Join HuffPost's Investigation of Superdelegates
Though millions will have voted or caucused for one candidate or another, the Democratic nomination for president will almost certainly be settled by the handpicked 794 superdelegates. About half are elected officials. The other half are members or appointees of the Democratic National Committee. And to put it bluntly, they are not accountable to anybody.
We at HuffPost's citizen journalism arm, OffTheBus, want to do something about that. But we can't do it without you -without dozens like you. We want you to volunteer to take an hour or two out of your life and help us interview all of these superdelegates. This is the power of the Web staring you right in the face. It's not enough to just sit back and complain any longer.
We've got to get down to work and get some crucial questions answered. Who does the Democratic Party entrust its superdelegate status to? Who are the most powerful Democrats? Who's been contacted by what campaigns? Will the superdelegates' votes be influenced by the popular vote?
All you need to do to get involved is send an email to campaigntrail@huffingtonpost.com with your name, location (state), and phone number, and we'll get you started.
You can sit back and trust some superjournalist to do this job. But if like the rest of us you don't quite think Tim Russert or Wolf Blitzer are going to ask all the right questions, then why don't you join us and ask for yourself?
If you're ready to work with us, we are ready to work with you. We've got a well-worked out plan about how to go about this and we'll guide you right through the whole process. Just send us an email now at campaigntrail@huffingtonpost.com and include your name, phone number, and location. Also let us know if you've ever done any interviewing (if you haven't, that's OK) or if you have any experience working with data bases and spreadsheets (again, no experience necessary).
OffTheBus has been working with scores of HuffPost readers and citizen reporters to produce some great stories during this campaign season. Now we need you to help us investigate the superdelegates.
We're waiting to hear from you.
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Just saw the item posted on the homepage here are the Utah superdelegates
Wayne Holland -
Dem State Party Chairman
Uncommitted
I believe he's going to go Obama, because the state did 57/39, and he acknowledged that in the press was asked about HIS leanings.
Rep Jim Matheson -
1 of 3 UT members of the House (other 2 are Republican)
Uncommitted.
He's an establishment Blue Dog "Democrat"; I'm surprised he hasn't already pledged for Clinton.
Karen Hale -
State party executive committee member
Pledged Clinton early
Recently in print saying she is reconsidering, out of respect for UT voters
Helen Langan -
State party executive committee member
Pledged Clinton early
Recently in print saying she is reconsidering, out of respect for UT voters
Bill Orton -
Dem Committeeman, former Congressman
Pledged Obama
Washington State--Who is "Pat Notter"? Do you mean "Patty Murray"?
Here's a site which lists all the uncommitted superdelegates:
http://dem
Watching the debate last night, I'm beginning to get the impression that this will not need to go to a battle among superdelegates. I think Clinton gave up the ghost on that.
I'm kinda enjoying watching all this bickering between the Billary shills and the Obamabots. Looks like you're getting a little taste of what you richly deserve. Neither of these idiots is going to get elected and yet you people continue to place your personal agendas ahead of the country. Try voting "none of these." If enough people did that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE somebody will start listening . Garbage In-Garbage Out folks. Enjoy your morning coffee.
The cases of projection and whining on Clinton supporters' part here is incredible. Obama is working the system? Gimme a break. Talk about yourselves trying to rig the game against millions of primary voters who rejected your candidate.
Do you really think they will simply vote for HRC in the general election if you pull this off?
No, they won't. They'll stay home, vote for a 3rd party or even vote for McCain. You're asking for the Dems to lose AGAIN and can't see it, owing to your own candidate's naked ambition.
This is a great idea, but I think that this *investigation* might need to be expanded to come up with the whole story. You see both campaigns and both parties have been working to game the system for almost a year now. It would be great if at the end of the day the next election the DNC puts on a primary more representative of the actual general election. It would make them more competitive.
In the meantime, you should investigate the corruption, not just the stupidity of the FL and MI decisions. Frankly, it looks like they were not legal and attempted to interfere with states legislative decisions to move their election dates. Yes, we know that this was done to tick off the DNC and the DNC stupidly or corruptly reacted by trying to delegitimize those states and disenfranchising the voters, is another aspect that points to corruption to make those states’ elections illegitimate.
Also, when the candidates pulled their names off the ballot on purpose, please investigate whether that was also a deliberate attempt to delegitimize those voters.
In addition, look into charges that the DNC deliberately corrupted the process since we have a process that does not decide the winner in this case without the Super delegates.
So please look into this since 2.3M voters amounts about 230 delegates that need to be counted, as voted.
Hey Marc Cooper, the Rabblerouser,
Senator Obama chose to enter this contest. If he didn't know the rules at least his paid consultants should have. After all, they are mostly from the Clinton Administration.
I resent his handlers trying to scam the system with your help. I have been around long enough to have seen the Republican "Strategic Voting" that allows them to select both the Republican and Democratic candidates by switching over and voting for the weaker Democratic candidate as they did when they got Ronald Reagan elected with the help of Teddy Kennedy.
That is exactly what is going on now and Obama brags that Republicans are voting for him because they "Love" him and want his "change". That's not the Republicans I know. When Senator Obama reaches across the aisle, he will draw back a bloody stub if he should becomes President.
Democrats may need the super-delegates to save us.
You can fool these kids but you can't fool us oldtimers into helping you get another Republican in office like the last two times. Hillary Clinton is the only candidate to deal with the Obstructionists Republicans in Congress because she has experience. Obama has words and is far too liberal to get anything done without giving away the whole store.
Sorry to be so blunt, but this is my life you are screwing with so, you and Dan Abrams of MSNBC, please leave things alone.
Don't incite the juvenile into harassing the super-delegates. They don't need the additional headache and we true Democrats may need them to save the Party.
Dems started out with a great array of choices and real talent, and now we're lobbying superdelegates to choose between Hillary and Obama? Sorry, there's a lot wrong with this picture, including where the money is being stacked. But if that's the choice, Hillary can stand on her record, while Obama stands on his speeches. Hillary is good enough; Obama, enough already!
It really is ironic, that the namesake of this site, Arianna Huffington is not even a Democrat. In fact, she was a Republican. Now when the rules of OUR party does not suit you, you cry foul.
How many blogs have there been crying about the rules when we seek to seat the Florida and Michigan delegation. Now you want to just throw out the rules when they don't suit you.
You all need to keep this in mind, political parties are PRIVATE enterprises. You have no rights to vote in them. This is not the general election.
The Democratic Party in the State of California decided recently to let Independents, like Ariana, to vote in MY party's primary. They wanted to get term limits extended. They failed anyway and Arianna got cast her vote for Barak in my party's primary. He still lost by 10%.
However, my point is, it is not YOU who is being disenfranchised. These are the rules of my beloved party who many indies are trying to take over. If you did not like the rules, you did not have to join in.
Your candidate, Obama, could have run as an Independent and you would not have had to worry about our Super Delegates which were put in place to protect us from fringe elments of the like we see now in this cult-like Obama campaign.
Hillary is going to win in Texas, Ohio and PA. We are going to try to seat at least part of the delegation from Floridan and Michigan.
We are going to argue that people like me have been disenfranchised by all the people like Arianna voting in our primaries. We are going to say the Washington State proves we were disenfranchised by caucas states. We are going to argue Obama has a fringe following that snuck out victories in Red states where we can't hope to win, and that he did not win the big states. We are going to offer him the VP slot. Then we are going to take the Whitehouse for the next 16 years.
Oh so now the democratic party is an exclusive club that only a few are allowed to participate. Typical Hilary supporter. It only follows that they should hold the same attitude as their head.
For everyone's info, did you know here in Dallas, both candidates spoke. Obama opened his doors for everyone, obviously first come forst served. Hilary's was a more exclusive event and you had to pay $500 to hear what she had to say.
All this about the super delegates choosing the nominee is nothing new.The Egobama supporters are so desperate they would try to rewrite the constiturion if they thought they could.Most of you are not even Democrats,and you certainly have not worked in and supported the party for years and years as we true members have.It is my considered opinion that you will not even show up and vote in November.t
How about Hilary trying to rewrite the rules of counting delegates in Florida and Michigan. Since she won the popular vote there now she wants the delegates of these "poor disenfranchised voters". These were rules set down before the nomination race began. Had these states gone to Obama I guarantee you that Hilary would not be campaigning for these delegates to count. So which camp is more likely to change the Constitution for their own selfish benefit?
All these Hilary supporters that aren't going to get political favors or jobs if Hilary doesn't get the nomination are very bitter. I guess there is truth to the rumor that Hilary will split the democratic party.
Marc Cooper is licking his chops, having contributed his anemic push, to the already staggeringly large industry wide, media determination to destroy Hillary, before she has a chance to put McCain, media's true hero, away, Now we can witness the media murder of a powerful and beloved candidate's hopes of getting something close to fair and evenhanded treatment. What a bunch of contemptible, cowardly, media creeps. I used to think that Huffington was an exception to the loathsome media crowd, and even tried to excuse her for her acceptance of the unbearable Clinton-hating half wit, Marc Cooper, but her non-stop attacks on Hillary, have shown her for what she is. The rest of us, will be forced to accept their unforgiving judgment about Hillary, and to live through 8 more years of Bush-clone politics. Thank you Arianna, for what you've done to democrats and to this country. You're stacking up an impressive record of betraying us when we needed you most.
Glad to see you don't go for any of that politics of personal destruction.
this is a really good idea. The kind of activism I can get behind. i hope all these HuffPo readers put their energy where their mouths are...
Is this a democracy or not? Not if our votes dont elect a nominee! NO, NO, NO, NO Super delegates are going to decide the nominee! And no-one is going to change the rules in Michigan and Florida either! There will be a revolution.
Forget that- Clinton's calling up Obama's pledged delegates, and who knows what she'll promise them. Supporters of Nevada's Culinary have called pledged delegates, most of whom said they have recieved calls from the camp. Who says Obama hasn't faced GOP-style tactics? Clinton should drop out, she's more unelectable in the general than right now.
Super delegates the back door part of any and all elections. Where deals are made and the voters get screwed. Political Bullshit. We need to make the election process a little more public. The electoral college has proved that it is still in the 1700s... And don't work. Broken government and getting worse..... Vote for the non crook if you can find one.....
Superdelegates will not determine the nominee except in the sense that they'll make up a lot of the votes cast of the convention. Superdelegates are pols and therefore have both ears to the ground. It's much more likely that they will break more strongly toward the candidate ahead in pledged delegates than that they would break against the democratic trend.
Hillary probably can't catch up in pledged delegates at this point. So what argument can she make to the supers to keep them supporting her.? That she's more electable? That she's better at raising money? That she can run a successful campaign? It seems like she loses on all possible scores, Though Bill still enjoys a lot of esteem in the party, his policy of triangulation with Congressional Dems as left him without enough IOUs to fix it.
The idea that Obama will destroy himself in some sort of gaff and send the supers flooding to Clinton seems like clutching at straws.
Interesting story on pledged delegates in Kos
Wolfson is dishonest they are going after pledged delegates www.dailey
You would hope so, but the candidates are lobbying these superdelegates because they are up in the air until they cast their vote at the convention. Having faith in them casting their vote along with the voters choice is asking to be suckered so there is a need for a movement to keep them faithful.
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Posted February 19, 2008 | 07:37 PM (EST)