Clinton: Superdelegates Trump Popular Vote

Boston Globe's Political Intelligence:

Hillary Clinton will take the Democratic nomination even if she does not win the popular vote, but persuades enough superdelegates to vote for her at the convention, her campaign advisers say.

The New York senator, who lost three primaries Tuesday night, now lags slightly behind her rival, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, in the delegate count. She is even further behind in "pledged'' delegates, those assigned by virtue of primaries and caucuses.

But Clinton will not concede the race to Obama if he wins a greater number of pledged delegates by the end of the primary season, and will count on the 796 elected officials and party bigwigs to put her over the top, if necessary, said Clinton's communications director, Howard Wolfson.

Read the whole story: Boston Globe's Political Intelligence

Comments

[suntzu]

Unless I am mistaken wasn't it Hillary who spoke of her concern for the voters of Michigan and Florida losing their franchise to vote in the primary? I hardly think she would be their Joan of Arc if it was Obama who was the only candidate listed on the Michigan ballot.

She also wants to game the system by asking the DNC to downgrade the value of caucus based votes because caucuses to not represent the will of the people.

[HighBeam]

Sen. Obama removed himself from the ballot which was a bad move. You can't blame that screw up on Sen. Clinton.

[deb813]

Senator Clinton left her name on the ballot when she knew it wouldn't count. it was always her intention to cheat and win the nomination. You should be very proud if she is the nominee because she won't be the president and neither will any democratic candidate for decades if she gets away with this. Obama's strength is bringing in all these young people and disenfranchised voters who think nobody speaks for them. if she screws him out of the nomination NONE of them will vote for her and possibly never vote again.

[Rock81]

All of the candidates removed their names from the ballot but one. It was staed from day one that the delegates wouldn't count and that the candidates wouldn't campaign there. This argument is ridiculous.

[midtown]

The candidates SIGNED affidavits before the races began that FL and MI votes and delegates would not count. And do you know how MI works? Do they need to collect signatures before a candidate is on the ballot?

[Zhonni]

Why not remove your name when you are not going to campaign anyways? Remove ornot, it was agreed to that it won't count.

[echeola]

Everyone but Hillary and Kucinich removed themselves out of protest. This was another slime ball move in a long line of slime ball moves.

[zendem1]

If the Founding Fathers knew we'd reduced the Presidency to an inherited office, they'd shit themselves.

[6PercentIsUpperClass]

So very true!

[oceankat]

If the Founding Fathers knew we'd reduced the Presidency to an inherited office, they'd shit themselves.

Really? That's what you think the founding fathers would do? I wonder if President John Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence and his son, President John Quincy Adams would agree with you?

[HighBeam]

The Founding Fathers thought the electorate to be too ignorant to vote for the Presidency. That is why we have a representative election. They would be proud that your vote counts for the pledged delegates and the super delegates are independent. Together they make up the vote for the nominee. You may want to reread some history books.

[indie17]

No, it was not the belief in the ignorance of the electorate that drove the creation of the electoral college. It was the problem of transportation and communication in a timely manner -- we have since had the technological, industrial, and communication revolutions. The electoral college should be abolished, as should super-delegates. It should be popular vote, period, IMHO. And Obama is winning that.

[XYZ]

Amen

[zendem1]

It will be a beautiful day when that shameless, lying, power-grubbing twosome gets the hell out of politics. They're far more trouble than they're worth.

[HighBeam]

You Obama supporters sure like to whine. I wonder where you get that from?

[Dalpine]

Somehow I suspected the Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton regime was predetermined. McCain and Clinton are both corporate candidates. Corporations and special interests run the country. Obama is too good to be true.

[Seattlelite]

I also believe the Clinton's are the choice for the establishment but this time around the citizens are engaged and paying attention, there will be no back room deal making this decision!

[XYZ]

Well isn't that even a better reason to support Obama??? See the hole in the ground walk around it, don't just keep walking.

[cambio]

Q: What do Hillary Clinton and George Bush have in common

A: Well, quite a few things actually, but I assume you are referring to perverting the Democratic process for your own political gain.

[EinChicago]

Slightly better than what do Obama and George Bush have in common (apart from a penchant for nose candy and a lack of substance?)

[MarkieBee]

LOL...EinChicago..NOT! Where are Hillary's plans? Where is here substance? What is the penalty for not buying her mandated health care plan One Chicago? Seems like an incomplete plan to me, lacking serious substance. You're just jealous because your candidate can't fill a 5,000 seat hall let alone a 22,000 arena and break attendance records so you have to attack him. Well, attend one of his many policy forums. Download his Blueprint For Change off his Web site, a plan that is missing from Hillary's site by the way.

[finally]

Let's add "living in their own cocoon /reality" and repeating the same old thing, even if wrong, thinking we will believe it if it's said often enough... 35 years of experience?! AS what - corporate law is never mentioned (missing billing records any one) , yet a few months CDF is blown up.... Bimbo eruptions squad? Voting for a war without reading the 95-page classified doc (no staffer had access to) - another similarity. Secrecy of her previous fatal attempt wih health care - my way or the highway - another one.... Mismanagement of funds/campaign... "and now Sen. Clinton wants to do for the country what she did for her campaign"; never any plan if it did not wrap us as expected, if small states mattered more than expected, if inspiration mattered more than expected... What will she do if Iran and Korea act differently than expected?!

[captnEarl]

If the clintons do this I would hope and pray that Dr. Dean and his organization DFA would split from the clintons DLC and form a real progressive party.
DO NOT TRY TO OVERRIDE THE VOTERS clinton!!!!!!

[mslindab]

Can you say President McCain? I am willing to have four years of that to see the permanent end of the Clintons!

[LiamSherborn]

This story does a pretty good job of pointing out just what Hillary's priorities are - HIllary, US citizens, Hillary, Democratic Party, Hillary, Chelsea,Hillary,....sea slugs,Hillary, ...Bill.

Please spare us from another four years of partisan nonsense. I voted for Bill twice, would love a woman President, but am not willing to revisit the moral vacuum that was the Clinton years. Go Obama!

[MNmommy]

Ew.

Penn and Wolfson need STFU.

Why can't they let the electorate decide.

[flashlight]

here here!

[NewGenXer]

Bill Clinton tried to get the constitution changed to allow for a third term. I feel this entire Hillary campaign has been a cover to get him back in the White House. They are now so power hungry that they are willing to take the entire democratic party down with them. We the people must demand that this does not happen!

[jrb35]

Clinton didn't try to amend the Constitution. That's a lie. Did an amendment ever go through the requisite process? No. Was one ever submitted to the states? No. Are you an idiot? Yes.

[Bertrude]

I always believed that as well the Clintons can care two shits about the democratic party, they only care about the Clintons. She will kick and scream if she does not get the nomination.

Why are the rules obeyed when they favor her, but when they don't i.e. Florida and Michigan she is all for changing them.
Why does she care so much about two states that do not count, but does not care about state that do count i.e Obama's recent wins, she is dirty.

Hillary Clinton will say anything and change nothing.

[MarkieBee]

How else will Hillary be able to "earn" millions of dollars for 30-minute meetings with dictators unless she's been president at least for one term? Come on, they're a two wage-earner household. Why should Bill get all the money from Kazakhstan and crooked countries like that? A two-term senator would be lucky to get a couple of million from defense contractors at best...

[Researchguy66]

Huh?

I've heard some crazy things on here, but this is about the wackiest...

Bill Clinton never did anything that even resembled some attempt at a third term. I'm not saying he might not have wanted to, but he knew that even on his best day, there wasn't a chance in hell. Any idea how hard it is to amend the Constitution?

[MizLiz]

Oh God, my worst nightmare. We all need to write our congresspeople who are super-delegates, and urge them to vote for the one who wins the popular vote, not the crony they're looking to for favors.

Well, as soon as I typed THAT I guess I know how far we'll get. Id di it anyway, though.

[suntzu]

If you are a member of MoveOn sign their petition to ask the supers to vote for whichever candidate comes in with the most delegates on convention day. If not, join them at moveon.org.

[finally]

And let's "press" the Clintons (as the press is not doing so) to realease their financials BEFORE and not AFTER the convention - are we not entitled to an informed decision? DOn;t we have to make sure she is "vetted"? Seeing her manage her largely inherited campaign, plus establishment support and name recognition, I'm not sure she's ready to lead "from day one" (Sen. Clinton wants to do fir the country what she has done for the campaign....) Plus, a "leader" implies that others are willing to follow = which GOP-er up for re-election at home will want to be on record as having given her a victory of any significance? But that is assuming she could win this in Nov - how, with ZERO cross-over appeal, indies breaking for MAC, and after going negative on O, an even higher ceiling in her own (strike that) the Dem. Party (with a big D, not small one, if it's up to her - the big wigs matter so much more). Hope someone in the leadership is looking at the numbers, and what this will do to the party, in Nov. and far beyond that!

[XYZ]

Don't forget Obama is poring money into the DNC's coffers, so I'm sure at the end of the day with the DNC it will come down to what every decision in america comes down to who will generate the most money to campaign against McCain, and that is Obama.

[finally]

Indeed - how "un-Democratic" - but who has any illusions left that for the Clintons, it about anything else but them, no matter the cost to the party in November and beyond....

[Independent007]

The Clintons will do anything to win. Even if it means taking themselves and the party down with them.
At that point it would be time for the statesmen of the party like Carter and Gore to step in to affirm the peoples right to victory.
Obama's strategy is simple: get more delegates than Hillary. Unfortunately for Hillary he is doing a better job of getting delegates and will maintain a 100 delegate lead through the very end of this race. At that point the superdelegates better read the tea leaves.
If they throw the election for Hillary, look for a third party candidate to come out on Obama's platform and win the election for President. Or if that doesn't happen then watch for guys like me to vote for McCain or stay home.
Watch for the voters to vote out of office any and all superdelegates that were holding office and contravened the people.
If the Clinton's selfishness steals the nomination, the people will speak and I can guarantee you that she will not be president of the United States.

[indie17]

I have to agree that it looks likely that Obama will maintain the lead in pledged delegates. She may indeed win Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, but not by wide enough margins to gain the lead. There are other states still in the mix also, which the media has not covered very well. Looking at current voting patterns, it appears that the election will still be close, but Obama should prevail in pledged delegates. My guess is that this is why we are seeing these statements from the Clinton campaign -- they will still try to take the nomination with supers. There's a 21-year-old super-delegate that was taken to lunch by Chelsea the other day, and received phone calls from Bill Clinton and Albright (note that John Kerry also phoned him.) I have to believe that the undeclared super-delegates will side with Obama if he has the most pledged delegates. But if not, there will indeed be a break in the Democratic party, and look for McCain to win the election.

[PJay]

What will she do when those super delegates jump ship and go to Obama?

She'll probably cry that it's a conspiracy against her!

Looks like she got MSNBC to do her bidding though.
They keep showing week old polls saying 'clinton making comeback'.

If as the pundits say a day is a long time in politics, then a week is an eternity!

This is very deceptive of MSNBC and they call it a NEW poll. It was taken between 2/6 and 2/12. Hello? Today is the 14th!!!
The only way I knew it was NOT a new poll was by looking at the fine print on the screen which they did not leave up very long, but they did REPEAT verbally ad nauseum the results of this *new* poll. Ugh!

It is NOT a new poll!

No more Clintons, No more Bushes
Enough!

[LiamSherborn]

While I agree with your sentiments, MSNBC is about as pro-Obama as possible. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[PJay]

If that's the case, it sure looks like they're trying to overcompensate.
PLUS, let's not forget how MSNBC fell all over themselves apologizing for Shusters comments.

Yes, they were right to apologize but they don't need to behave as though they are being emotionally blackmailed and intimidated by the Clintons.

[Seattlelite]

I'm not a bit surprised to hear this coming from Clinton's camp. Once again the Clinton's are showing us their lack of integrity. I'm banking on the super delegates knowing that if she's allowed to win this nomination without the higher number of pledged delegates it will be the end of the democratic party. And I'm also banking on these super delegates knowing that they personally would be committing political suicide if they allowed this to happen.

[Independent007]

Its great, let them keep showing Hillary ahead I say, maybe some Hillary supporters will stay home.

[Independent007]

I didn't realize that. Good post! MSNBC is now Hillary's bitch?

[ibsteve2u]

That sure says a lot about Clinton's campaign's prognosis for upcoming primary results.

It appears that the Democratic Party's entire nomination process will devolve to: "How amoral are the superdelegates?".

How Republican.

[finally]

It is amazing that the Clintons are getting as many votes as they have, with a slogan as: who cares about the lected delegates? Sounds just like what McAuliffe said on the plane between Iowa and NH: let's not forget who's going to get the nomination - we have the superdelegates... REady to claim this from day one! And he's still crowing that things are going exactly as they planned/expected! Come on - enough already - this does not even qualify as spin any more. It just shows, again, that they are willing to do ANYTHING to grab the power back, no matter the cost to the party in Nove and beyond.... I hope that the delegates who have not rolled over to their threats and promises will remain put, and see waht is going on and where the voters are!

[XYZ]

They are, and some votes are peeling away from clinton, the supers are not retarded. I'm sure they understand the gravity of there decision.

[passport]

What else can she do? She is Heir to the throne after all. Heir Clinton.....Heir Clinton .. has a nice ring to it dont ya think. Now all we need is a snappy salute that point-clap,, point-clap thing just aint working.

[zreeb]

Heil Clinton!

[mommadona]

Yes - and how utterly D L C.