delegate

Looks Like The DNC Super Delegates Might Come To An End

The DNC Change Commission has been working on changes to the way the DNC handles primaries and it looks like the super delegates could end up losing their vote:

The Commission spent most of the meeting discussing the future role of automatic unpledged delegates (super delegates). It discussed several approaches, but the final recommendation won’t be made until the final Commission meeting.

The Resolution authorizing the Commission called for a significant reduction in the number of such delegates, but many of the members favored converting all unpledged automatic delegates to unpledged automatic non-voting delegates. Elected officials and DNC members could still attend conventions and provide guidance, judgment, and leadership, but they could not vote and therefore would not be able to counter the voter’s candidate preferences as expressed in the nomination process. A component of this approach would be expansion of the number of pledged party leader and elected official (PLEO) slots. So a member of Congress or DNC member who wanted to be a voting delegate could run as a PLEO, pledged to a candidate in reflection of voter preference.

So we would still have super-delegates but they won’t be able to vote. This would be an excellent move. The final decision should be made after the first of the year, and basically would require the people this affects to vote on it. I think it’s time for all Democrats to call the party and ask them to support this measure. A few powerful people should not have the ability to overturn the will of the party members as a whole. That is very undemocratic.

Not Conservative Enough?

TPM gives us this interesting news:

Now this is just sad. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who has long led the conservative forces of his state, has been denied his customary position as a voting delegate to the Republican National Convention -- and it's being done by an even more conservative bunch.

The Iowa Christian Alliance, a successor to the state's Christian Coalition, has effectively taken over the state party's executive committee, and they obviously weren't happy with Grassley. It does seem curious, though, when one considers that he came up in the ranks of conservative activists and was elected to the Senate in 1980 on Ronald Reagan's coattails, and is a reliably conservative vote on issues like abortion and gay rights. What could have gotten them angry?

Now will all the wingers, who accuse the Democrats of being unfair to Lieberman, denounce this action? I wouldn't hold my breath.

Obama Declares Victory WIth Majority Of Pledged Delegates

Here's the email the Obama campaign just sent out:

Friend --

The polls are closed in Kentucky and votes are being counted in Oregon, and it's clear that tonight we have reached a major milestone on this journey.

We have won an absolute majority of all the delegates chosen by the people in this Democratic primary process.

>From the beginning, this journey wasn't about me or the other candidates. It was about a simple choice -- will we continue down the same road with the same leadership that has failed us for so long, or will we take a different path?

Too many of us have been disappointed by politics and politicians more times than you can count. We've seen promises broken and good ideas drowned in a sea of influence, point-scoring, and petty bickering that has consumed Washington.

Yet, in spite of all the doubt and disappointment -- or perhaps because of it -- people have stood for change.

Unfortunately, our opponents in the other party continue to embrace yesterday's policies and they will continue to employ yesterday's tactics -- they will try to change the subject, and they will play on fears and divisions to distract us from what matters to you and your future.

But those tactics will not work in this election.

They won't work because you won't let them.

Not this time. Not this year.

We still have work to do to in the remaining states, where we will compete for every delegate available.

But tonight, I want to thank you for everything you have done to take us this far -- farther than anyone predicted, expected, or even believed possible.

And I want to remind you that you will make all the difference in the epic challenge ahead.

Thank you,

Barack Obama

Very true, but I don't know if Clinton will see the writing on the wall yet.

Delegate Update Time

Here's the latest tally:

	CNN	MSNBC	FOX	CBS	ABC	AVERAGE
Clinton	1685	1426	1688	1690	1690	1635.8
Obama	1846	1590	1840	1848	1852	1795.2

Bob Casey To Endorse Obama

Obama picks up another super delegate, with Pa. Senator Bob Casey set to endorse him. Also on the election front, John McCain is rolling out his first general election ad. McCain will have a big jump start on the dems with his general election campaigning. It's ashame the person losing in the Democratic race isn't devoted enough to the party to drop out and let the party start healing and worry about actually winning the White House, instead of winning the nomination only.

Latest Delegate Counts

Here they are, including delegates from Wyoming:

	CNN	MSNBC	FOX	CBS	ABC	AVERAGE
Clinton	1428	1227	1468	1460	1467	1410
Obama	1527	1366	1578	1570	1577	1523.6

New Delegate Totals

Here is the delegate totals as of now:

Rockefeller Gets Another Endorsement

Another Senator supporting Obama. That also gives him another super Delegate.

Dorgan Endorses Obama

They said Chris Dodd's endorsement could start something. Today Senator Byron Dorgan endorsed Obama, giving him another super delegate.

SUSA Ohio Poll - Clinton 50% Obama 44%

While Clinton still has the lead, there is an even more interesting part of this poll. If you look at it by region, she is gaining a lot of her support from the Columbus area:

	Toledo A	Dayton A	Cincinna	Columbus	Clevelan	SE Ohio
Clinton	46%	43%	43%	62%	48%	56%
Obama	45%	52%	53%	33%	45%	43%

Obama is within the MOE in Toledo and Cleveland. If he picks up those two areas then he could feasibly win the delegate race in Ohio. To help give you a better idea of the delegate layout in Ohio, here is a map:

Another Super Delegate Pickup For Obama

Mark Mallory, the mayor of Cincinnati, officially endorsed Obama today. I have heard that this was coming for a couple of weeks.

Fake Document Time Again

Now this is sounding familiar:

The U.N. nuclear monitoring agency presented documents Monday that diplomats said indicate Iran may have focused on a nuclear weapons program after 2003 - the year that a U.S. intelligence report says such work stopped.

Iran again denied ever trying to make such arms. Ali Ashgar Soltanieh, the chief Iranian delegate to the International Atomic Energy Agency, dismissed the information showcased by the body as "forgeries."

He and other diplomats, all linked to the IAEA, commented after a closed-door presentation to the agency's 35-nation board of intelligence findings from the U.S. and its allies and other information purporting to show Iranian attempts to make nuclear arms.

I'm not saying that Iran's claim isn't bogus, but we all know about false documents regarding nuclear ambitions and leading us into war.

Big Turnouts And Big Gains

First to the turnouts. In Wisconsin, Obama won 58%-41%. That's not the only big news though. Look at these turnout numbers:

Democratic: 1,099,004
Republican: 403,300

The Democrats had almost 3 times the turn out as the Republicans did yesterday. That is in Wisconsin - a state the Kerry and Gore won by only 1%. That is awesome news for the Democrats when we head into the general election.

Obama also won Hawaii 76%-24%. Almost 40,000 Democrats turned out to vote, which is four times the amount state party officials expected. Again - huge momentum on the Democratic side of things.

According to a new Reuters/Zogby poll released this morning, Obama now has a 14% lead over Clinton nationally. In a general match up, Obama beats McCain 47% to 40%, however a match up of Clinton/McCain has McCain winning 50% to 38%.

I don't care how much the Clinton campaign tries to spin it today, they are about done. Obama is catching up to Clinton in Texas, and if she looses there she needs to drop out and take one for the party. That would be the noble thing to do, and her best chance at having a future run.

UPDATE:

Here is the latest delegate counts

Clinton Now Going After Pledged Delegates

In other words, "screw what the voter wants". I have been speaking to a lot of Democrats lately who are fed up with their party. From the waffling of the leadership in the House and Senate, to this entire delegate mess, they are tired of it. Something has to be done soon or the Independent column in the polls is going to start growing.

He Was For Delegate Removal Before He Was Against It

Ickes is a member of the DNC and a senior adviser to the Clinton Campaign. Last year he voted to strip FL and MI of their delegates. Now he wants them back in. Why? Here's the reason:

Ickes explained that his different position essentially is due to the different hats he wears as both a DNC member and a Clinton adviser in charge of delegate counting. Clinton won the primary vote in Michigan and Florida, and now she wants those votes to count.

Now this is the most blatant definition of flip-flop I have ever seen. He is basically admitting the rules should be changed now to help Hillary. Screw the people out there voting for Obama - even if they out number those voting for Hillary. In other words - screw democracy.

Like I have said in past posts, I am not supporting either candidate. My choice was Edwards. But all this crap of Hillary trying to steal the primary away from the people has certainly made me decide I will not vote for her next month. That means I can remain neutral even more so, but the way her campaign is acting I am leaning more towards punching my vote for Obama.