Recently, I find my self explaining the election process and I’m amazed at how many people really don’t understand how a candidate gets the party nomination via the primaries and conventions. The democrats and the republicans have a similar process but for now we will focus on the democrats.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, that there are areas of this process that the MSM minimizes and other areas like the primary or caucus winner that they glorify. In the world of delegate count, candidates that place first through third all get a portion of the delegates. Therefore, a winner based on percentage is not necessarily the same winner in the total delegate count. I think the MSM pundits missed these classes.
Delegates, super delegates and voters are three very distinct things in the Democratic Party nominating process. While all three are important to the process one stands out the most and can be more valuable to a candidates. Oh so you think it’s the voter, no we only play a small roll in the process. While the candidates do cherish our votes because they add to a candidates delegate count, it’s the super delegates that put a candidate over the top for the nomination. There are currently 4,049 total delegates to the Democratic National Convention; this includes 3,253 pledged delegates and 796 super delegates. The total number of delegate votes needed to win the party nomination is 2,025.
Let’s start with the basics; each state is allowed a certain number of delegates who go to the national convention and pledge their votes and support to a particular candidate. Candidates win “pledged” delegates not on whether they win a state - but on how many voters support them. So, for instance, even though Clinton and Edwards lost Iowa, they each won 16 delegates. Therefore, individual votes count towards pledge delegates.
Now about 20% of the delegates at the convention are unpledged delegates or “super delegates,” they are bread apart. First let’s look at how they came about and who they are. After the 1968 Democratic Convention, the Democratic Party called for reforms in the primary process, and formed the McGovern-Fraser Commission.

“In response to the bitter Democratic convention of 1968, the Democratic Party established the Commission on Party Structure and Delegate Selection, popularly known as the McGovern-Fraser Commission after its chairs, Senator George McGovern and Congressman Don Fraser. The Commission was created to investigate and make recommendations for the reform of primary elections within the U.S. Until now, state legislators had responsibility for selecting delegates to each party’s nominating conventions. The Commission overhauled the rules, and opened up the process of selecting delegates to public participation and voting, thereby including more women, youth and minority delegates.”

The McGovern commission brought and end to the old boss system of choosing presidential nominees and helped create the modern presidential primary system. Party bosses no longer had control over two-thirds to four-fifths of the delegates. The bosses could no longer appoint ex-officio delegates (cronies of the bosses) to the convention.
Now, while this sounds very inclusive, open and fair it created the unpledged delegates or “super delegates” who are in fact ex-officio delegates. They are interest group representatives, and union officials; appointed by party officials and office holders. Today, about 20 percent of delegates are still “super” or ex-officio delegates.
There are 798 super delegates at the convention in Denver; they don’t have to wait until their states primary or the convention to pledge. They include all elected members of the Democratic National Committee, all current Democratic members of Congress (including non-voting delegates), all sitting Democratic governors, and past party luminaries (former presidents). Unlike pledged delegates, who are bound to particular candidates, super delegates are free to vote their consciences.
For example, when John Kerry endorsed Obama, the MSM told everyone that the endorsements only meant that Obama got Kerry’s extensive email list and that endorsements by Senators, Governors and unions mean nothing. Well, actually they do mean something; John Kerry like everyone else in Congress is a “super delegate” as are Governors, other elected officials and union officials.
According to the Democratic National Convention Delegate Rules: The procedure to be used for certifying unpledged party leader and elected official delegates is as follows:
Not later than March 1, 2008, the Secretary of the Democratic National Committee shall officially confirm to each State Democratic Chair the names of the following unpledged delegates who legally reside in their respective state and who shall be recognized as part of their state’s delegation unless any such member has publicly expressed support for the election of, or has endorsed, a presidential candidate of another political party;

• The individuals recognized as members of the DNC (as set forth in Article Three, Sections 2 and 3 of the Charter of the Democratic Party of the United States); and,

• The Democratic President and the Democratic Vice President of the United States, if applicable; and,

• All Democratic members of the United States House of Representatives and all Democratic members of the United States Senate; and,

• The Democratic Governor, if applicable; and,

• All former Democratic Presidents, all former Democratic Vice Presidents, all former Democratic Leaders of the U.S. Senate, all former Democratic Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives and Democratic Minority Leaders, as applicable, and all former Chairs of the Democratic National Committee.

So with that bit of knowledge, let’s look at the democratic candidates who have gained pledged delegates and super delegates. You will notice that Obama is ahead in the pledged delegate count (the voters) but Clinton is actually in the lead because of the super delegates and not the pledge delegates.
Delegate Count Via CNN
Clinton: Delegate Total 190 ; Pledged: 24; Superdelegates:166
Obama:Delegate Total:103;Pledged: 25; Superdelegates: 78
Edwards: Delegate Total 51;Pledged: 18;Superdelegates: 33
Delegate Count via Real Clear Politics
State Date Delegates Clinton Obama Edwards Total - - 187 124 50 Super Delegates - 463 163 99 32 Iowa 01/03 57 15 16 14 New Hampshire 01/08 30 9 9 4 Michigan 01/15 0 * - - - 2,025 Delegates Needed to Win the Nomination
So there you have it, after one caucus and one primary (Michigan has no delegates), Hillary Clinton is in the lead via the delegate count, thanks to the super delegates of the party establishment. However, that’s not to say that Edwards or Obama can’t win the nomination. Both need to rack up enough pledge delegates for the super delegates to fall into place. Remember there are still 48 states left with delegates waiting to be heard. This is why John Edwards has stated that he will stay in all the way to the convention.

Related Post

Democrats Strip Michigan of Delegates by nytexan on December 1st, 2007
Florida "The Screw Up State" by nytexan on August 27th, 2007
Judge Allows Dems to Penalize Florida by nytexan on December 5th, 2007
Michigan's Uncommitted/Kucinich Could Help Obama and Edwards by nytexan on January 15th, 2008

©2008 BlueBloggin. All Rights Reserved.
.ShareThis
</img>
</img> </img> </img> </img> </img> </img> </img> </img> </img>


(Source Link)