NOT receive the Super Delegates vote if he wins by plurality, I will vote for the Green Party candidate and protest loudly against that obvious lack of honesty with the electorate.
It takes WISDOM, COMPASSION, and COURAGE to oppose the Iraq War. It also takes wisdom, compassion, and courage to run a country! America wants nothing less.
"... But we ought not %u2014 we will not %u2014 travel down that hellish path blindly. Nor should we allow those who would march off and pay the ultimate sacrifice, who would prove the full measure of devotion with their blood, to make such an awful sacrifice in vain." ~ Obama
"The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution."
"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."
%u201CHe who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it."
"Hold faithfulness and sincerity as your first principles."
"Kindness in thinking creates profoundness."
"From caring comes courage."
LOOK DEEP INTO YOUR HEART, VOTE OBAMA!
%u201CLIVE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.%u201D
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