2008 Woodie Awards
Obama's next challenge: winning superdelegates
Issue date: 5/1/08
The only people elected officials must answer to is their constituents, not national audiences. Considering that Clinton has won Massachusetts, Ohio, California, Pennsylvania and New York, under the logic of Obama supporters, these officials must vote for the candidate their constituents voted for. Already that has not occurred. Superdelegates are voting for whom they feel is the best candidate. Govs. Deval Patrick (Mass.) and Bill Richardson (N.M.) are both supporting Obama, despite their states voting for Clinton. Meanwhile, Govs. Martin O'Malley and Tom Vilsack (Iowa) are balking their state's votes for Obama and stand with Clinton.
Clinton has won the states that matter the most to the Democrats. The number of superdelegates a state has can show to some level a mix of the Democratic support in that state and its weight in the Electoral College come November. The biggest "blue" state, not including Illinois, that Obama has won is Maryland, with 27 superdelegates. His top three states add up to 81 superdelegates, while Clinton's add up to 142.
Moreover, Democrats are beginning to worry about Obama's electability. He's a great candidate when unchallenged and speaking from a telepromter, but take him out of a messianic venue and he doesn't do so hot. Republicans are already hurting House Democrats running for office by connecting them to Obama, such as the ones in North Carolina and Mississippi. That used to be Clinton up there being bashed by the GOP.
These are Obama's first real electoral challenges. The main reason why he won his current Senate seat is because his Democratic and Republican challengers dropped out due to corruption and sex scandals. Now that he's in a real race, the man can't finish his opponent off. That should give Democrats some pause when considering who would be best to go up against a formidable McCain in the general election.
I'm not sweating too much about whichever candidate comes out of this nomination duel. I don't like McCain, but he'll probably do well against either. He can get the independents from Clinton and the Reagan Democrats from an Obama who seems more elitist and liberal every day.
What I am worried about is the future of this country. Though I like Obama's public persona, I believe he would have been a great candidate after another four years or, better yet, a great majority leader of the Senate.
Despite what his supporters say, experience does matter. Obama will be the least experienced president in this country's history. That would be relatively OK, if his campaign was not so superficial and vacuous, relying on "hope" and "change" buzz words. American politicians have become celebrities. That is true for all three candidates, but more so for Obama. For that reason, I reluctantly take joy when Clinton wins each contest, because it might further prevent Obama's Oprah-inspired, amateur-celebrity candidacy from rising to the Oval Office.
Clinton has won the states that matter the most to the Democrats. The number of superdelegates a state has can show to some level a mix of the Democratic support in that state and its weight in the Electoral College come November. The biggest "blue" state, not including Illinois, that Obama has won is Maryland, with 27 superdelegates. His top three states add up to 81 superdelegates, while Clinton's add up to 142.
Moreover, Democrats are beginning to worry about Obama's electability. He's a great candidate when unchallenged and speaking from a telepromter, but take him out of a messianic venue and he doesn't do so hot. Republicans are already hurting House Democrats running for office by connecting them to Obama, such as the ones in North Carolina and Mississippi. That used to be Clinton up there being bashed by the GOP.
These are Obama's first real electoral challenges. The main reason why he won his current Senate seat is because his Democratic and Republican challengers dropped out due to corruption and sex scandals. Now that he's in a real race, the man can't finish his opponent off. That should give Democrats some pause when considering who would be best to go up against a formidable McCain in the general election.
I'm not sweating too much about whichever candidate comes out of this nomination duel. I don't like McCain, but he'll probably do well against either. He can get the independents from Clinton and the Reagan Democrats from an Obama who seems more elitist and liberal every day.
What I am worried about is the future of this country. Though I like Obama's public persona, I believe he would have been a great candidate after another four years or, better yet, a great majority leader of the Senate.
Despite what his supporters say, experience does matter. Obama will be the least experienced president in this country's history. That would be relatively OK, if his campaign was not so superficial and vacuous, relying on "hope" and "change" buzz words. American politicians have become celebrities. That is true for all three candidates, but more so for Obama. For that reason, I reluctantly take joy when Clinton wins each contest, because it might further prevent Obama's Oprah-inspired, amateur-celebrity candidacy from rising to the Oval Office.
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