Another reason we'll likely have a nominee VERY shortly after May 20

[FlyingSquirrel]

According to this thread, a Superdelegate with inside info says that many of them are freshmen facing tough races and don't want to commit too early. Says they'll probably go with the Pledged Delegate winner, (so-called "Pelosi Club").

But there's also such a thing as committing too late.

For the sake of the image of the Democratic Party, of course, the DNC would probably like to see most of the remaining Supers endorse BEFORE the last primaries are held so that it will appear that the PEOPLE made the final decision to choose one candidate over the other -- not just a few superdelegates.

But the Superdelegates themselves probably have a much more selfish reason for not wanting to wait too long. Put yourself in the place of a superdelegate for a moment -- would you want the spotlight of the entire nation to be on you when it gets down to the last few delegates that either candidate needs? Would you want to deal the hate mail and vilification that would come from either side when you make your choice? Could you easily deal with that kind of pressure being placed upon you? Especially if you're not already a public figure?

For this reason, once Obama gains more than 50% of the pledged delegates, I think you're gonna see not just a trickle but a landslide as they fall all over themselves to ensure that they're not out there alone ready for the media to pounce on them and say, "Here's is one of the LAST Superdelegates, who will he/she vote for?"

[RiverStone]

1. Makes sense --- hopefully the landslide will begin on May 7th n/t

[BklynChick]

2. I was thinking that too. I think the ones pledging after the last contests will really stand out.

[CTyankee]

3. I'll be in Italy but hopefully will find an International Herald Tribune where I'm going.

I was in Rome on election day, 2006, then in Tuscany where I had trouble finding it and I was looking for info about Ned Lamont. It finally surfaced when I got to Florence.

While it'll be a relief for me to get away from this craziness, I know I'll be starved for info. Most hotels over there charge up the kazoo for internet service (well, the ones I stay in) now. And I didn't spend enough time in the hotel to watch much CNN. WEll, there's always "Corriere della Sera." My Italian is not great but it would be fun to see what they have to say about this whole mess...I think many Italians are "counting" on the Democrats to get rid of the Republicans...