True Confessions of a Superdelegate

[babylonsister]

True Confessions of a Superdelegate

One anonymous superdelegate and blogger opens up about being courted by campaigns, why the early primaries matter, and how to avoid an endless election next time.


Mori Dinauer | April 1, 2008 | web only



Last week, I spoke with "Mr. Super," an undeclared superdelegate who has started a blog that aims to "debunk myths, offer insight, and answer questions about the 2008 Democratic nomination process for president of the United States." Mr. Super wishes to remain anonymous but has confirmed that he is an elected member of the DNC. We discussed the state of the race, the role of superdelegates, and what impact the long primary has had on the party.

Mori Dinauer: Have you been contacted personally by either the Clinton or Obama campaign?

Mr. Super: I have been contacted by both, actually, on a regular basis. They both have been very professional and very gracious. The life of a DNC member is very average. We're not as exciting or as influential as people make us out to be. {We're not} these huge Washington fat cats. But life is different these days. It's definitely an exciting time, compared to what our normal existence is like.

MD: Besides the obvious high-profile ones, are certain superdelegates considered more valuable or more influential than others?

MS: At this point, no. I think every delegate, not just superdelegates, but every delegate, even those at the district level, are all equally important. The only difference with superdelegates is that you don't need to wait for an election day to pick one up.

MD: You've said that most superdelegates are more accurately described as "undeclared" rather than "undecided," noting that "A super without a preference is like a sports fan without a favorite team."

MS: It's not our role to create pressure. It is our role to make the will of the people more decisive than it may appear to be. So in other words, if Clinton were to pull out a razor-thin victory in delegates down the stretch, I think it would be the role of supers to move into her column and create that decisive spread. I'm using her just as an example, not to show preference.

MD: So the ultimate test of a superdelegate is to respect the will of the voters?

MS: I think so. I don't think that we'll know what the final will of the voters is until Memorial Day (May 26).

MD: What happens if there isn't a decisive answer by Memorial Day?

MS: That's a significant hurdle for us. I think that not only is it up to us to find a resolution but it's equally incumbent on the candidates to find a resolution.

more...

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=true_confessions_of_a_superdelegate