The Democrats are in Texas!!!!

[Janet]

Originally Posted by AngieDoogles

Voters don’t choose the 842 unpledged “super-delegates” who comprise nearly 40 percent of the number of delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

The category includes Democratic governors and members of Congress, former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, former vice president Al Gore, retired congressional leaders such as Dick Gephardt, and all Democratic National Committee members, some of whom are appointed by party chairman Howard Dean.


These super-delegates don’t have superhuman powers, but unlike rank-and-file Democrats, they do automatically get to cast a vote at the convention to decide who the party’s nominee will be.

Although dubbed “unpledged” in Democratic Party lingo, the super-delegates are free to come out before their state’s primary and pledge to support one of the presidential contenders.


On Tuesday Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced she was supporting Sen. Hillary Clinton and three weeks ago, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine declared that he's also backing her. These aren't mere endorsements; these are actual votes putting Clinton two steps closer to the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination.


Snippets from THIS article.

Thanks Angie...I still don't remember ever hearing this term 'super-delegates' before. I just feel like the wool is being pulled over my eyes and I don't care for it at all. Did the super-delegates exist in the last election? I've just never heard this term and so often...

[Marilyn]

I was talking to someone today after church who is pretty knowledgable on current events and he said that we have caucases, super delegates and electorial college because we are not a true democracy. We are actually a representative form of government. In a democracy, popular vote rules.

In our state, at least in the past, may be different now that we have touch screen voting machines, when we had the mechanical kind, we walked in the door with our undeclaired registration card. Republicans were on one side of the room and democrats on the other. You went to the table of your choice to check in. They checked the roll to find your name and you signed on the line, then they stamped your voter's registration card with the appropriate rubber stamp, showing that you voted in either the republican or democratic primary. Then you stepped to one of the machines marked democrat or republican depending on which side of the room you are on. That's how republicans can cross over. They just step to the democratic table and go from there.

[AngieDoogles]

Originally Posted by Janet

Thanks Angie...I still don't remember ever hearing this term 'super-delegates' before. I just feel like the wool is being pulled over my eyes and I don't care for it at all. Did the super-delegates exist in the last election? I've just never heard this term and so often...

This is the first year that super delegates have existed...

Originally Posted by AngieDoogles

This is the first year that super delegates have existed...

Is that in fact correct?

may I point you guys all to the new thread I started in the book section! LOL! That book is suppose to show how we are losing our civil liberties!

I *think* they've been around since '68, but this is the first year that they will really need to play a part in the election process. Howard Dean had more superdelegates in '04, but John Kerry ended up winning b/c he had a lot more primary wins.