This week has brought a new wave of complexity to my very simple life. The prospect that the nomination could be decided by party insiders rather than by our votes has stirred my unease. To perhaps other similarly situated people, this is what I have found out (thanks to the NYTimes, CNN and other news sources):
- Superdelegates were created in 1982 to restore some of the power over the nomination process to party insiders
- Approximately 15 to 20 percent of the delegates at Democratic conventions are superdelegates.
- They were last important in 1984 when superdelegates handed Walter Mondale the Democratic presidential nomination in a tight race with Gary Hart.
- Madeline Albright, Bill Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton are calling them on behalf of the Clinton campaign.
- Tom Daschel, Gov. Janet Napolitano and Senator John Kerry are calling on behalf of Obama.
- There are 796, and they will decide the nomination if neither Mr. Obama nor Mrs. Clinton takes 2,025 delegates necessary to secure the nomination.
- They are mainly elected officials and party leaders
- They are free to cast their vote at the democratic convention in August for whomever they please.
- Not taking applications
So what is democracy? I am learning that it is A--superdelegates and B--confusing.
3 comments:
"Democratic" party indeed. :)
But given that you were just in China, I'm sure you can agree that our system (albeit flawed) is better than some others out there!
Ugh, it's frustrating isn't it. I just signed a petition asking the superdelegates to listen to the majority vote but why would they listen to a petition if they aren't going to listen to the majority anyway? Kind of pointless I guess but oh well.
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