Pelican Parts Forums - Where did the concept of "superdelegates" come from anyway?

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Where did the concept of "superdelegates" come from anyway?

I mean really?

The whole primary thing is kind of a long, drawn-out grandstanding opportunity enough as it is but I at least understand why the individual parties have them. For years the process made sense (or seemed to) - the states were assigned a number of individuals (delegates) based on population and the candidate winning that state got the delegates. Simple enough.

So where do these "superdelegates" come into the picture? Too many unemployed people sitting around with nothing to do so they made a new job for them? Too many political favors needing to be returned? A demand by a consortium of hotel owners in the convention city demanding that more rooms be booked during convention week? An effort to give former "delegates" a pat on the back by promoting them to "super" delegate (without paying them more - a motivational trick from corporate America)? Where did this come from exactly?

It seems like it's just needlessly obfuscating the process and creating a big giant bureaucracy to accomplish what should be a relatively simple task. Then again, maybe that's par for the Democratic party. . . but I still don't get this whole "superdelegate" thing.

Believe me, superdelegates ain't unemployed bums, sitting around eating bons bons. Most are elected officials or serious party insiders. IIRC, they came into being around 1984 as sort of a way for the party to have one last shot at stopping a trainwreck in the rare case of some fringe nut winning the pledged delegate count.

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

Quote:

After the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the Democratic Party made changes in its delegate selection process, based on the work of the McGovern-Fraser Commission. The purpose of the changes was to make the composition of the convention less subject to control by party leaders and more responsive to the votes cast during the campaign for the nomination.

Some Democrats believed that these changes had unduly diminished the role of party leaders and elected officials, weakening the Democratic tickets of George McGovern and Jimmy Carter. In 1982, a commission chaired by former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt created superdelegates. Under the original Hunt plan, superdelegates were 30% of all delegates, but when it was finally implemented in 1984, they were 14%. The number has steadily increased, and today they are approximately 20%.[6]

In 1984 only state party chair and vice chairs were guaranteed superdelegate status. The remaining spots were divided two ways. The Democrats in Congress were allowed to select up to 60% of their members to fill some of these spots. The remaining positions were left to the state parties to fill with priority given to governors and big-city mayors. In 1988 this process was simplified. Democrats in Congress were now allowed to select up to 80% of their members. All DNC members and all Democratic governors were automatically given superdelegate status. This year also saw the addition of the distinguished party leader category (although former DNC chairs were not added to this category until 1996, and former House and Senate minority leaders were not added until 2000). 1992 saw the addition of a category of unpledged "add-ons", a fixed number of spots allocated to the states, intended for other party leaders and elected officials not already covered by the previous categories. Finally beginning in 1996 all Democratic members of Congress were given automatic superdelegate status.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Lee (Post 3930089)

Like Hillary? ;)

Thanks for the info. That actually kinda' makes sense now.

So Hillary and Obama get to vote for themselves....

I believe it boils down to the apparent fact that the Democrats don't trust the people to vote for the "right" person...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathans_Dad (Post 3930268)

I believe it boils down to the apparent fact that the Democrats don't trust the people to vote for the "right" person...

The same could easily be said for plenty of other primaries. How about Bob Dole in 1996? Worst nominee of all time, but he won the primaries fair and square. Haley Barbour even told me this while I was giving him a ride in DC once. I never doubted it, but it was kinda weird to have him say it to me in private, when I had seen him on tv and at the convention swearing up and down that Dole was the second coming himself. Howard Dean in 2004 was the opposite. He was the one getting all the media and rally turnout, but he couldn't win any primaries. I don't trust the people to get it right either. Sometimes we get lucky, sometimes we lose. Remember Geoge Carlin's adage - Imagine how dumb the average person is and then remember that half of them are even dumber than that!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile (Post 3930092)

Like Hillary? ;)

Thanks for the info. That actually kinda' makes sense now.

IMO Obama is more of a fringe nut than Clinton. At least she's not a racist muslim socialist.

What a friggin combo.

Super delegates are a way for the high minded lefties to disenfranchise chumps.

You're right Mule. They are the elitist leftists last line of defense from we, the unwashed and unlearned masses.

"Geoge Carlin's adage - Imagine how dumb the average person is and then remember that half of them are even dumber than that!
Today 03:11 AM"

Typical statement/sentiment from the Democratic leadership. Superdelegates, when Democrats don't want to count every vote! All people, Illegals who can't speak English, should be allowed to vote! But, those of us who know better should be allowed to really make the tough decisions!

Before we go off too much on the leftist-elitists, what system do the Repubs use? I honestly don't know if they have a 'fail safe' to prevent the unwashed masses from actually getting their way.

The actual election IIRC is actually similar to the Super delegate spiel. Except for some states that have passed laws requiring the states delegates to vote according to the popular vote, in many states the seated delegates, once seated, can vote for whoever the hell they want, regardless of the actual popular vote.

These systems are actually all in place to protect the people from the people.

It's the old Franklin quote of "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner."

The Repubs don't have a "fail safe" as the Dems do. The states are decided on a winner take all basis and whoever gets the required number of delegates gets the nomination.

Now, of course both parties manipulate results through funding, endorsements, etc. I have no issue with this.

What I do have an issue with is the creation of a system that is deliberately set up to allow the power elites of a party to overrule the will of the people in an election.

I find it funny, actually, that the party who talks about enfranchising all voters and cries foul at almost every single presidential election they lose...has a system such as this in place in their own primaries. I hope that this election will show the flaws of that system and the rank and file Democrats will insist that it be dissolved.

I could care less about who gets the Democratic nomination, but I have a serious issue with this super delegate system.

If you are a Democrat, you should be quite PO'd. If you are a Republican, it isn't your place to say how the Democrats decide on who will be thier candidate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nathans_Dad (Post 3930596)

The Repubs don't have a "fail safe" as the Dems do. The states are decided on a winner take all basis and whoever gets the required number of delegates gets the nomination.

.

I guess it follows from this, that a smart lunatic would always run as a Republican. ;-)

That explains a lot.