Obama Gets Another SuperDelegate: Wayne Dowdy

Woo, hoo!

Any chance the others will follow shortly? I hope this will be finished before June. This is getting ridiculous.

This is good but I'm hearing the Clintons are determined to force Obama to let Hillary on the ticket as vp. I was once all for this. I'm not anymore though. Obama doesn't need Bill or Hillary looking over his shoulders second-guessing and bothering him on every descision despite their vast gifts. Hillary might even say to "her people" at some point after being selected as vice-president, "I told y'all this uppity and light-skinned Negoro wasn't all he's cracked up to be." We just can't have that! I bet Hillary doesn't get a single delegate from Mississippi.

Can anyone tell me how SuperDelegates are decided? Since I'm not party affiliated I don't really know how SDs are determined, like if they are elected by local party members. I've noticed that elected officials are often SDs.

I wouldn't mind knowing that myself, Jeff.

Walt, I am tempted to say that Obama may be forced to choose Clinton as his running mate since her actions have splintered their party, unless he can choose a really, really good running mate that Clinton fans will gravitate toward.

As an aside, I heard someone say that if Obama became president ans Clinton was the VP, Obama will need a food taster. I know they were kidding, but...

That's funny, LW. Surely, Hillary wouldn't poison him but I'd be sure to hire all the cooking staff and make sure they're beholding to me and not Hillary. Yes, LW, I'm worried too that Hillary has gotten her soldiers to not vote for Obama. I'll have to see how that plays out. To be a super delegate you have to have special powers such as money and connections. I know Superman wasn't regular. That all I know about superdelegates but I did make the same conclusion that Jeff did.

Itodd is smart and will probably answer the question soon.

Actually, iTodd just has a Google box on his browser window. ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superdelegate

The Democratic Party rules do not use the term "superdelegate". This article follows the most common media practice in using the term "superdelegate" to refer to unpledged delegates, who fall into two categories:

- delegates seated based on other positions they hold, who are formally described (in Rule 9.A) as "unpledged party leader and elected official delegates"[1] (unpledged PLEO delegates); and

- additional unpledged delegates selected by each state party (in a fixed predetermined number), who are formally described (in Rule 9.B) as "unpledged add-on delegates" and who need not hold any party or elected position before their selection as delegates.[1]

That help? This is also later in the article:

By contrast, the unpledged PLEO delegates (Rule 9.A) are seated without regard to their presidential preferences, solely by virtue of being current or former elected officeholders and party officials.