Democratic Leaders Pushing Superdelegates To Commit

WASHINGTON — Top Democratic leaders intend to push for a quick end to the battle for the presidential nomination when primaries are over next week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday, adding that he, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and party chairman Howard Dean will urge uncommitted delegates to choose sides.

"By this time next week, it will all be over give or take a day," Reid said of the marathon race between the front-running Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Obama is within 44 delegates of clinching the nomination, according to The Associated Press tally, and leads Clinton by roughly 200 delegates.

Democratic officials said Pelosi already has begun contacting uncommitted House members urging them to weigh in soon after the primary season ends. Numerous Democrats have expressed concern that a protracted nominating campaign could harm the party's chances of winning the White House in the fall. John McCain effectively wrapped up the Republican nomination in March.

Tantalizingly close to the nomination, Obama stands to gain a minimum of roughly 20 delegates in remaining primaries in Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota under party rules that distribute them proportional to the popular vote _ even if he loses all three. He would need to enlist the support of uncommitted superdelegates to amass the rest.

Slightly fewer than 200 superdelegates remain uncommitted, including 64 members of Congress.

One, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the Democratic whip in the House, was quoted in a report published Thursday as saying he intended to disclose his preference as the final primaries are held on Tuesday.

Clyburn, who is black and whose district and state voted overwhelmingly for Obama, is widely expected to support the Illinois senator.

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Asked about the story in the Stamford Advocate, Kristie Greco, a spokeswoman for Clyburn, noted that he repeatedly has said he will not endorse before June 3.

Although Obama holds a commanding lead in delegates, Clinton has threatened to campaign into the August convention if she is not satisfied with the results of a party committee meeting this weekend. A Democratic National Committee panel is scheduled to discuss the fate of disputed delegations from Michigan and Florida, two states that held primaries last winter in defiance of party rules.

Reid, in an interview on radio station KGO in San Francisco, said he had talked since Wednesday with both Pelosi and Dean. "We agree there won't be a fight at the convention. ... We're going to urge folks to make a decision quickly _ next week."

Reid said the results of the disputed primaries in Florida and Michigan "should be counted as well," but he did not propose a compromise to resolve the controversy.

He made his prediction that the nominating fight would be settled by the end of next week in a speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

Karen Finney, a spokeswoman for Dean, said that in his conversation with Reid, the chairman said he wants the nominating campaign settled in June.

Pelosi has also said she hopes the nominating contest is wrapped up quickly.

Comments

[Grannysue]

It's about dam time! But don't kid yourself the Clintion's and their ilk will find something else to whine about to attempt to keep it going. Please DNC stick to your guns on this one and tell them thanks but leave already!

[BigLib]

This crazy crone just thanked Iran:

It's not our troops. It's not Petraeus' leadership. It's not the Iraqis turning on the Al Qaeda murderers. No -- it's Iran's goodwill!

"Well, the purpose of the surge was to provide a secure space, a time for the political change to occur to accomplish the reconciliation. That didn’t happen. Whatever the military success, and progress that may have been made, the surge didn’t accomplish its goal.

And some of the success of the surge is that the goodwill of the Iranians-they decided in Basra when the fighting would end, they negotiated that cessation of hostilities-the Iranians."

Will she also thank Al Qaeda for scaling back its beheadings and bombings?

Botox and liberalism is a dangerous combination.

[karmaburger]

"And some of the success of the surge is that the goodwill of the Iranians-they decided in Basra when the fighting would end, they negotiated that cessation of hostilities-the Iranians."

The key word is 'some'.

What she said is true - I know it doesn't sound right and I'm sure Faux News will have a field day with this but it is true. Maybe she should have worded it differently or not said it at all but we don't always hear the spin we want from our leaders and the truth slips out.

[kellygrrrl]

OK. Nancy, time for you to grab this Bull by the Horns and see it through.

[ThunderclapNewman]

Praise Cheese!
It's way past time for this to end.

[ayc]

Thank you Rep Pelosi.

[MissT]

Pelosi doesn't know Clinton. This is not going to be over.

[abigail1]

Pelosi has known both Clintons for many, many years. She's been in the House since the 80's.
But more importantly, Speaker Pelosi knows the House members who are undeclared super delegates, and they know that they need her to get the committee posts they want and to get their bills onto the floor. Same goes for Reid in the Senate.
They may not be able to get the Clinton's to quit, but they can get everyone to endorse so that it doesn't matter.

[MissT]

I really hope you're right. I want her gone as much as anybody, but I think she'll stoop to any level to either get her way or destroy the party on her way out.

[NavyMom44]

It is about dang time...sheesh

[curiousasheck]

LOL right

[DrCahill]

Bill Clinton was good for the Democratic Party until he defiled the Oval Office! But he has not repented enough. Instead he unleashes Hillary on the Party... and we now know her to be the Democratic Party's worst nightmare... the worst thing to ever happen to us - especially in the year we are meant to clean up Washington! What a power-hungry, strength-sapping person Hillary has turned out to be!

[benne]

Omigod, he got a Lewinsky in the Oval Office. Stop the presses. Really, don't you remember Kenneth Starr and the millions of dollars spent on the witch-hunt, and now to have supposed Democrats acting like they are prudish Republicans, it's really just sickening. Besides, why are Obama supporters so conventional, always ranting about President Clinton's indiscretions? You really need to grow up and know that people don't always have your kind of smug little bourgeois family values.

[obamagal]

Y-E-S!

[mooph]

Yes, Grandma.

[tomjuarez]

Finally!!!

Hey Nancy what took you so long?? Oh well better late than never. Thanks for restoring my confidence in you.

[thepoliticalcat]

Clinton's clearly either gone or is going insane. She appears to have absolutely no connection with reality. I give up. I don't even care if anyone does an intervention for her. She's old and tired and she'll run herself down eventually like a cranky kid who had too much chocolate before bedtime. What a pathetic sight!

[Terriac]

Yes, she seems to have lost all grip on her sanity. It would be sad if weren't so infuriating.

[OneVoiceInACrowd]

She has entered her own bubble.

[XME]

Gone...been gone for a while now...

[Tariqahmed]

OBAMA 08.
Gen Election begins Tue June 3RD.