Jim Webb is correct. The rules of the democratic party for 20 years is that the superdelegates can exercise independent judgment if no candidate reached 2025 pledged delegates. This protects the party from people like Obama who has racked up most of his delegate totals in red Republican caucus states where Republicans deliberately and willfully crossed over to prop up Obama because they are scared to run against Hillary in the general election. The superdelegate system which has been viable for over 20 years protects true democrats from the meddling of Republicans into the caucuses.

Kevin-What is WILL of the people? Texas showed the WILL of the people but an Obama caucus OVERTURNED the WILL of the people. Therefore until all states provide for a PRIMARY neither you nor I know the true WILL of the people. FL and MI showed the WILL of the PEOPLE but Obama supporters like you refused to acknowledge that will. You all refused FL and MI simply because Obama did not win and for no other reason. Therefore it isn't democracy you argue for by counting the votes of the people you actully come down on the side of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe whose party only count the votes of those voting for him to keep himself in power. That is placing yourself with the worst possible human rights violators on the face of the earth today.

to ralphdaugherty
Hillary is the one saying they do not have to represent their constituency

kevin: Why can't he win wihout superdelegates? He is not going to have enough so called pledged delegates to win! They will both need the help of superdelegates to get the nomination. The fact is that Obama can not win in Ohio,Pa,or Fl. He can not win the working class vote and thus he can't win in November. He will get the nomination because the superdelegates are afraid of losing the black vote! I know you probably think that is a racist statement but it is the truth!

yes, I know joe/ore, but that's my take on it.

Hillary '08

Look it is all a straw vote anyway. The Party is a Party not a democracy. They will make their decision, do they want our input, yes. But if you really want influence one needs to be involved every day.

These superdelegates are a diverse group, some are still accountable to the people some are not, their political careers at an end. They will vote, some according to the favors they owe, some to how the voters in there State, or precinct voted, some to who they think will be the best candidate, Etc.

Have your say how they should vote, and you can see it depends on who your candidate is. Us arguing about it will not change a thing.

I hope, and think they will brake for Obama.

Well Russell,

Pa hasn't voted yet, and some polls now give Obama the lead, so lets wait and see before we say it is a fact. OK?

The remaining contests will not likely produce enough delegates for either candidate to become the presumptive nominee. The delegates dont actually cast their votes until the convention when the superdelegates do. All of the delegates are fair game as a result. Voting is simply a guideline for delegates to use in casting their vote. Some will follow the voters, some will follow their judgement, and some will cast a ballot based on their re-election bids. Both candidates have been focusing on the superdelegates... in fact Obama has spent over 800K buying votes while Clinton only spent 19K (yet she has significantly more superdelegates). Pointing the finger at Clinton to get attention off Obama is a common republican tactic. Obama is just another Bush - empty suit, rhetoric, unqualified, born into money, unethical, poor judgment, great BSer, and questionable character and associations.

Thinking: You can take this one to the bank! Just like you could have called Mississippi three months before the election. Obama wins the state by more than 20 points and the MSM could not call it untill 10:00 who are the kidding what they did not want to report was the racial divide of the vote and they were afraid to lose the audience. You can call WV,and KY now also!

As a humble Sen Obama supporter I agree with Sen. Webb. I also agree with Speaker Pelosi. SD can vote any way that they want. They can watch how I voted during the primary or they can watch how I vote when they are up for re-election. That is their choice. I also feel that Both MI and FL need to direct their rage at their elected officials. The Republican and Democratic leaders of both states gambled that by moving up their primaries (knowing in advance of the consequences) that they would gain influence and money. they lost on both counts. I hope that the DNC is willing to make changes during the next election cycle but to change the rules in the middle of a contest is not fair. All of the candidates agreed to play by the rules. Sen. clinton herself has said that "It did not matter if her name remained on the MI ballot because the results of that primary would not count." So now that she needs it it does count.

What happens in 4 years when more states see that there is something to be gained by breaking the rules.

these two states are acting like children.

I have no doubt in my mind that when the women of the democratic party look at Obama vs. McCain they will vote the party line. Why? Because if McCain wins he will stack the supreme court with right wing judges that will over turn Roe vs. Wade. How far back will that set back the women's movement?

Obama will carry all the blue states and more of the swing states.
He can win in November.

Mixed-American: Thats the Truth! Nither Hillary of Obama are going to win this on their own, and the superdelegates will decide!

Have you started your collection of Obmaisms, yet?
It would be an appropriate and through befitting, complementary companion volume to Bushisms! While campaigning in Pennsylvania Sen. Barack Obama was talking about young girls and sex. He mentioned he had two young daughters and aged six and nine. He talked about the importance of instilling moral values in children, and he said they should also know how to protect themselves, because they should not be "punished with a baby!"
For all my life I have never heard such a thing-- even in the worst circumstances of an unwanted pregnancy--that any other human being on this planet earth used the phrase;
" Punished with a baby...!"

One person one vote, that's Democracy. Let's get rid of the delegates (including superdelegates) and have a national primary of six primaries starting in March. Yes, Bill, yours is a good idea but you only say you want to get rid of Electorates, not Delegates. In any case, Delegates should be De Facto only. They could be seen at the Convention but have no real power. Hillary's right, any delegate can change their mind, they are not bound to any candidate. Here again, the voter loses. 50 States (+ territories) with the only thing counting are the votes. What a novel idea. People would actually get out and vote. Abolish Caucuses, which of some allow the other party to vote, which usually have only a limited time to vote, which are abused by party insiders, excludes many qualified voters and can easily be manipulated by the party elite and the young and mobile. This results hollow victories with false support. No Electors in the General Election of which also there is no requirement to vote for the candidate you are elected to represent. An elector also could conceivably deny the election to his/her candidate by spelling their name wrong. Imagine the litigation on that! One man/woman one vote is the only answer, no delegates, no electors, no caucuses, just primaries. And wouldn't it be nice if we could also have Instant Runoff Voting which requires that the winner have a majority of the votes?

What hypocrisy within the DNC especially Kerry, Richardson and Kennedy who state HC won yet they are overturning the will of the people by supporting Obama. It superdelegates are required to support the will of the people the all superdelegates from state Hiliary has won should be required to support her. Let the delegates from primaries/caucuses be award based on the actual votes. But superdelegates should be winner takes all therfore, HC would automaticallly have the majority of delegate. Even if the actual delegates from FL and MI are not seated since HC won it superdelegates should have to support HC because it was the will of the people. Of course I am sure that Kerry, Kennedy, Richardson would not agree to that. Of course that means that Pelosi and all those CA, NY, TX NM, OH, MA, NH,RI, AR, FL, MI delegates would certainly place Hiliary ahead of Obama. Let the will of the people be done. Let Obama have what he desires just let require all superdelegates to vote with will of the people. Winner takes all superdelegates. After all they are elected official and the majority of voter have spoken in each case. K

So much angst over speculative nonsense. Let things play out and we'll see who wins. At some point, we must accept that the superdelegates will make a rationale decision. But they do have independent votes and can do with it what they will. I for one doubt that if there is a clear leader that they will go against that candidate.

Andre: Rove V. Wade is a dead man walking! The supreme court has the votes to overturn Roe and will do so after the election! So voting for Obama will not prevent Roe from falling! If this was so important to Obama or Hillary why do they not campaign on it! I have failed to hear Roe mentioned in any of the debates either from the canidates or the questioners! Roe is gone and everyone knows it!

charleschalpinc: I read those comments too, but they were never addressed by the MSM except for Fox! This is one the republicans are saving I am sure!

so it should be "blessed with a baby at 16"? We have big problems, collecting the odd phrasing here and there would take centuries to match Bush's, and we have more important things to deal with.

Hillary '08

I do not understand the Rankor on this issue. They will do what they will do, and we will have to go from there. It is for sure that they can not please us all, and we all can not agree on the best solution.

Now that sounds more like DCVoter... Don't agree with you always, but respect your opinion...