Bowers: Super Delegates To Determine Nominee

Open Left:

It can no longer be avoided: super delegates will determine the Democratic Presidential nominee this year. Here is the current situation:

* With Michigan and Florida removed from the equation, 2,025 delegates are required to win the nomination, and there are 3,253 pledged delegates.
* To date, four states with a combined 137 pledged delegates have held nominating contests.
* Currently, Barack Obama is projected with 63 pledged delegates, and Hillary Clinton is projected with 48 (source).
* On Super Tuesday, 22 states and a couple territories with a combined 1,688 pledged delegates will hold nominating contests.

Read the whole story: Open Left

Comments

[Alienhairdo]

I'm going to write in "Stalin" for President.

[Lazslo]

There is no way in hell that the super delegates are going to go against the publics decisions in primaries and caucuses. To do that will be to throw away the election and give it to the repubs. I hope all the party wonks realize this.

[mrJJ]

Its a long long road..... States waiting in the wings to get a chance to let their votes be counted.

Feb 9th
Louisiana primaries
Nebraska caucuses
Washington caucuses

Feb 10th
Maine caucuses

Feb 12th
District of Columbia primaries
Maryland primaries
Virginia primaries

Feb 19th
Hawaii caucuses
Washington primaries
Wisconsin primaries

March 4th
Ohio primaries
Rhode Island primaries
Texas primaries
Vermont primaries

March 8th
Wyoming caucuses

March 11th
Mississippi primaries

April 22nd
Pennsylvania primaries

May 6th
Indiana primaries
North Carolina primaries

May 13th
West Virginia primary

May 20th
Kentucky primaries
Oregon primaries

June 3rd
Montana primary
South Dakota primaries

[Independent voter]

If the superdelegates steal this nomination from the people, I believe that there will be a revolution that will permanently change the two party system in America.

[FogBelter]

The Super Delegates have to be selfish about this ... loyalty is irrelevant. The Super Delegates have to ask themselves what betters their current situation?

The main group of Super Delegates I am referring to are those in the US House and Senate.

Which Candidate will offer them the best opportunity to expand seats in the Congress and inspire the American People to pressure their representatives on both sides of the aisle to cooperate with the new President and move legislation forward?

There is a difference ... Gridlock will make some of these Super Delegates look very bad to their constituents, look where the Congress' Rating is Now.

They have a Choice to either follow the Party Pecking order or enhance their current positions ... Which will they choose?

[milo9]

If the super delegates don't support the popular vote, they're going to have super problems.

[plutorage]

Why is everybody falling to pieces over the prospect of a brokered convention? Virtually all conventions were decided in smoke filled rooms from the founding of this country and well into the 20th century. The primary system is relatively new.

Actually, an extended process will help in clearing the smoke and allowing everybody to see who the best candidate actually is.

If Hilary were to score a quick victory by Super Tuesday - no longer likely - it might have the opposite effect: Many would feel that Obama did not get a full and fair hearing on the issues in front of enough voters due to front loaded primaries and disappointed Obama supporters would be less likely to turn out for Hilary.

[zreeb]

My prediction: Obama will have the regular/bonus delegates, then the Clinton machine will steal the nomination with super delegates.

I, in turn, will vote with another party.

[ProudLiberalDan]

Having superdelegates determine the nominee cannot be any worse than letting small, unrepresentative rural states winnow down the nominees, then a campaign for the United "Swing" States of America in the fall.

The whole process is caca.

We need one national primary/caucus day in the Spring with a direct popular vote election in November and a runoff if no one gets 50% of the vote.

This madness has to end. California, New York, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois should band together and rescue our democracy by the time 2012 rolls around and have one primary day and link it to the first caucus in the nation.

The Civil War ended 150 years ago and we need to end the tyranny of small or swing states.

Having Superdelegates basically pick the nominee for us is a fitting end for this farce of a process.

[metropolitan]

so how many superdelegates are there?
is this a complete posting or just some random figures that you didn't bother to put together well to math your headline. wtf?