Getting right back into the swing of things, a lot of superdelegates have been emerging in favor of Obama this week, although it's usually not the Bill Richardson-level superstars that grab headlines. One exception did emerge today, though, when former DNC Chairman under President Clinton, Joe Andrew, tipped his hat in for Obama (New York Times reports here, more on that in the second half of today's post). So why isn't there any more talk over the superdelegate race? Is it because the media stopped caring as soon as Reverend Wright started grabbing their attention again? Or maybe we've started paying more attention to what the popular vote has to say in the primaries, and less about the superdelegates' sway in the race.
According to an article from yesterday's Huffington Post, the more logical explanation is because the game is already wrapped up and the officials are just biding their time. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) suggested that the race is as good as over, and now the appointed superdelegates are just deploying their allegiance a few at a time. Strategically, this makes sense for both camps, since neither party ones to be the one to see an inundation of superdelegates only to have their opponent counter with an even bigger wave of support a few days later. By letting a few supporters out every day or two, the race stays relatively even, and subsequently out of the headlines. But the good news, according to Senator McCaskill, is that the majority of those waiting in the wings are on Obama's side. Said McCaskill, "The majority of superdelegates I've talked to are committed, but it is a matter of timing. They're just preferring to make their decision public after the primaries are over. ... They would like someone else to act for them before they talk about it in the cold light of day." McCaskill isn't the first to suggest that the superdelegate race is as good as over now, and many non-mainstream media outlets are already speculating that this will be the coup de grace that gives Obama the nomination in the next month, maybe as early as as next week depending on the outcome of the Indiana and North Carolina primary elections.
So, if such credible speculation is to be believed, we won't have to wait much longer for the party majority to put their support behind Obama. And in that case, as Tom Petty wrote, the waiting's the hardest part.
So then what about that controversial about-face committed by the former DNC Chairman, Joseph J. Andrews? This is the first superdelegate in a few weeks to have made more than a marginal impact on the race at large, and the words 'surprise' and 'betrayal' is popping up in a lot of today's articles on Andrews' switch to Obama. Fortunately, Andrews wasted no time in explaining his rationale for pledging his vote toward Obama. In a letter released today clarifying his position, the former Democratic chairman said that the party must unite behind Obama to move the race and country forward. In the letter, which conveys a touching amount of passion and urgency for unification, Andrew wrote, "What is best for our Party and our country is not blind loyalty, but passionate support for the candidate who can best correct the misguided policies of the last eight years."
Andrew spoke eloquently about what moved him in favor of Obama, even beginning his address with four simple words: "I have been inspired." In a passage intended to persuade fellow Indiana residents to cast their vote for Obama in next week's primary election, Andrew said,
I ask Hoosiers to come together and vote for Barack Obama to be our next President. In an accident of timing, Indiana has been given the opportunity to truly make a difference. Hoosiers should grab that power and do what in their heart they know is right. They should reject the old negative politics and vote for true change. Don't settle for the tried and true and the simplistic slogans, but listen to your heart and dare to be inspired. Only a cynic would be critical of Barack Obama inspiring millions. Only the uninformed could forget that the candidate that wins in November is always the candidate that inspires millions.That compelling letter can be found here in its entirety, again compliments of today's Huffington Post.
No comments:
Post a Comment