Approaching a Tipping Point
This week, as the Democratic party’s superdelegates come under increased scrutiny, Representative John Lewis, a superdelegate from Georgia sent a high-profile signal that he would move from the Clinton to the Obama camp. Lewis’ announcement played into the ongoing firestorm of critique that HRC’s chances of winning the nomination are decreasing. Liberal commentators around the web are convinced Lewis’ switch connotes a tipping point in the race in Obama’s favor.
the most immediate and significant import is Lewis’s signal that whatever the basis of his original endorsement he is unwilling to join Clinton in carving a path to the nomination through the heart of the Democratic party.
Lewis noted that he could not vote against the clear wishes of the voters in his Georgia district, who voted overwhelmingly for Obama in that state’s Democratic primary. And as perhaps the leading African American member of the House, he was, with his opposition to Obama, in an awkward position. How could he stand against the first African American (and Democratic) candidate with a decent chance of becoming president? But it turned out not to be such a tough spot to escape. The Clintons must be seething. Not just because they have lost Lewis’s vote but because of the signal he sends to other superdelegates committed to or leaning toward Clinton: Yes, you can.
This kind of thing is probably a leading indicator of what I expect will be a looming collapse in her superdelegate lead if she doesn’t start making a quick recovery in the ranks of pledged delegates (something I think she may well do, I don’t really understand the atmosphere of writing her off that seems to be in the air in DC this week).
February 17th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Democratic voters should consider a class action lawsuit to end the process of super-delegates. A case can be made that the super-delegates degrade, and are intended to dilute, the weight of our votes to allow the party elites to determine who gets the nomination of the party. It doesn’t matter whether Hillary or Obama gets the nomination, both will be great democratic leaders. However, the fact that super-delegates have the power to overrule the voters is against the concept of democracy, and harms the voters of this country. A single super-delegate vote can carry as much weight as 50,000 citizen votes.
Do not lose focus on this issue after the primaries are over. While it may turn out that this process does not override the American vote this year, the chances are there for the future. Our votes must be equal to those of the Washington insiders.