Pam's House Blend - superdelegates

NC Superdelegate Brad Miller endorses Obama

Pam Spaulding — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Just the other day (as in Wednesday), Congressman Brad Miller (D-13) sounded like he was going to stay on the fence for a while. I wonder what got him off the fence. From a press release that hit my inbox:

"I will cast my vote as a delegate in Denver for Senator Barack Obama. The decision was not easy. Senator Clinton has run an impressive campaign, and has spoken eloquently to the concerns of working and middle class American families. She is one of the great leaders of this generation.
"Senator Obama understands that he has the chance not just to win the election this year, but to be a great president. Americans know that Republican policies have failed because Republican ideas are wrong. Americans know that our government has not acted, to use Franklin Roosevelt's words, as trustees for the whole people, but have taken the side of powerful economic interests on every issue. Americans want a fundamental change in course.
"Senator Obama will seize that opportunity.
"If Senator Obama and Democratic candidates up and down the ticket win this year and then deliver next year, we can build a consensus that will last a generation."

And what about those superdelegates?

Pam Spaulding — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:15:00 GMT

Since Hillary isn't going anywhere (yet, though if you read Joe Sudbay, it sounds like Wes Clark called Hil and told her to drop out), it looks like the superdelegates are going to be forced to decide this thing.

Check out the NC superdelegate list and who's uncommitted. It's below the fold.
From the N&O's Under the Dome:

Clinton
Gov. Mike Easley
Susan Burgess, Charlotte Councilwoman
Obama
U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield
U.S. Rep. David Price
U.S. Rep. Mel Watt
Everett Ward, former Democratic Party director
Dannie Montgomery, N.C. Democratic Party vice chair
Joyce Brayboy, public policy lobbyist
Jeanette Council, Cumberland County commissioner
Uncommitted
U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler
U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre
U.S. Rep. Brad Miller
U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge
Jerry Meek, chairman of state party
Carol Peterson, Buncombe County commissioner
David Parker, Statesville attorney
Dr. Jeanette Council
Muriel K. Offerman
Two delegates to be named at the state convention.

And what about those uncommitteds? I guess you can classify these folks as the fence-sitters who don't want the responsibility of deciding so they'll just sit it out and hope Hillary drops out. One of them, Rep. Brad Miller, said:

Miller, a Raleigh Democrat, hasn't made an endorsement yet in the presidential race, Barb Barrett reports. He represents a Congressional district that includes some rural areas - the kind that are leaning toward Hillary Clinton - and may be hedging his bets.
In any case, Miller wasn't ready to endorse late Tuesday either - even though Obama won the popular vote in North Carolina.
"I'll probably announce a decision before too much longer," Miller said.
And he hinted that he might wait to see whether the race shakes itself out without his endorsement.
"This may not come down to the superdelegates after all," Miller said.

Ironically, Miller was one of the pols courted to run against Dole and declined (as did Hagan, originally. Miller had the support of the netroots as well.

Superdelegates hiding from the wrath of the Clintons

Pam Spaulding — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:30:00 GMT

Will these superdelegates come out of the political closet? Mike Lux at Open Left, on fearful superdelegates who want support Obama but would prefer to not publicly declare lest they piss the Clinton machine off:

There are plenty of people in the Democratic Party who think Hillary Clinton would make a better President, and/or a better general election candidate, than Barack Obama. There are also some folks who endorsed Hillary early on, and believe you have to stick with the candidate you endorse until the bitter end. There are even a few, although the number is shrinking daily, who still have not genuinely made up their mind. And some superdelegates in the remaining states want to wait for the voters in their own state to vote before they declare. But there are very few people I talk to who think Hillary can win without an utterly divisive fight that will likely tear the party apart. They know that from the perspective of what's best for the party, it's time to endorse Obama.
What those remaining undeclared folks are telling me in private, though, is that they hope the race will play itself out and Obama will emerge as the clear winner so that they don't have to piss the Clintons and their machine off.

More below the fold.

They don't want the Clintons and McAuliffe and those donors who signed the letter to stop raising money for them. They don't want Carville and Wolfson to call them a traitor. They don't want all the behind-the-scenes trashing that they know will come.
I am encouraging my friends to come out of their political closet. If all the superdelegates and other influential friends that I have talked to who believe that the best path for the party is for Obama to win a clear victory would come out in is favor, this thing really would be over.

I think this tells you a lot about the kind of rep the Clinton team has -- no one is making it up; these folks have dealt with them before and know that the Clintonistas hold political grudges and don't mind bashing kneecaps of their "friends" when the going gets tough. We all know what happened when Bill Richardson, a long time friend and former Clinton cabinet member, decided to endorse Obama. Out trotted Carville with that "Judas" comment. The superdelegates are hoping for things to sort out so they don't have deal with the fallout.

I'm not sure at this point if there are any Clinton friends who they aren't willing to vilify or toss under the bus for political gain. The one exception seems to be high-priced Mark Penn, who they keep on the team despite his horrible, bottom-feeding political "strategy." I have to think the reason he's not been tossed over isn't loyalty, but that he must have some serious info about the Clintons that they are afraid will come out if their thug-for-hire is dissed.