The drumbeat...has it begun? Some interesting supposition about superdelegates in June...

[madfloridian]

when the primaries are done.

I don't like the idea of an actual superdelegate convention, but I found this article interesting. It points out that it could be done by pressure from others to get decisions.

That I can see as a good idea.

A superdelegate solution

But one proposed solution is gaining currency among prominent Democrats and at the Democratic National Committee. That’s to have the superdelegates declare their preferences in early June, shortly after the last primaries in Montana and South Dakota.

‘‘Personally I think it would be very damaging to go all the way to August,’’ says US Senator John Kerry, the party’s 2004 presidential nominee and now an Obama supporter. ‘‘Once you get the primaries and caucuses under the party’s belt, it’s good for people to make it known where they are and resolve this.’’

The idea arose in part because of Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, who is pushing to have the party’s 795 superdelegates convene in June to cast their votes.As it has evolved, however, the notion is not for an actual meeting of superdelegates, but simply to have those superdelegates who haven’t already done so declare their presidential choice shortly after the final primaries on June 3. That would give the party an unofficial nominee and thus make an internecine summer much less likely.

Sounds like Howard Dean would not be averse to this, though he and the DNC would not take an active role.

A person who has talked with DNC officials about the idea says they feel that the party’s preparations for the general election have been hurt by the primary standoff, and thus are keenly interested in having superdelegates declare their decisions once the primaries conclude. (For his part, Roosevelt thinks the party would be reluctant to undertake anything official, but says superdelegates are free to do whatever they’d like on their own.) Although DNC chairman Howard Dean is reliably said to consider June pronouncements a good idea, the prompting for it to happen would most likely come not as a formal request from Dean or the DNC, but rather as high-profile calls from influential Democratic officeholders and leaders.

‘‘ I don’t think there will be a press conference, I think there will be a drumbeat: We’ve got to decide, we’ve got to decide,’’ says the last source. ‘‘It will be Democratic leaders, it will be superdelegates themselves, anybody who can get a megaphone.’’

I think that "drumbeat" may have already begun.

[sandnsea]

1. It could be done by tomorrow

The Superdelegates endorse, Jimmy Carter gives a math lesson, and Bill & Hill go home.

[madfloridian]

2. With implied permission like that, it could.

I think some have been holding back.

[AlGore-08.com]

3. Playing devil's advocate... why isn't this being denounced as Super delegates hijacking the process

Usual disclaimer - - I have no preference between Obama or Clinton, I will support the nominee.

But... the convention's only real function is to pick a nominee when the primaries haven't produced a winner. What this is advocating is a bunch of party big wigs making sure that regular grassroots schlubs like you and me who agreed to be vanilla delegates don't get to make the final decision about who the nominee is. If the SuperDs hold a "SuperD Caucus" where they bully each other into deciding the nomination before the convention, they turn the convention into one big pep rally. The SuperDs get to exercise their own judgment about who the nominee should be, while the vanilla grassroots delegates get to wear donkey balloon hats and wave preprinted signs.

And F.Y.I... if the SuperDs get together and decide on a nominee before the convention, there's no guarantee they'll pick Obama. If their polling shows that Clinton would do better in the general election, that her supporters are more likely to vote the down ticket races while Obama's are more likely to only vote for Obama (I've seen polls to that effect), that Obama's positives go down when voters hear about his positions on (insert hot button issue here)... they could very well throw their weight behind Clinton.

Would this still be a good idea then?

[madfloridian]

4. Actually, there are no guarantees on tomorrow coming.

That's the problem here. The DNC can't make the decision. Even if they decided to let the sanctioned states count, it would make little difference....because they will be weighted.

The DNC rules can not under the rules control the superdelegates....so I guess we have to trust them.

Better in June after the primaries than on the convention floor.

[Cha]

5. We'll keep this in mind,

mad, and see what happens. I hope Obama gets real close in PA with a little help from his friends and declared the delegate winner in Texas this weekend.