Stop Yelling at Hillary to Stand Down and Start Yelling at the Superdelegates to Stand Up

UPDATE: Since I wrote this post, 17 previously uncommitted superdelegates have endorsed -- 15 for Obama, 2 for Clinton -- so now it's 17 down off the fence, 202 to go. Click here to read the latest on the Countdown to the Nomination

The dust refuses to settle on the Democratic race. Hillary Clinton wants to cloud the issue with talk of Zimbabwe, Gore 2000, slavery, the civil rights movement, and fuzzy-math-derived popular vote totals. The media steadfastly refuse to clear things up by sticking to the facts, preferring to keep the horse race going.

So let's see if we can put the focus on those with the power to bring to an end this political equivalent of a 50s horror movie (The Campaign That Just Won't Die!): the superdelegates.

There are currently 212 uncommitted superdelegates (not counting Michigan and Florida). What are they waiting for?

I understand there are still three more primaries to go. But there is nothing that is going to happen in Puerto Rico or South Dakota or Montana that is going to convince Hillary Clinton to leave the race. Her argument isn't about pledged delegates, which is what is at stake in these remaining primaries. Her argument is about Florida and Michigan and convincing the superdelegates to overturn the pledged delegate majority Obama has won.

And there is also no reason for the superdelegates to wait until the Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting on May 31st. Not even the Clinton camp is delusional enough to think it is going to walk away from the meeting with enough additional pledged delegates from Michigan and Florida to overtake Obama.

So it's time for the uncommitted superdelegates to stop their dithering, come out of hiding, hop off the fence, endorse Obama and officially bring this nominating process to an end.

The Democratic leadership -- starting with Pelosi, Reid, and Dean -- should begin working behind the scenes to get all uncommitted supers to immediately commit. Let Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Montana have their say, but start bringing the curtain down now.

And let's not just wait for the party leaders to put pressure on the superdelegates. Let's start putting pressure ourselves. Below you will find a list of all the uncommitted superdelegates. And this link will lead you to profiles of them. Please call or email the elected officials and track down the DNC members who live in your state and let them know that you want them to stand up and be counted. Now.

Hillary Clinton has more than earned the right to stay in the race until the bitter end. So it's up to the superdelegates to accelerate the bitter end.

Uncommitted Superdelegates:

Representatives

Bud Cramer (AL)
Gabrielle Giffords (AZ)
Nancy Pelosi (CA)
Jerry McNerney (CA)
Mike Honda (CA)
Sam Farr (CA)
Jim Costa (CA)
Bob Filner (CA)
Susan Davis (CA)
Mark Udall (CO)
John Salazar (CO)
Jim Marshall (GA)
Rahm Emanuel (IL)
Nancy Boyda (KS)
Dennis Moore (KS)
William Jefferson (LA)
Charlie Melancon (LA)
Don Cazayoux (LA)
Rep. Michael Michaud (ME)
John Sarbanes (MD)
Steny Hoyer (MD)
Chris Van Hollen (MD)
John Olver (MA)
Niki Tsongas (MA)
John Tierney (MA)
Edward Markey (MA)
Collin Peterson (MN)
Gene Taylor (MS)
Rep. Travis Childers (MS)
Rep. Rush Holt (NJ)
Rep. Bob Etheridge (NC)
Rep. Mike McIntyre (NC)
Rep. Tom Udall (NM)
Charlie Wilson (OH)
Marcia Kaptur (OH)
Rep. Zack Space (OH)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH)
Rep. Dan Boren (OK)
Bob Brady (PA)
Jason Altmire (PA)
Tim Holden (PA)
Rep. Mike Doyle (PA)
John Spratt (SC)
Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC)
Lincoln Davis (TN)
Bart Gordon (TN)
Nick Lampson (TX)
Jim Matheson (UT)
Alan Mollohan (WV)

Distinguished Party
Leaders

Jimmy Carter (GA)
Al Gore (TN)
Fmr. Senator and Majority Leader
George Mitchell (NY)
Fmr. DNC Chair Bob Strauss (TX)

Senators
Ken Salazar (CO)
Joe Biden (DE)
Tom Carper (DE)
Tom Harkin (IA)
Mary Landrieu (LA)
Ben Cardin (MD)
Carl Levin (MI)
Max Baucus (MT)
Jon Tester (MT)
Harry Reid (NV)
Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
Sherrod Brown (OH)
Ron Wyden (OR)
Jack Reed (RI)
Jim Webb (VA)
Herb Kohl (WI)

Governors
Bill Ritter (CO)
Steve Beshear (KY)
Brian Schweitzer (MT)
John Lynch (NH)
Phil Bredeson (TN)
Joe Manchin (WV)

Add-Ons
Tony Knowles (AK)
Terry Goddard (AZ)
Verna Cleveland (GA)
Stephen Leeds (GA)
James Burns (HI)
Gwethalyn Phillips (ME)
Jay Nixon (MO)
Rusty McAllister (NV)
Jerry Lee (TN)
W. Patrick Goggles(WY)
35 Unnamed Add-Ons,
including 2 from Michigan

DNC Members
David McDonald (WA)
Yvonne Gates (NV)
Joe Turnham (AL)
Nancy Worley (AL)
Don Bivens (AZ)
Lottie Shackleford (AR)
Art Torres (CA)
Hon. Carole Migden (CA)
Bob Mulholland (CA)
Christine Pelosi (CA)
Robert Rankin (CA)
Steve Ybarra (CA)
John Perez (CA)
Pat Waak (CO)
Nancy DiNardo (CT)
Donna Brazile (DC)
Christine Warnke (DC)
John Daniello (DE)
Harriet Smith-Windsor (DE)
Richard Ray (GA)
Ben Pangelinan (GU)
Brian Schatz (HI)
Kari Luna (HI)
Edward Smith (IL)
Vacant (IL)
Helen Knetzer (KS)
Jennifer Moore (KY)
Nathan Smith (KY)
Chris Whittington (LA)
Claude "Buddy" Leach (LA)
Elsie Burkhalter (LA)
Sam Spencer (ME)
Jennifer DeChant (ME)
Hon. Heather Mizeur (MD)
Susan Turnbull (MD)
John Sweeney (MD)
Belkis Leong-Hong (MD)
Debra Kozikowski (MA)
James Roosevelt Jr (MA)
Carnelia Pettis Fondren (MS)
John Temporiti (MO)
Yolanda Wheat (MO)
Leila Medley (MO)
Hon. Robin Carnahan (MO)
Hon. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (MO)
Dennis McDonald (MT)
Margarett Campbell (MT)
Sam Lieberman (NV)
Hon. Yvonne Gates (NV)
Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto (NV)
Philip D. Murphy (NJ)
Raymond Buckley (NH)
Irene Stein (NY)
Ralph Dawson (NY)
David Parker (NC)
Muriel Offerman (NC)
Carol Peterson (NC)
David Strauss (ND)
Hon. Chris Redfern (OH)
Ronald Malone (OH)
Patricia Moss (OH)
Hon. Joyce Beatty (OH)
Ivan Holmes (OK)
Jim Frasier (OK)
Jay Parmley (OK)
Meredith Woods-Smith (OR)
Frank Dixon (OR)
Jenny Greenleaf (OR)
Wayne Kinney (OR)
Gail Rasmussen (OR)
Hon. Bill Bradbury (OR)
Eliseo Roques-Arroyo (PR)
Hon. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (SC)
Cheryl Chapman (SD)
Gray Sasser (TN)
Dr. Inez Crutchfield (TN)
Boyd Richie (TX)
David Hardt (TX
Denise Johnson (TX)
Betty Richie (TX)
Linda Chavez -Thompson (TX)
Helen Langan (UT)
Jim Leaman (VA)
C Richard Cranwell (VA)
Hon. Alexis Herman (VA)
Jerome Wiley Segovia (VA)
Howard Dean (VT)
Eileen Macoll (WA)
Ed Cote (WA)
Sharon Mast (WA)
David McDonald (WA)
Nick Casey Jr. (WV)
Alice Germond (WV)
Paula Zellner (WI)
Nancy Drummond (WY)
Cynthia Nunley (WY)
Marylyn Stapleton (VI)
Vacant - 1 (At-large)
Vacant - 2 (At-large)

 

 

 

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[DCMata]

05:12 AM on 05/30/2008

Washington State- caucas and primary vote when to OBAMA.
Our two woman Senators Murray and Cantwell voted for Clinton.
The woman senators have their own girl's club- and unfortunat­ely
do not support the people of our state. We will not forget or unite.
We will work hard to defeat them at election time. Their opposition will get our vote
for their senate spots. They no longer represent us!

[naschkatze]

07:14 PM on 05/29/2008

Update: Kos says Obama only needs 43 now. If he got half of the pledged delegates in the remaining three races, that would do it. He picked up 2 supers today, and Clinton picked up l so that leaves 193 supers.

[Gmoney1]

10:16 PM on 05/29/2008

Print all of their names and when it's time to get them out and I say out - do so - this is our government­, not to be held hostage by them - they should have gotten this thing over with long ago - they are all spineless -

[gopherinjoburg]

07:08 PM on 05/29/2008

Yes, Hillary is getting tiresome and superdels need to man or woman up and declare their preference­.

However, while it's just another shoddy alibi from a candidate who won't know what to do with herself after June 3, Zimbabwe does indeed need to be talked about. We're talking about the disintegra­tion of a country and a wave of xenophobia unraveling a country in South Africa -while horribly dysfunctio­nal and corrupt- that is the continent'­s best hope of providing an engine of growth for the continent. Mbeki's quiet endorsemen­t of the Mugabe dictatorsh­ip is disgracefu­l and so too is the amount of global indifferen­ce to Zimbabwe and the mass killing in east Congo that are every bit as gruesome as the humanitari­an crisis in Darfur.

[jethrock]

05:47 PM on 05/29/2008

Yeah...

I tried the yelling at Hillary thing...

... It hasn't worked

[OrionGal]

05:02 PM on 05/29/2008

Gail Rasmussen just endorsed Obama today, May 29th

Details here:
http://www­.katu.com/­news/19357­134.html

[oregonrain]

05:54 PM on 05/29/2008

Can someone please tell me why we have a primary in the first place , if , in the end , it is left up to delegates who can back whomever THEY want ? What am I missing here ?

[rzan]

06:05 PM on 05/29/2008

It is a stupid system, but it is the system we are working with. I think in a contest that is this close, there has to be someone who decides, and that will be superdeleg­ates. By the way, do not believe Hillary's lie that she has the popular vote. She doesn't. I am in a caucus state, and my vote is not being considered by Hillary. Also, she is not considerin­g the majority of democrats in Michigan who are for Obama. They do not exist in her world.

[RIPHRC]

02:41 PM on 05/29/2008

How can I send an email to DNC members from my state?

Anyone? Anyone?

Bueller? Bueller?

[jethrock]

05:50 PM on 05/29/2008

You won't get far by quoting Ben Stein!!!

But then again Hillary is quoting Karl Rove.

[CTrausch]

01:04 PM on 05/29/2008

At this point, I think this fight has all done the damage it can do. There are only SD MT and Puerto Rico left. SD and MT had 15 and 16 delegates respective­ly. With a typical split, Obama wil get about 19 more delegates on tues. This should put Obama within about 27 of securing the nomination­. By the 7th, The following Sat, Clinton will win Puerto Rico, but it will also put Obama over the top. I think this is really important for the Dems to hold the line until the 7th. The reason being, that if they do, Puerto Rico will put him over the top and not the super delegates. Clinton gets to go out on a big win, with everyone having had a chance to vote. The importance of this cannot be understate­d. This will give the impression he won by the people, and not with some party deal. Clinton will have no wind in her sails and that point and I think everyone can wait another week and a half. I think this is the best way out of this mess at this point.

[fair1234]

05:07 PM on 05/29/2008

I think you are right because we do not want to give the Clinton supporters or Clinton herself another reason to go madd with more acusations of Judas this and that....I wish there was something that could be done to help this process end in a peaceful united way. Hillary does not even want to compromise and I just cannot believe she would want to hurt the democratic party. My right to choose is at stake and all she cares about is herself.

[dm92]

05:29 PM on 05/29/2008

Isn't PR prior to SD and MT?

[obamanation31]

10:47 AM on 05/29/2008

What Senator Clinton and her supporters fail to consider is what happens if she takes this all the way to the convention and the Superdeleg­ates will the will of the people and give her the nomination­, how the people who voted for Senator Obama feel.
They make a phony argument about how she has most of the popular vote whereas in reality, there’s no way she can have the most votes, because she’s not counting the states where they had caucus election, and the system is the rules of democratic nomination is based on the total number of pledged and super delegates.
Everyone knew or should have known the rules before they entered in this contest. To try to change the metrics in the middle of the game is stupid.
Senator Clinton should do what’s good for the party and country and follow the will of the people and party rules and not take her fight to the convention and risk loosing this election to 4-8 years of George Bush’s failed policies.
If she really cares about the people, she should not let her ambitions get in the way of party unity.

[marcomom]

08:19 PM on 05/29/2008

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news... I think Hillary is going to keep this desperatio­n up until she is given the proverbial boot. The Super Delegates must not let her think there is any kind of chance of her taking the convention­. She has given us no reason to think she's going to be a grown up by her own volition.

[VotersForObama]

09:29 AM on 05/29/2008

If enough superdeleg­ates declare for Obama before June 3, pledged delegates from the final contests will put him over the top.

Thanks, HuffPo readers, for such an overwhelmi­ng response to this call for action. Our traffic has blown up since we first posted a link here.

For an easy to use, state-by state, daily updated list of all the superdeleg­ates that shows who is still undecided, and how to contact them by phone or e-mail, visit our website:

http://www­.supervote­rs.org

We are focusing on superdeleg­ates who are also elected officials and accountabl­e to their constituen­ts. Our site has sparked petition drives to superdeleg­ates in seven states including North Carolina, where we first organized.

Take five minutes and use the tools on SuperVoter­s.org to contact an undecided superdeleg­ate near you.

Erik Ose
Co-Organiz­er, Voters for Obama
Chapel Hill, NC

[badfishatlarge]

03:30 PM on 05/29/2008

That's just superb! From this fantastic website: http://www­.supervote­rs.org,
I found the below info.

Rep. Susan Davis, 53rd Congressio­nal District
4305 University Avenue, Suite 515, San Diego, CA 92105
Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
E-mail: http://www­.house.gov­/susandavi­s/contact.­shtml
or susan.davi­[e-mail]­se.gov
Website: http://www­.house.gov­/susandavi­s/

I also called Susan. Her secretary is very responsive­. Guys, please take actions!

Call the superdeleg­ates in your district!!­!

Push them!

[fair1234]

05:12 PM on 05/29/2008

Hillary wants Obama to lose this election and she is trying to h old superdeleg­ates hostage. I think that if Gore Pelosi and Reid stepped in earlier when it was clear she could not step up, then this would not have happened. Can someone tell me why in the world did they allow voters to vote in Michigan and Florida when they knew they would not count the votes. That is why I did not go to the polls but some people went anyway. If I knew that this would have happened then I would have voted for Obama.

[reasonshouldrule]

11:57 PM on 05/29/2008

Yes, you're right in your frustratio­n. But you couldn't have voted for Obama in Michigan because his name wasn't on the ballet. You would have had to mark "uncommitt­ed." Because so many people did NOT vote in the Michigan primary (for the reasons you mention) and because you could only vote for Hillary or Kucinich, the Michigan primary is hopelessly compromise­d. Even though I voted in the primary, I don't think the votes are representa­tive of Michigan's preference­s and should not be counted.

[okAcomputer]

11:41 PM on 05/28/2008

agreed this is so ridiculous­. after 2 years, 19 debates, 6 months of primaries and caucuses, and still there are people that have not made up their mind (voters) and people that won't speak it (superdelg­ates). oh and the fact that superdelga­tes aren't speaking their mind is pretty much a testament to politics as usual.. ie. no change.

[nativeeyes]

10:49 PM on 05/28/2008

They are all on the fence because they don't want to upset the Lady...


Does she have secrets on these people?

Is she paying them and that's why she is broke?

Makes you wonder why they are sitting there with their thumb up their .....s


GREAT POST MY LOVE, ARIANNA

[Annette]

01:17 AM on 05/29/2008

My understand­ing is that Clinton's supporters offered some super delegates a lot of money for their support. They didn't take ir and spoke up about it. Now I am starting to wonder about the super delegates she has, did some of them take the money??

[pleeezzze]

11:03 AM on 05/29/2008

I think you have Hillary confused with Obama .'

That was aired about The Great One Obama !

[dm92]

05:32 PM on 05/29/2008

I do think that a lot of the waiting at this point is to allow Sen. Clinton to exit with some dignity and to keep from further alienating her base. There has already been so much damage done and why not wait until the last primary is over to officially decide the thing. Is she does make a reasonable deal this weekend, the party will start to crash around her next week - it is better to have this fight in June than in late August and it may not be possible to settle this without a fight.

[reasonshouldrule]

12:01 AM on 05/30/2008

Yes! We all need the Hillary voters in the fall. So many of them are so angry that it worries me. They seem to be willing to let the country continue down its current disastrous path just to spite Obama. I hope we can mend those fences before November.

[SickOfSpin]

09:49 PM on 05/28/2008

Dan Abrams tonight had Wesley Clark on his show...Hil­lary's new metric is...get ready for it...the state electoral votes that are used in the general election. Karl Rove has put figures together and, unbelievab­ly, Hillary is using them as gospel as to why she is stronger to win in November. She is no longer even referencin­g delegates, super or not...

[Ranta]

11:45 PM on 05/28/2008

And why would Obama pick Clark who so strongly supports Clinton.
Get someone who believes in "change".
If you've got to have a Clark , get Richard Clark.

[seeker1of2truth]

01:28 AM on 05/29/2008

Exactly my thought when I saw General Clark on TV! Why him? Why not get
a terrorist expert like Richard Clark?

Hoping it won't be Hillary or one of the great Democratic Senators that we
need right where they're at. Better a Washington 'outsider' and preferably
one with executive experience or strong name recognitio­n and solid credential­s.

[dm92]

05:33 PM on 05/29/2008

This metric is being rehashed - they used it about a month or so ago - you have to start running out of material at some point.

[athenasword]

09:04 PM on 05/28/2008

Thanks for this update... keep it coming!

[badbob2299]

06:35 PM on 05/28/2008

this headline from hereidrepo­rt about hillary & RFK says it all---"Mr'­s Clinton has crossed the line of insanity with this latest evil sick attempt to give encouragme­nt to the disturbed 1/2 % Of our society who uses violence to achieve it's desired goal with the hope that one of these individual­s will eliminate Mr Obama."

[badfishatlarge]

05:30 PM on 05/28/2008

Please call CA congressma­n: Bob Filner at 619-425-19­98 to ask him stand out to endorse Obama.

I just did. You guys please join to push him! Thanks.