Superdelegates

The word Superdelegate is constantly in the news. It is, primarily, connected to the Democrats and a lot of people are having a difficult time trying to figure out how this will affect the selection of the Democrat nominee.

After the 1968 disastrous Democrat convention in Chicago the liberal wing of the party left the convention convinced that something had to be done to regain control of the party from the party leaders and make it more responsive to the votes that came out of the primary elections. This way the Democrat voters would have a greater say in the selection of their candidate. In the view of many this actually hurt the party and ended up giving them George McGovern and Jimmy Carter as candidates

By 1982 a new commission under Governor Jim Hunt, from North Carolina, was created. Hunt would introduce the Superdelegates and they would represent a proportional part of the delegates at the convention. Over the years the rules and the matter of proportional representation within the party would change pertaining to the role of the voters in the party and party officials. This would bring about the pledged delegates and unpledged Superdelegates.

So where are the Democrats today? Currently they have what are known as pledged delegates selected through the primary and caucus system. These delegates have announced the candidate they are supporting. The Superdelegates are free to vote for anyone. They are all Democrats. All the Democrat governors, congressmen, senators, former Presidents, Vice-Presidents, former House and Senate leaders, Speakers of the House, and Chairs of the National Committee make up the Superdelegates. There are also the add-ons such as mayors and state party leaders. This year it is projected there will be 795 Superdelegates but that number can be added to right up to the convention and probably will be because many are saying the real number will be closer to 820.

What does all of this accomplish? Supposedly it gives a lot of power to the voters while giving party officials and bigwigs a say in the nominating process. But there are a couple of issues that have arisen during this campaign. Should these unpledged Superdelegates, who are independent, be encouraged to vote the same way the voters in their state or maybe district voted? Are the announced pledged delegates really pledged or are they out there for the taking by either Clinton or Obama? Are the Superdelegates really independent? Will this system blow up in the face of both candidates and, more importantly, in the face of the Democrat Party? And let's not forget we haven't even discussed the Florida and Michigan situation.

Here is the really big question, should there even be Superdelegates? Aren't they simply playing the role of safe guarding the party in that they can determine the right candidate for the party?