February 13, 2008 What will it say about the democratic nature of the Democratic Party if the candidate who wins the most votes and delegates in the primaries and caucuses were to lose the nomination because of the super-delegates? The Democratic Party is trying so hard to be fair in its rules on the caucuses and primaries and having proportional representation that it seems ludicrous to allow the possibility of elected officials and other party elders be the deciding votes. This would smack of old style bosses in the days before the primary and caucus system where the Mayor Daleys -- the original one -- and other political bosses in cities around the country decided on their candidate in the famous so-called "smoke-filled room." Now with non-smoking ordinances in place around the country, the smoke would be gone but the idea is the same: party bosses and not the voters making the final choice on the candidate. This is extremely unfair in this very closely fought election between Senators Clinton and Obama. I would hope neither of these candidates would want to win by having people other than the primary/caucus voters put them over the top. At this point, Obama has the votes and the momentum and is likely to be the nominee if the party goes by the election results. Were Hillary able to woo the super-delegates through phone calls from her husband and other surrogates, it could appear that the election was taken from the person who legally won the votes in the contested contests from Iowa to the Potomac primaries of yesterday. Hillary, Obama and Howard Dean should hold a press conference and release the super-delegates. They should say they have decided it is unfair to let these party elders and others have the final say in the nomination, which could be different than what the voters have decided. Not having super-delegates gets rid of any hint of the "bosses" still controlling the party and makes the Democratic Party seem like the party of the people once again. And, in addition to making good common sense, it is fair and puts more faith in our primary/caucus process. At that same press conference abolishing the role of the super-delegates, the candidates and Howard Dean should announce that the states of Florida and Michigan will hold competitive primaries or caucuses before the Democratic Convention later this summer. The Democrats have to make certain that the voters in these two key states have the same say in choosing their Democratic presidential nominee as the other 48 states. It is quite unfair at this point for the Clinton campaign to say these states are in her column as the contests in both states were uncontested. The national Democratic Party working with both state parties needs to work out a plan and decide who will foot the bill for the primary or caucus in these important states. The Democratic Party, by abolishing the super-delegates and having honest and competitive contests in Michigan and Florida, will show the country and the world that the party of Jefferson and Jackson and FDR is truly the party of the people and the party that plays by the rules. A spirited and contested Democratic Convention in Denver is fine, but a convention that tears itself apart over which delegates get seated from Michigan and Florida will be a convention that could also tear the party apart. It is better to solve the problem before the convention begins. Democrats: Say goodbye to super-delegates and say hello to new competitive primaries or caucuses in Michigan and Florida! --Robert Guttman
Founder and Director, CPFR Click here to return to the Thinking About It archives.
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