Super Delegates Can End the Democratic Race Right Now

Posted by Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger Report at 6:50 AM on March 17, 2008.

Shortly after Super Tuesday, DNC Chairman Howard Dean sounded a relatively optimistic note, noting his belief that Dems will have a nominee "sometime in the middle of March or April." If not, Dean said, he intended to "make some kind of an arrangement."

Well, it's the middle of March, and road ahead still looks awfully long. The superdelegates, who will ultimately make the difference in the process, are feeling more than a little antsy.

Lacking a clear route to the selection of a Democratic presidential nominee, the party's uncommitted superdelegates say they are growing increasingly concerned about the risks of a prolonged fight between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, and perplexed about how to resolve the conflict. [...]

While many superdelegates said they intended to keep their options open as the race continued to play out over the next three months, the interviews suggested that the playing field was tilting slightly toward Mr. Obama in one potentially vital respect. Many of them said that in deciding whom to support, they would adopt what Mr. Obama's campaign has advocated as the essential principle: reflecting the will of the voters.

Mr. Obama has won more states, a greater share of the popular vote and more pledged delegates than Mrs. Clinton.

The NYT noted that the party leaders and insiders are "uncertain about who, if anyone, would step in to fill a leadership vacuum and help guide the contest to a conclusion that would not weaken the Democratic ticket in the general election."

I can't help but find this all a little odd. The superdelegates need not look for someone to fill the vacuum and guide the contest; they can fill the vacuum and guide the contest. If they believe a prolonged fight would be bad for the party, they could choose to effectively end the process -- today.

It's a fascinating NYT article, but it left me with the impression that superdelegates are missing the point of their role entirely.

The delegates said they hoped to avoid being portrayed as party elites overturning the will of Democratic voters. They spoke of having some power broker -- the names mentioned included Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee; former Vice President Al Gore; and Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- step in to forge a deal.

The piece also noted that these superdelegates, influential party insiders, are hoping power-brokers will fix this so they'll be "relieved of making an excruciating decision that could lose them friends and supporters at home."

Sorry to break it to the superdelegates, but this is in their hands. They may not like the responsibility, and they may not want the responsibility, and they may not have signed up for this responsibility, but I'm afraid none of that matters right now. They can pick a candidate right now and he or she would be the nominee.

A lot of observers, including a lot of superdelegates, seem to have this notion of Dean and Gore, working the phones with the Clinton and Obama campaigns, trying to see if they can reach some kind of agreement. That, I suspect, is pointless -- neither Obama nor Clinton are prepared to drop out or accept the #2 slot.

What party leaders could do, however, is work the phones to convince 200 uncommitted superdelegates to pick one candidate or the other and make a public announcement, en masse. That would go a long way in showing one candidate or the other the writing on the wall.

"Every day that this continues, people can surmise that this is going to the convention in Colorado and it could be decided by the superdelegates," said Gov. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, the head of the Democratic Governors Association. "There is not a superdelegate that I have spoken to who wants that to happen."

They're in luck. These superdelegates -- and, in all likelihood, only these superdelegates -- can prevent this. One candidate is going to enter the convention with more delegates, more states, and probably more popular votes. If superdelegates find that compelling, fine, back Obama. If they find other factors more compelling, fine, back Clinton.

But for superdelegates to sit around, wringing their hands, wanting the process to end while hoping for someone else to ease their burden of choice, is foolish. Like it or not, this is up to them. What are they waiting for?

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Tagged as: clinton, obama, democratic party, dnc, dean, superdelgates

Steve Benen is a freelance writer/researcher and creator of The Carpetbagger Report. In addition, he is the lead editor of Salon.com's Blog Report, and has been a contributor to Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Crooks & Liars, The American Prospect, and the Guardian.