The people speak. The pols listen.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, one of Washington’s 17 Democratic superdelegates, isn’t ready to shift her allegiance from Sen. Hillary Clinton to Sen. Barack Obama — yet.
But in an interview with The Columbian’s editorial board Monday, she said the candidate with the most pledged delegates at the end of the primary season in late June will have the strongest claim to the party’s presidential nomination.
“I definitely don’t want the superdelegates to be the deciding factor,” she said.
“If we have a candidate who has the most delegates and the most states,” the Democratic party should come together around that candidate, Cantwell said. The pledged delegate count will be the most important factor, she said, because that is the basis of the nominating process.
More of this.
Also, time for Gore, John Edwards, and any and all other Big Time Democrats to step up and endorse Obama and end this nonsense. Perhaps they could meet in advance in private and explain that we can do this Teh Easy Way (nobody says anything, Hillary bows out gracefully) or Teh Other Way (Gore et al take this public). Let’s get to it, people.
Finally, a grown up.
Pure politics.
Translation of Cantwell’s statement: “I will do what’s best for Maria Cantwell when the time comes.”
Superdelegates are politicians first, and loyalists second.
That’s always been the position of Super Delegates. No surprise.
Is it me or is that a real creepy picture. I swear, it looks like lasers are going to come out of her eyes or something–like she’s a pod person.
oh
er
Yeah, way to go on the whole super delegate thing.
…
no seriously, it’s really freaking me the hell out.
“NOT ONE OF US!!”
The rationale for having super-delegates decide this matter is the idea that the mainstream voters in your party may not be representative of the mainstream voters in your country, and could saddle the party with an unelectable candidate.
But the Rs have spent 16 years cutting out everyone who isn’t a true believer. They now have nothing but extremists, plutocrats and fools, while the Ds are as mainstream as mom and apple pie. The GOP’s primary votes are diminishing, ours are huge. Even real conservatives (not neocons, but the kind who pay their debts and work hard and actually take responsibility seriously instead of just paying it lip service) have been leaving the GOP in droves. The candidate whom rank-and-file Ds elect will be representative of national voters. And quite electable.
These super-doofuses are apt to lose the election for us by latching on to someone selected by the conventional wisdom of the inside-the-Beltway crowd. You know, the folks who thought invading Iraq was such a good idea.