Most of them are elected officials. Which means they are under heavy pressure to vote like their constituents. Others, the more questionable ones, are just party big-shots, usually retired political figures...

I think the problem is that the idea was developed as a direct way to counter the will of the Democratic base... which is pragmatic and silly at the same time.
I think superdelegates are supposed to be removed from public pressure... but then of course why did they make so many of them elected officials?

I think this is just more evidence of the need for change in the party. I'm not even sure the leaders understand it.

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"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III

Much smaller?

Besides the two correct answers from Java and Crusader:

1. Primaries serve a private party function and can be run any way the party wants;

2. Superdelegates exist to counter the extremism of the party faithful;

There's a third point:

3. The superdelegate system was created, in part, to avoid floor fights at the convention by putting the nomination to a simple majority vote of delegates, ensuring a first-ballot victory for one candidate.

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Scarred survivor of the April 2008 Mod War.

The Democratic Party is a private organization; not a government agency. The Constitution doesn't apply to their primaries. A primary is a private selection process to determine who will represent a political party in the general election. Therefore, they get to make up their own rules.

Exactly. They are really totally free in this regard. They could have the thing decided by a swimsuit competition if they wanted to.

But another reason for the supers was to get party officials more involved with the candidates. The system makes the candidates care about the supers. And the idea is then that the supers will do a better job promoting the candidate.

Curse you for giving me that mental image!

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"It's never over... BOY!"
The Tall Man, Phantasm III

Originally Posted by sunnyside
Exactly. They are really totally free in this regard. They could have the thing decided by a swimsuit competition if they wanted to.
...thinking of Hillary in a bikini or Obama in a speedo, and throwing up over and over again.

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"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left."
Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)