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Le Taz Hot

(22,271 posts)
Fri Aug 7, 2015, 10:16 AM Aug 2015

How Super Delegates Work

This is from 2008 and is mostly about Clinton vs. Obama but the system is the same. (Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything more up-to-date that wasn't someone's poorly-written blog.) Btw, THIS is how the DNC can, literally, steal this election.

8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
 

TM99

(8,352 posts)
1. I know this is how it can work.
Fri Aug 7, 2015, 10:30 AM
Aug 2015

And yet, seeing it again like this reminds me how fucked we are as a country.

Le Taz Hot

(22,271 posts)
2. We have two options
Fri Aug 7, 2015, 10:37 AM
Aug 2015

but I can only talk about one on DU and that is to have such an OVERWHELMING DEMAND for Bernie as our candidate -- I mean, re-registering Republicans to whatever they need to be in their respective states to be able to vote for Bernie in the Primary -- that the DNC cannot get away with it without forever killing their own party.

merrily

(45,251 posts)
3. Thanks for this OP. I wish Democrats would put pressure on to eliminate super delegates.
Fri Aug 7, 2015, 11:40 AM
Aug 2015

In 2008, early endorsements from the "sds" were mostly for Hillary, but they started switching to Obama as it became clearer and clear that the public was favoring him.

Would they ever have the nerve to overturn the primary votes of Democrats? I don't know. It would sure be a political risk. Then again, you'd have to be able to trust the voting machines or whoever or whatever counts your votes.

In any case, the institution itself is the opposite of democratic and is unworthy of Democrats (who invented the concept and made it official years before Republicans imitated it.

McGovern's 1972 loss, which Democrats KNEW in advance would happen, was used as the excuse to propose super delegates.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12778825 (please read the replies as well as the OP).

Mondale's loss was used as the excuse to vote in super delegates, even though that loss was also almost guarantied AND Mondale was no liberal (unless you're using "liberal" simply as a synonym for "Democrat," in which case, please stop doing that!).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12778873

jwirr

(39,215 posts)
4. Ugh. So do we have any idea who they are this time. And Bill Clinton should have to recuse
Fri Aug 7, 2015, 02:05 PM
Aug 2015

himself since it is his wife running.

This does not make me feel good about this election. They have been screaming inevitable from the very beginning. super delegates almost insure that.

No wonder we have people who no longer vote. Not in our hands anyhow.

If the DNC cares at all about democracy and not just electing their favorite they will end the exclusivity rule and super delegates will only be used in case of a real tie.

Le Taz Hot

(22,271 posts)
5. For the Democrats,
Fri Aug 7, 2015, 02:15 PM
Aug 2015

Super delegates come from current and former officeholders and since the Turd Way Democrats have had ahold of The Party reigns for the last 30 years you can pretty much guess how Pelosi and Feinstein and Reid, et al, will be voting -- regardless of what We The People have to say. The Delegates who represent the actual primary vote (or are supposed to) are the ones that may be honest enough to do the right thing. But in there are the Party Faithful Blind Loyalist Democrats who believe it's Hillary's turn because vagina . . . or something. What it all comes down to is that, even if Bernie is the overwhelming choice of We the People in the primaries, the primaries can still be stolen via delegates and super delegates.

Iow, the Game is Rigged and the only way to "unrig" it is to come out for Bernie in overwhelming numbers and I mean OVERWHELMING.

jwirr

(39,215 posts)
6. Yes, overwhelming and I also like you other unspoken option. Tired of this. We did not lose election
Fri Aug 7, 2015, 02:30 PM
Aug 2015

because voters made mistakes. We lose elections because we fail to be democrats.

Damn, damn, damn.

 

Jim Lane

(11,175 posts)
7. That video isn't very informative, and misleading when it calls the superdelegates "appointed"
Sat Aug 8, 2015, 08:51 AM
Aug 2015

The vast majority of the superdelegates fall into one of two categories: current and former elected officials (who've won elections for public office), and DNC members (who've won intraparty votes for their positions). Specifically, as of 2008, superdelegates included "all Democratic members of the United States Congress, Democratic governors, members of the Democratic National Committee, '{a}ll former Democratic Presidents, all former Democratic Vice Presidents, all former Democratic Leaders of the U.S. Senate, all former Democratic Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives and Democratic Minority Leaders, as applicable, and all former Chairs of the Democratic National Committee.'" (This summary is from the Wikipedia article on "Superdelegate".) There were also some "unpledged add-on delegates" who are considered superdelegates because they were not bound by primary or caucus results; they were chosen by the state parties.

My personal opinion: Although the institution is derided as undemocratic because it adds an element beyond how each would-be nominee does in primaries or caucuses, I think the inclusion of current and former elected officials is reasonable. They weren't voted in during the year of the nomination fight and they weren't voted in by voters looking solely at their presidential preferences, but they did face the public, and they've been key players in the Democratic Party's work. I say this as someone who likes O'Malley and Sanders and who recognizes that most of these electeds will support Clinton.

What should clearly go, however, is the superdelegate status for DNC members. These are party functionaries with only a very indirect tie to any popular vote. Of course, they're also the ones who would have to vote on any change, so good luck getting this reform through.

Le Taz Hot

(22,271 posts)
8. Yes, I saw the Wikipedia article
Sat Aug 8, 2015, 10:03 AM
Aug 2015

and thought it was poorly written and difficult to understand. If you notice I never said the video was comprehensive; however, it is accessible and it absolutely addresses the point, i.e., some delegates are more super than others and that pool of super delegates are going to be, shall we say, very kind to whomever the DNC picks as their candidate and we all know who that is. But feel free to post your own SEPERATE thread.

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