Pelosi: Let Superdelegates Vote Their Conscience
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the superdelegates who may ultimately decide the Democratic party’s presidential nominee have a right to vote as they wish, and that the drawn-out contest between candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama should be allowed to reach its conclusion.
“These superdelegates have the right to vote their conscience and who they think would be the better president, or who can win, but they also then should get involved in the campaigns and make their power known there,” Pelosi said in an interview aired Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Pelosi recently drew objections from Clinton backers when she said she shared Obama’s view that superdelegates — nearly 800 elected officials and party leaders — should be guided by the vote for pledged delegates. Obama leads Clinton in pledged delegates earned in primaries and caucuses, 1,406 to 1,249. Clinton leads Obama in endorsements from superdelegates, 250 to 218. It takes 2,024 delegates to win the nomination.
Pelosi repeated her view that it would it be harmful to the party if superdelegates were perceived to overturn the will of voters, but made clear she was not suggesting Clinton withdraw from the race.
“I think the election has to run its course,” Pelosi said. “I think that for all that I have said about respecting the will of the people that the inference to be drawn from that is that we have to continue the election in terms of hearing from the people.
“I do think that it is important for us to get behind one candidate a long time before we go to the Democratic National Convention if we hope to win in November,” Pelosi added.
Barring a complete meltdown by Obama, Clinton has almost no chance of surpassing his number of pledged delegates, even if she wins big in Pennsylvania’s April 22 primary, the largest remaining cache of delegates. But some Democrats fear such victories would encourage her to keep criticizing Obama — her only hope for the nomination — and thus heighten doubts about Obama’s ability to defeat Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain in the fall.
I wonder about the role of “superdelegates” in a modern democratic society. It seems a throwback to a feudalistic society where the nobles ruled the commoners and told them what to do. And it seems that may be what happens in the democratic convention, the will of the people overruled by party insiders, the nobles who know better (”vote your conscience”) than what the people decided. The only way it would be right for the superdelegates to choose Hillary would be if she were ahead in the popular vote though behind in the “pledged” delegates.
Sorry, Nancy, the title “delegate” means you represent somebody. A delegate does not have their own voice but are appointed to express the voice of those who chose them (Go back to Government 101, Nancy, and learn what representative government is all about!). The whole idea of “vote your conscience” is a smokescreen for allowing them to vote against the popular vote. The problem with “super delegates” is that the party, not the people, chose them. And this in the party that calls itself “Democrat.” How undemocratic is a super delegate!
I cannot recall any other primary in my lifetime that did not have a race this close go all the way to the convention - it is crazy to suggest that Hillary drop out before the remaining state primaries are completed - and it is absurd not to encourage superdelegates to vote for the candidate they believe will win in november.The democratic party will only be divided if the process is aborted out of fear! Party members will unite at the end of the primary season only if they feel heard - and only if they feel a fair contest occured.Let the membership speak not the talking heads and not the press - we may be surprised!
Mr. Obama thinks he runs things, what is he affraid of in allowing the votes in Florida to be counted, remember, he ran TV ads there. He knows Hillary will be heading up that hill to the top! If those votes are counting, I think their will be hell to pay, just like the Obamba people stated. It will be a given election. NOT ACCEPTABLE!
mwFlorida, who is you people, may I ask! Seems like we heard that line before, and look what happened then.
That lady has lost it, and needs to just be quiet!!!!!! She is trying to change the rules in the middle of the campaign.