All of a sudden I am hearing about the role of the "Super Delegates" in the Democratic Nominating Convention. Are these delegates faster than a speeding bullet? Can they bend steel in their bare hands? Do they have mental powers beyond our feeble brains? What makes them so super?
Well folks, they are super because they can vote for any candidate that they want. They are the wild-card in this whole process. Your State can vote 90% for Obama, and your "super" delegate can vote for Clinton. Yes, they can be a powerful force at the convention, disregarding the will of the American people and voting for anyone they want. But who are these powerful individuals ... what are their secret identities?
This army or "Super" delegates (numbering about 842) is comprised of 450 elected members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Democratic Governors, Democratic Senators and House members, distinguished party leaders like current and former Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and former leaders of the House and Senate), and those chosen by the DNC to get the number up to 842. With the exception of Super Bill Clinton, these delegates are un-pledged and free to vote for whomever they wish. With 2052 delegates needed to win the nomination, these Supermen (and women) represent over 41% of the delegates needed to ensure victory.
You may be saying to yourselves, "This doesn't seem too democratic", and you would be right. But, the party of change has a very good reason for this ... usurping of the democratic rights of their voters. They believe that the voters are stupid and that the political hacks of the DNC know what is best for the voters. After the 1972 primary put George McGovern at the top of the Democratic ticket, the party decided to institute "super delegates" to prevent it from every happening again. Those of you who are too young to remember, McGovern lost to Richard Nixon 520 - 17 in the biggest electoral college landslide till that time. These "super-delegates" were set up as a safety-valve in case the voters ever tried to elect another candidate that was undesireable to the Democratic Party!
I don't know about you, but I would be a little pissed off if a candidate were to be annointed the nominee by these "Super" people, because they felt I was too dumb to make the correct choice. This party of "change" ... needs to change their process.
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