A Legitimate Role for Super Delegates?

[Mme. Defarge]

Listening to Randi Rhodes yesterday and noted that she was somewhat critical of Obama for seeming to waffle slightly on the role of super delegates in deciding who will be the nominee. I didn't catch it myself when she played a clip of his response to a question about this -- just heard him stating and re-stating that the people/voters should ultimately determine who their candidate will be.

As I thought about possible reasons for why a candidate might not flat-out state that super delegates should not overly influence this decision, it occurred to me that it might be proper for super delegates to override the primary election results if there was compelling evidence that the overall "winner" of the primaries engaged in election fraud.

Of course, I was thinking that might be a legitimate role for electors back in 2000 and in 2004. Didn't happen.

Any comments?

[msongs]

1. superdelegates for clinton = BAD, superdelegates for Jes..Obama =good nt

[Mme. Defarge]

2. Election fraud = bad

no matter who the candidate.

[MonkeyFunk]

3. I have a comment

fuck everybody who tries to insinuate that Clinton is engaging in election fraud.

[snot]

4. Retention of Super Delegates does not strike me as a good solution for

election fraud. The Supers could just as easily abet it.

The solution for election fraud is election reform.

[Mme. Defarge]

5. Good point!

I am deeply disappointed in congress for not making this a priority.

[snot]

6. If you think so,

. . . consider rec'g this: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4616041&mesg_id=4616041

We have the power to make election reform an issue.

[adapa]

7. "the role of sd's are to stand back & cold bloody analyze who can beat the republican & vote accordi

Wille Brown, ex mayor of SanFransisco
air date of 2.11.08
http://www.charlierose.com/home

[NastyRiffraff]

8. Odd, how before this cycle, few questioned the role of superdelegates

It's because for the first time in my memory, at least, that primaries have been so close, so there's a possibility that superdelegates could be a deciding factor.

Let's face it; BOTH candidates are lobbying hard for superdelegate support. The Obama camp's whining about them is hypocritical at best. And superdelegates are not necessarily party insiders; in fact, it was superdelegates who got Dean into his current office DESPITE party insiders.

However, I do think we need to take a hard look at the superdelegates role in the future. But that time is not now; you can't change the rules in the middle of the game.