i have an embarassing confession to make

[Bob]

i don't know what a superdelegate is or what it has to do with democracy

[kaiser soze]

They have capes and x-ray vision

[funk63]

me either. howard deans half-assed explanation on the daily show confused me even more.

[afronaut]

dude. nobody does. howard dean doesn't even know.

[Burnout18]

i think it is basically one person (party elected official) who gets a vote,,,so you and i get to vote in a primary so one delegate can represent what we (the district) want, where as what the superdelegates want, well they take thier vote and represent themselves at the convention..... So basically elliot spitzer= equal's a district full of ppl that get one delegate...


Or that is my understanding,,, don't quote ppl on message boards.

[RobMoney$]

^^What he said.


They're the Democratic Senators, Congressmen, and other various elected officials who are in charge of running the party.

So, Howard Dean, Hillary, Obama, Pelosi, Rendell, Guiliani, John Kerry, ect. Hell, I think Bill Clinton & Jimmy Carter get "Super" voting priviliges.

I just learned this for the first time this year too.
They've never played this big of a role in any election before, so no one really cared about them before.

[Lyman Zerga]

embarassing indeed

[alien autopsy]

a superdelegate is just another way to scoot aroudn true democracy, another roadblock to the people actually selecting their own leaders. superdelegates help choose who is the nominee from what i understand.


sort of like how the electoral college is used in selecting the president?


in america we have all these levels that help protect against someone getting in power that wants REAL change. its a protective measure to ensure that america remains sold out and corrupt. it protects the interests of those who are already invested, or looking to make further investments.

i wish it were as simple as, we all go and vote and the one with the most votes wins....wouldnt that be a much better way of doing it?

instead, we have delegates, layers upon layers of government, bad voting machines, electoral colleges, and a really shitty mega-media to tie it all together and confuse the hell out of people.

[D_Raay]

The term "superdelegate" itself was used originally as a criticism of unpledged delegates. Some argued that these delegates, who would be predominantly white and male, would have more power than other delegates because of their greater freedom to vote as they wish.

The Democratic Party has faced accusations that it has been conducting its nominating process in an undemocratic way, because superdelegates are generally chosen without regard to their preferences in the presidential race and are not obligated to support the candidate chosen by the voters. Television commentator Dan Abrams has called it "troubling" that the superdelegates might decide the 2008 race, arguing, "Each of the superdelegates' votes is now equivalent to about 10,000 Democratic voters." There are online petitions calling on the superdelegates to support the candidate who does best in the primaries and caucuses. On the other hand, Geraldine Ferraro, who served on the Hunt Commission, has defended the inclusion of superdelegates as being beneficial to the party; she argues that they should exercise independent judgment in voting for a presidential nominee.

Delegates chosen in primaries and caucuses may not exactly reflect the votes cast, but Democratic party rules require proportional allocation rather than winner-take-all.

[Dorothy Wood]

there's no such thing as a true democracy. and the U.S. has never been one.

[Bob]

Originally Posted by alien autopsy

a superdelegate is just another way to scoot aroudn true democracy, another roadblock to the people actually selecting their own leaders. superdelegates help choose who is the nominee from what i understand.


sort of like how the electoral college is used in selecting the president?


in america we have all these levels that help protect against someone getting in power that wants REAL change. its a protective measure to ensure that america remains sold out and corrupt. it protects the interests of those who are already invested, or looking to make further investments.

i wish it were as simple as, we all go and vote and the one with the most votes wins....wouldnt that be a much better way of doing it?

instead, we have delegates, layers upon layers of government, bad voting machines, electoral colleges, and a really shitty mega-media to tie it all together and confuse the hell out of people.

that answers my question, thanks

[funk63]

did anyone catch that obamas got more superdels now?

[mathcart]

Originally Posted by Bob

A)i don't know what a superdelegate is or B) what it has to do with democracy

You seem to have gotten a satisfactory answer to A
but I think we all deserve a better answer to B