Oh, the Super Delegates.There are some questions that should never be asked, but I’m going to ask this one anyway: Can this race get any wilder? And we all know the answer.
You could blame Jimmy Carter, but it would be misplaced blame. It was actually a reaction to him, by certain members of his party, that brought us to today.
Because Jimmy Carter was a populist choice, and not a choice of the powerful traditionalist within the party, Super Delegates were cooked up. The idea being that, in the future, no one without the blessings of certain party members, would receive the nomination. Super Delegates were designed to ensure, by giving them greater powers than the people or the garden variety delegates, a Democratic candidate for President would not beat the system simply by winning the popular vote.
As of today, word within the Clinton campaign is an aggressive effort to capture Super Delegates, regardless of who the voters actually vote for. Sound a little dirty, a little heavy-handed, a little elitist and megalomaniacal? (oops, maybe that’s another one of the questions we shouldn't ask)
Regardless of your answer, consider the irony of the following scenario:
Senator Obama continues to gain momentum through endorsements. Senator Obama continues winning the popular vote, including the newly active and growing vote of younger people, and the appropriately pleased black vote. Senator Clinton aggressively engages her plan to collect Super Delegates. Both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama arrive at the convention in August, neither one with enough delegates to receive the nomination, but him with more of the popular vote. Senator Clinton manages to wrangle enough Super Delegates to win the nomination.
In the all out effort to win the nomination and march to a certain victory in November, Senator Clinton guarantees her own defeat. Why? Because a huge segment of voters that gave Senator Obama the majority of the popular vote will find something else to be doing on election day. And that includes more than just the black voters and the young voters.
Oh, the Super Irony.
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