The Obama campaign has been fairly successful in convincing the press that the vast majority of superdelegates will go with the candidate who has won the most pledged delegates, and the most popular votes.
This success has been, in no small part, the result of warnings from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- also the convention chair -- that it would be a very risky step for the superdelegates to overturn the will of the voters.
But if you're wondering why Clinton -- who, after last night, has little chance of catching Obama in pledged delegates or popular votes in fully contested primaries -- is staying in the race, read this story in The Hill.
The paper interviewed 42 of the 92 uncommitted Congressional superdelegates. It found only 4 -- four! -- who said they viewed the outcome of the primaries as dispositive. The rest told the paper they were assessing electability, which is where Hillary still thinks she has a strong argument.
Terminology is complicated here. Technically, under DNC rules, it is a fact that the primaries are not dispositive and superdelegates are free to vote for who they want. But it sounds like these Congress members are not simply restating their technical discretion -- they're saying they care more about their own assessment of electability than the outcome of the primaries.
Hillary is meeting with uncommitted superdelegates in Washington this afternoon.
Yesterday's results damaged Hillary's chances of overtaking Obama on popular vote or pledged delegates, damaged her prospects with the media, probably damaged her fundraising.
But if the superdelegates are still open to theoretical electability arguments, there's nothing in yesterday's results that was decisively in Obama's favor.
Obama will reportedly be meeting with uncommitted Congressional delegates tomorrow.
Comments (2)
Hillary has a snowball's chance in you-know-where to be nominated. I know the Democratic Party is stupid, but they are NOT stupid enough to give Hillary the nomination. Black voters would desert the party in droves and some would NEVER come back. This would not only prove fatal for Hillary and the democrats winning the Presidency, but many voters would take out this deliberate snubbing of the people's choice, by voting AGAINST their congressmen and Senators who after all, ARE the SUPERDELEGATES.
NOT GONNA HAPPEN !
This race does not seem to be about Obama or Clinton. This race is about keeping the White House white.
Rush Limbaugh is a racist who, if he cannot help McCain win, he and his audience would prefer Clinton over Obama, because she is White.
As my mother said it. 'White you are alright, black stand back."
I believe people are concerned with waking up one morning and seeing the White House being painted black