Brainster
13th May 2008, 11:59 AM
Okay, superdelegates are free to vote their minds, but pledged delegates are supposed to stick with the campaign they've signed onto. So what do you do if a pledged delegate offers to jump from your opponent to you?
If you're leading in pledged delegates, the answer, of course, is that you express shock and horror at the perfidy of this faithless delegate. Why? Because he undermines any notion that the pledged delegate count is sacred and fixed in stone.
Well, it's happened (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202554.html).
Johnson, who endorsed Clinton nine days before Maryland's February primary, said he will urge Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, who co-chair Clinton's Maryland campaign, to bring all of her delegates to Obama's camp for the sake of party unity.
"I cannot in good conscience go to the convention and not support Barack," Johnson said in an interview. "She ran a great campaign, but she fell short of the line."
The Obama camp denies involvement in the decision (http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/05/pledged-delegate-switches-to-obama.html), but fails to express any dismay:
On the Romer conference call David Plouffe just said that Mr. Johnson made this decision on his own and that they had nothing to do with it. He also mentioned that the Clinton Campaign has said that pledged delegates could switch. He said their focus is on reaching 2025 total delegates and that it is in reach.
Hillary supporters are already crowing (http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/5/13/122213/532):
Um Plouffe, if everyone can vote how they want, no one will reach 2025 or 2209 until the convention in August. What a dumb move by him.
Yep, don't count your delegates before they've voted at the convention. Amateur hour continues at the Obama campaign. At least one Obama supporter (http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/05/13/breaking-a-pledge.aspx) gets that the principle's the thing:
There may be extraordinary cases in which it is reasonable for a pledged delegate to defy the will of the citizens whose votes he's representing, but this isn't one of them. There have been plenty of procedural absurdities that have been brought to light in this year's extended primary. But none come close to comparing with the undemocratic chaos that would ensue if other delegates took their pledges as lightly as Johnson does his.
Let me add here that the Clinton campaign clearly pulled a boner by including Johnson as part of their delegate slate. He endorsed Obama in December, then Hillary in February.
If you're leading in pledged delegates, the answer, of course, is that you express shock and horror at the perfidy of this faithless delegate. Why? Because he undermines any notion that the pledged delegate count is sacred and fixed in stone.
Well, it's happened (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051202554.html).
Johnson, who endorsed Clinton nine days before Maryland's February primary, said he will urge Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, who co-chair Clinton's Maryland campaign, to bring all of her delegates to Obama's camp for the sake of party unity.
"I cannot in good conscience go to the convention and not support Barack," Johnson said in an interview. "She ran a great campaign, but she fell short of the line."
The Obama camp denies involvement in the decision (http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/05/pledged-delegate-switches-to-obama.html), but fails to express any dismay:
On the Romer conference call David Plouffe just said that Mr. Johnson made this decision on his own and that they had nothing to do with it. He also mentioned that the Clinton Campaign has said that pledged delegates could switch. He said their focus is on reaching 2025 total delegates and that it is in reach.
Hillary supporters are already crowing (http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/5/13/122213/532):
Um Plouffe, if everyone can vote how they want, no one will reach 2025 or 2209 until the convention in August. What a dumb move by him.
Yep, don't count your delegates before they've voted at the convention. Amateur hour continues at the Obama campaign. At least one Obama supporter (http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/05/13/breaking-a-pledge.aspx) gets that the principle's the thing:
There may be extraordinary cases in which it is reasonable for a pledged delegate to defy the will of the citizens whose votes he's representing, but this isn't one of them. There have been plenty of procedural absurdities that have been brought to light in this year's extended primary. But none come close to comparing with the undemocratic chaos that would ensue if other delegates took their pledges as lightly as Johnson does his.
Let me add here that the Clinton campaign clearly pulled a boner by including Johnson as part of their delegate slate. He endorsed Obama in December, then Hillary in February.