Rules are rules and the superdelegates can do whatever they want...

[Sulawesi]

I think the rules are the rules, and like the electoral college, we have to live with it...

The supers have the authority to vote for whoever they want...

They have the right to nominate the candidate that is behind in the delegate count...

However, since they have complete freedom to vote their conscience, unlike the electoral college, they will be under tremendous pressure to do the right thing for the party, whatever that is at the time...

In the end, the Clinton's are not bigger than the party, especially now that an alternative leader is out there. In that climate, the supers will do the right thing.

The only tricky situation is where one candidate wins the most pledged delegates, but loses the popular vote. I think this is very unlikely without a "winner take all" system of allocating delegates.

The party is gathering positive steam around Obama. If HRC can stop that process, she deserves to win. The supers will get behind who the voters nominate. Just my opinion, but I am a naive optimist...

[pampango]

1. Agree totally, even that we both must be naive optimists to think that following the rules

of the contest is actually a good idea.

Others will point out that Florida and Michigan are big, important states, so following the rules is "naive". My guess is that the Democratic parties in both states had that argument ready to use long ago, just in case anyone actually tried to make them follow the rules that might apply to other, smaller, states.

[Sulawesi]

2. The time to change the rules is after things are over, to make things better for next time.

[LiberalFighter]

3. The problems with the popular vote are:

1) The elections were not the same in each state. Caucuses, open primaries, closed primaries, hybrids of the three. Even then there were different laws, rules, or lack of incomplete rules on how they were conducted.

2) The results of the nomination process is not representative of those that will be voting in November.

3) The voters in the Democratic primaries and caucuses consisted of a mix of hard core Democrats, sometime Democrats, Independents and hard core Republicans. The Democratic primaries and caucuses should only allow real Democrats as this is a nominating process not an election by the people. The Democratic Party's members decide the rules for the delegates and the convention not the general population, not the Constitution, not Congress.

4) Not all the candidates were on the ballot in each state or they were on but their campaign was over or suspended.

5) The voters in the earlier primaries may not know what voters in later primaries learn about the candidates. Those pledged delegates are required to vote based on their state results. Unpledged delegates with the full exposure of the campaign and other variables have a better opportunity to evaluate the win factor of the candidates.

[Sulawesi]

4. Good Post!