As things get more and more nasty for Obama and Hillary, many of the super delegates are on the fence and getting a bit edgy. The super delegate debate is growing more and more intense even though the Democratic Convention is still five months away. How many tens of thouands of dollars will be needed to determine a winner and will there even be one before June? How much damage will have been done to their two candidates by then?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had some things to say over the weekend about the situation. Pelosi said it would be damaging to the Democratic party for its leaders to buck the will of national convention delegates picked in primaries and caucuses and more specifically, "If the votes of the super delegates overturn what"s happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic party."
That"s an understatement!
The California Democrat did not mention either Obama or his rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, by name. But her remarks seemed to suggest she was prepared to cast her ballot at the convention in favor of the candidate who emerges from the primary season with the most pledged delegates. And, currently, Obama leads Clinton by 142 pledged delegates — those delegates picked in nomination contests to date, in The Associated Press" count.
Barring an unlikely string of landslide victories by the former first lady in the remaining states, he will end the primary season with a delegate lead, but short of the 2025 needed to win the nomination. Of course if there are more stories like the sermons that surfaced on Friday from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama may just fade from the scene.
Clinton leads Obama for the support of the committed super delegates (249-213), but that number is flkuid and changing with every good or bad story that comes out. But, Pelosi"s comments could influence other House Democrats who are neutral in the presidential race and will attend the convention as super delegates.
In her interview, Pelosi also said that even if one candidate winds up with a larger share of the popular vote than the delegate leader, the candidate who has more delegates should prevail. Now she"s getting personal, but that is a reality that could happen. Meanwhile, John McCain is in Europe rleaxing and raising money for his campaign while appearing presidential. Isn"t it great to have a system where someone can WIN! So much for the Democratic egalitarian concept where to avoid someone losing, no one wins!.
Come to think of it, if this is how they run campaigns, do we want them running the nation? :-)