Va. superdelegate shifts from Clinton to Obama
Sen. Barack Obama nabbed a Virginia superdelegate from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday.
Jennifer McClellan, a state legislator from Richmond, became the first Virginia superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention to switch her support from Clinton to Obama.
She joined a growing list of observers from across the nation who say, in the wake of Tuesday’s primary elections in North Carolina and Indiana, it is all but impossible for Obama to lose his lead in pledged delegates and total votes won this year.
“It’s time to come together as a party and support Sen. Obama and prepare for a victory against John McCain in November,” she said during a telephone news conference.
She was joined on the phone by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat who has been leading Obama’s campaign in Virginia and stumping for him nationally. “It was a tough call for Jen to make, but it was ultimately the right call that all of us should be making for our party,” Kaine said.
McClellan and Kaine stopped short of calling on Clinton to withdraw.
The nation’s 795 superdelegates will make up almost 20 percent of the 4,049 delegates to vote at the Democratic National Convention in September.Virginia has 16 superdelegates, and no one else appeared to be switching. Four are committed to Obama, and four back Clinton. The rest are uncommitted or their preference could not be determined as of Wednesday.
The remaining Clinton backers, including Del. Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, said they are standing pat.
McClellan notified Clinton’s campaign of her decision and expects to talk to the New York senator by phone.
“It will be a difficult conversation,” she said.
Tags: jennifer, mcclellan
May 8th, 2008 at 12:31 am
If there is a situation where (for instance) most of the black superdelegates switch to Obama, while the white ones don’t, then that is the story. If it’s a statistically significant difference, then there’s a good chance they are switching because of race.The same thing is true (more true, really) in elections. If the white vote splits between Obama and Clinton, while 90 percent of black people vote for Obama, then the fact is: Black people are voting their race, while white people are (evidentally) voting for something else, perhaps reasons of policy.ADDENDUM:Just as an example of what I’m talking about:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21225970/In California, the Clinton/Obama split between whites was 46/45–near perfect. Among blacks, it was 18/78. This is a pretty serious difference, and you might just might attribute this difference to the fact that black people en masse sat down and did a careful comparison of the policy stances between Clinton and Obama and chose the latter.However, the simplest explaination is that they are simply voting for the black person because they are black. (This is the kind of thing, that if white people did it, would be considered racism of the wickedest kind.)It’s comparable to black people’s usual habit of voting 80-90 percent Democratic. White Democrats never really worried about this, because such identity politics always worked for them. Eventually, as the Demographics shift, it will stop working. You’ll have the world #1 NON-racist, Bill Clinton, being ludicrously accused of racism, just because he’s criticizing Obama. You’ll have white people splitting their votes, and everyone else voting for their race/ethnicity.Get used to it, I guess.
May 8th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Can we please, please stop with the color commentary in regards to this election? “In recent days, there is a sense of movement and a sense of spirit,” Lewis told The New York Times. “Something is happening in America and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.”Notice how Rep. John Lewis did not say, “I just realized Obama and I are both black men, and that I am not a woman, so now I am going to vote for him over her.”I can tell you first hand that the “sense of movement and a sense of spirit” he is talking about is the public outcry among Georgians that he support Obama, seeing as how 67% of our Democratic electorate chose him. I had called his office more than once to voice my dissatisfaction. I like to think he was listening.I met with Lewis in his D.C. office over the summer regarding the suspension of habeas corpus and putting an end to the Iraq war. He was very receptive and has an amazing civil rights record to boot. I am pleased he is doing the right thing for his constituency in supporting Obama.Please take this as a lesson that you, yes you, can influence these superdelegates. Make a phone call, write a letter. And not just to your Congress critters, but also to your state’s DNC memebers.Remember that 0.000007% of the voting population has 19.6% voting power in the 2008Democratic Primary. That is fucked. Period.Let me put it this way, if you convince just 1 of these people to change their vote that would be exactly equivalent to voting 29,899.5 times inGeorgia’s primary. Seriously. I did the math. 1,046,485 votes cast divided by 45 delegates.Not many people participate in our political system, this gives eachperson that does participate enormous power. It is a sad and usuallyinconvenient fact, but one that we can now use to our advantage.This is where the wheat is separated from the shaft. I hear the majorityof you bitching about this process. This is your chance to do something about it beyond just bitching and casting your vote at the polls.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:12 am
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/02/superdelegates.htmlSeems they night go where the money is
May 8th, 2008 at 3:02 am
MuhammObama!
May 8th, 2008 at 3:53 am
What is to come!