Obama To Cash In On Superdelegate Bank

[Dr Ron]

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/?p=3344

Obama To Cash In On Superdelegate Bank

June 2nd, 2008 by Ron Chusid

There’s been talk that Obama has a “delegate bank” ready to release this week to put him over the top. Matthew Yglesias has made the point that if he had such a bank it would be better to have them commit before tomorrow’s primaries. He argues that, “on a symbolic plane it seems to me that you want to clinch things with an election result rather than an endorsement announcement.”

I suspect that Obama would have had these superdelegates go public if he was able to. Bill Richardson has tried to push them to commit before the final primaries. I fear this is yet another example of Richardson having the right idea but lacking the political skills to properly express it.

Most likely “delegate bank” was the wrong analogy because, while there most likely are many superdelegates who are on the verge of endorsing him, Obama cannot pull them out at will as easily as taking money out of a bank. Many have their own reasons for delaying the public announcement of their support for Obama. Some might think it is better to have the voters have their say before weighing in. Others would prefer not to openly go up against the Clintons until they can cover their actions by arguing that Obama’s nomination was inevitable.

One group does appear to be waiting to announce but will be doing so soon according to CNN:

Most of the seventeen Democratic senators who have remained uncommitted throughout the primaries will endorse Barack Obama for president this week, CNN has learned.

Sources familiar with discussions between Obama supporters and these senators tell CNN’s Gloria Borger that the senators will wait until after the South Dakota and Montana primaries to announce their support for Obama.

Two sources familiar with the sessions said the endorsements will come sometime later this week.

Obama supporters have been “pressing” for these superdelegates to endorse earlier in the week, but according to one source, “the senators don’t want to pound Hillary Clinton, and there is a sense she should be given a grace period.”

Most likely these superdelegates, along with delegates won this week and other superdelegates who are likely to endorse Obama, will be enough to put Obama over the top. Whether or not Clinton wants to acknowledge it, the nomination race ends this week.

[IndyOp]

1. I think it would be maximally effective to have the 34 house SDs endorse today

then allow the pledged delegates from Montana and South Dakota to put him over 2118. Allow Clinton to make her concession speech tonight and then have the 17 remaining Senators endorse tomorrow to put an exclamation mark on the nomination.

We want the voters (Montana & South Dakota) to actually "give" him "the number".

Have the remaining SDs come out after a short delay -- if they come out immediately they look like they are beating up on Clinton.

:drums fingers anxiously: