Obama allies warn of ‘super-delegates’ chaos

[Quinn]

Allies of Barack Obama have warned of chaos if unelected “super-delegates” overturn the will of grassroots Democrats when the party’s presidential candidate is chosen at its national convention in August.

The Illinois senator is leading in the primaries battle for elected delegates but the contest could yet be tipped in Hillary Clinton’s favour by nearly 800 party officials – known as super-delegates – who comprise a fifth of the 4,049 delegates who vote at the convention.

Jim Doyle, the governor of Wisconsin, which holds its state primary on Tuesday, said the party would tear itself apart if Mr Obama won the most elected delegates but lost the nomination. “It would be a disaster for the Democratic party to thwart what has happened in the caucuses and primaries,” he told Fox News on Sunday.

Concern is growing that the party could face a bitter and divisive convention if the race is not settled beforehand. Douglas Wilder, the former governor of Virginia and now mayor of Richmond, raised the spectre of the acrimonious 1968 party convention in Chicago, which was marred by clashes between protesters and police as anti-war Democrats feuded with party moderates. “If you think ’68 was bad – look at 2008 and it will be worse,” he told CBS’ Face the Nation.

Mr Obama has a lead of at least 150 elected delegates but the gap narrows to about 50 when super-delegate pledges are included. Mrs Clinton has so far won the declared support of about 230 super-delegates, while about 140 have endorsed Mr Obama.

The New York senator was expected to dominate among the super-delegates – who include members of Congress, governors and mayors – because of her deep connections within the party hierarchy. But there are signs that some of her “super-delegates” could be having second thoughts.

John Lewis, a prominent African-American congressman who had previously pledged support for Mrs Clinton, has said that he might switch sides after his Atlanta congressional district voted overwhelmingly for Mr Obama. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Friday added her voice to calls for super-delegates to vote in line with the popular vote.

Advocates for Mrs Clinton argue that super-delegates are a legitimate part of the nomination process and warn Mr Obama against trying to interfere with their role. Howard Wolfson, communications director for the Clinton Campaign, said super-delegates were supposed to “vote with their conscience” rather than follow the crowd.

Some Democrats are worried that a divisive convention could harm the party’s chances of winning the general election. Republicans, in contrast, have the next nine months to heal their divisions as John McCain closes in on the party’s nomination.

Chuck Schumer, the New York senator and Clinton supporter, told NBC’s Meet the Press that Democrats must avoid an “internecine battle” that jeopardised victory in November. Speaking on the same programme, Dick Durbin, senator for Illinois and an Obama supporter, said voters would feel cheated if the nomination were decided “in the backroom”.

Opinion polls predict that Mr Obama is likely to win his ninth consecutive primary in Wisconsin on Tuesday, with Mrs Clinton hoping to bounce back with victories in Texas and Ohio on March 4. “This is a battle of the titans and we’re probably going all the way to the convention,” said Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles and a Clinton supporter, on Face the Nation.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dfad7a80-d...nclick_check=1

[chefmike]

I'm trying to enjoy the whole thing for it's entertainment value. I'll vote for the dem nominee, whether it's Obama or Billary.
The question is: will the dems manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory once again? It really wouldn't surprise me.

[ezed]

Jesus! I hope it wasn't my post on HA that caused this turmoil!!!!