Letters to the Editor
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The should go a step further
and demand that Hillary formally join the GOP, which she supported until she was about 21 and which she never really left emotionally. Demand that she go where she actually belongs and our party would be much better off.
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Democratic Leaders?
Would someone tell these idiots to give it a rest and let the process run its course. The super delegates should tell them to shut the hell up and let them make their own decisions.
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I think Hillary supporters should be all for this
It's the only way to reverse the irreversible determination that it's otherwise over.
Just lay out all the logic:
It's not about the delegates (ignoring Howard Wolfson's and Terry McCaullife's minor change of position on this matter).
Don't count the caucuses (which are recognized under the national rules) but
Do count the Hillary v. Obama popular vote differential in Michigan which isn't regognized under the national rules (ignoring Hillary's minor change of position on this matter).
Make those arguments stick and, abra ca dabra, she wins!!!!
I've got three children under the age of 10, and I've played enough Candyland, Uno, Monopoly etc. with them to know this line of thought when I see it.
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I'll Bet That Scared Them
And if they don't then what, a strongly worded letter?
Reid, Pelosi, et al. are in no position to demand anything of their fellow superdelegates. Maybe the "Leadership" could suggest to the two candidates that their supredelegate vote total will be affected by how well they beat on McCain rather than each other.
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Superdelegates step up
I'm sick of this slow stupid drag.
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Superdelegates love the attention and don't want it to end
A few days ago, I heard an interview on BBC Outlook with a Wisconsin college student who also happens to be a superdelegate. He tried to explain why he's holding off on making his decision, but it really came down to the fact that he loved all the attention he was getting. Phone calls and personal meetings with big shots (including the candidates), as well as knowing that he holds this mythical power, all made clear that he's loving this joyride. I know he's one of the only college kids and is easily susceptible to this kind of fawning, but don't you think the other superdelegates like it, too?
They're not voting yet because they love the attention.
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What's wrong with this strategy?
We've got two incredibly popular candidates, each of whom draws support from just about half of Democratic lawmakers and voters. Neither one will win without superdelegate support, and there's a real concern that any overt attempt to influence the race before it's run will make it look like party insiders rigged the primary (at least to the losing side). Many of the superdelegates themselves are torn between the candidates, and some are probably hoping for some sort of bolt from the blue to make their decision easier, like a huge stumble or scandal that disqualifies someone, or a game-changing victory that proves that one of the candidates is clearly the superior choice. It's an incredibly sensitive political issue, and it needs to be resolved in a way that doesn't rip the party in half.
So what's wrong with exerting some gentle pressure now, and ramping it up once the primaries have come to an end? I, for one, would rather that Dean, Pelosi, and Reid keep their distance for the next 5-6 weeks and remain as impartial as possible, rather than have them stir up bitterness in the party by strongarming superdelegates who really, really don't want to decide right now.
You can make the argument that an extended primary risks permanent damage to both of the candidates, but Obama needs the seasoning of a tough primary fight. And as long as McCain can't do any better than poll even with them when they're not even focusing on him, I think we can afford to let things play out for a little while longer.
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Disenfranchise them
There's something about the concept of "superdelegates" that is so, un-Democratic. Why would any self-respecting political party that claimed to believe in equality allow certain (superior?) people to have a vote equal to that of (how many?) of us regular people? What is the purpose - the great un-washed are too stupid to pick the right candidate?
It's real similar to having the Supreme Court choose a president.
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@BryanS
Clinton, through her proxies (Terry McAuliffe, for example) have been saying that the only good media coverage is coming from Fox News. They've been saying that Fox News really is fair and balanced.
The chances of Hillary Clinton winning are very, very low. If you disagree with me, I (non-rhetorically) invite you to put money on the prospect. Obama will be the candidate in the fall.
When Obama is the candidate in the fall, Fox News will say that he once sold crack-cocaine to children. When Obama's proxies say that's ridiculous and racist, Fox News will say that even the Democrat Party's last chairman says Fox News is fair and balanced. That really, really does give Fox News credibility.
If Clinton wants to stay in the race until 2018, that's fine with me, but as long as she is so unlikely to win, she has to run in a way that doesn't hurt Obama's chances in November (Obama, on the other hand, can say things that hurt Clinton's chances in November because she is not going to be the nominee). If she's going to run in a way that hurts Obama's chances in November then every single Democrat in a leadership position has to use every single tool -- including at the very least pressuring superdelegates -- to get her our of the race.
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@ CTMorling
The chances of Hillary Clinton winning are very, very low. If you disagree with me, I (non-rhetorically) invite you to put money on the prospect. Obama will be the candidate in the fall.
I absolutely agree with you, so there's no bet to be made there, unless we can find some sucker who wants to put their cash on Hillary. I've already sent plenty of mine to Barack.
I still don't see it as a bad thing that the Super super-delegates are staying out of the fray until June. All of this hand-wringing about the primary tearing the party apart overlooks just how strong both Obama and Hillary are as candidates against McCain. And if there's even a whiff of superdelegate manipulation of the primary (other than, y'know, the fact that there are superdelegates in the first place), we risk all of this energy and momentum being turned against itself, instead of being channeled into party healing and the ass-kicking of many Republicans.