(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Barack Obama has won 23 of the 35 Democratic contests so far and is leading Hillary Clinton among "pledged" delegates. But, it's Clinton who leads the race when it comes to the ever-important superdelegates.
There are 796 of them in total – many are members of Congress or other party officials – and if the race remains as tight as it's been, they could be the deciding factor.
Right now, Clinton leads Obama in superdelegates 234-to-157. Part of the reason why is because of her husband, the former president, who's calling in all the favors he's done for the Democratic Party over the last 16 years. But consider this: Obama has won the last eight contests in a row. You can bet he'll use these victories to try to change the minds of the Clinton superdelegates. Some superdelegates are already saying that party insiders should be careful of overturning the collective decision of Democratic voters across the
The Obama camp insists that whichever candidate has the most pledged delegates will be the nominee, which suggests they're going to put a lot of pressure on the superdelegates to fall in line. Superdelegates already backing Obama say their peers should support whoever wins the most pledged delegates.
But, Clinton's advisers say the superdelegates should back whomever they think would make the best nominee and the best president. In other words, never mind what the voters say, we'll decide who the nominee is.
Here’s my question to you: If the Clinton-Obama race remains unresolved, what will the superdelegates do?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Alix writes:
The superdelegate system is undemocratic. Why should the votes of party elite count for more than ordinary Americans? If the superdelegates don't agree to back whomever the people have chosen, it will totally destroy the credibility of the Democratic Party (what's left of it anyway) and disenchant millions of voters.
Doug writes:
I'm a Hillary supporter, but if she doesn't win the popular delegate vote, she should back off and admit defeat. If she wins because of superdelegate shenanigans, I for one, will no longer be a fan of hers.
Gigi from Alabama writes:
Hopefully they will follow the voters in their respective states. Next go around, why not just abolish this stupid idea of "super" delegates? There is absolutely nothing super about them. They are just people that probably think they know more than the rest of us.
Zach writes:
Quite frankly, and unfortunately, the vast majority of the American public is not qualified to decide who should run the country. The delegates will choose the candidate that they feel will best run the country according to their educated, informed, and experienced opinions.
Greg writes:
The superdelegates may owe a lot of favors to former President Clinton, but I doubt they'd support someone who will not win in the general election. If the polls indicate Obama can win and Clinton cannot, I do not believe they'd commit political hari kiri.
Antonio writes:
Jack, The Democratic Party should simply divide the superdelegates in half: 398 to Obama and 398 to Clinton. As for the delegates in Florida and Michigan, divide them in half, too. This will remove any possibility of an unfair treatment. Keep the people empowered to continue to vote, and all this will get done without compromising the democratic process.
Candace writes:
If the superdelegates don't decide with the American people, I will vote for McCain.