This caucus and primary season Senator Barack Obama has swept his way to victory in caucuses and primaries held across the nation. He has won 22 states. Senator Hillary Clinton, not too far behind, has won a total of 17 races. This is a tight race for the Democratic nomination and all this talk of Super Delegates potentially being the deciding factor of who will be the nominee is cause for concern – especially for those Super Delegates who are elected officials in jurisdictions across the land.
Will the Super ‘Elected’ Delegates go against the mood of the majority of their constituents when it’s time to pick a candidate at the Democratic convention this summer?
If voters are clearly pro-Obama for the Democratic nominee, Super “Elected” Delegates – despite their support for Hillary Clinton – better take heed. The same is true if some how the momentum shifts to Senator Clinton. Here’s why. ’Elected’ Super Delegates are, well, elected officials who will someday have to run for re-election in their jurisdiction wherever that may be. For instance, Congressman John Lewis is an elected official who is also a Super Delegate and who represents Georgia. In the February 5th Georgia primary voters delivered Barack Obama a wide margin victory. It would not be wise - notwithstanding his iconic standing - for Congressman Lewis to go against his constituents and cast his vote to Senator Clinton at the convention in August.
If elected officials who are Super Delegates value their political life, what they should fear more than anything is the backlash from voters when it’s time for their own re-election. What they will be confronted with is a contender who will undoubtedly make it their platform to remind voters that the elected official who served in the role as Super Delegate in 2008 went against their wishes and didn’t pick the guy they wanted for the Democratic nominee. No elected Super Delegated wants to be in that prickly situation. Voters will have a long memory in this case.
It’s a clear choice: Super ‘Elected’ Delegates should represent the wishes of their constituents.
Barack Obama is not out the woods yet. Hillary Clinton is gearing up for the Texas and Ohio where she expects to shore up the Latino vote and rack up delegates. She’s also gunning for Wisconsin.
Next Up!
Tuesday, April 22nd, Pennsylvania Primary
Stay Tuned and Engaged!
sdt for BlackandBrownNews.com