"It's not the people who vote that count. It's the people who count the votes."
Posted on 02/16/2008 2:11:10 PM PST by Sub-Driver
Top Clinton Adviser Says Superdelegates Will Decide Election, Obama's Victories 'Irrelevant'
Saturday , February 16, 2008
A top Hillary Clinton adviser on Saturday boldly predicted his candidate would lock down the nomination before the August convention by definitively winning over party insiders and officials known as superdelegates, claiming the number of state elections won by rival Barack Obama would be "irrelevant" to their decision.
The claims no doubt will escalate the war of words between the campaigns, as Obama continues to argue superdelegates should vote the way of their districts. But the special class of delegates, which make up about 20 percent of the total delegate haul, are not bound to vote the way of their states and districts, as pledged delegates are.
Obama leads handily in the pledged delegate count and has won more states but trails Clinton in superdelegates, making them potential and controversial deadlock-breakers if the race ends up a dead heat come convention time.
Harold Ickes, a 40-year party operative charged with winning over superdelegates for the Clinton campaign, made no apologies on Saturday for the campaign's convention strategy.
"We're going to win this nomination," Ickes said, adding that they would do so soon after the last contest on June 7 in Puerto Rico. "You're not going to see this go to the convention floor."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
"It's not the people who vote that count. It's the people who count the votes."
Ickes was up to his armpits in Chinagate, too....
"A campaign boss is looking for three delegates to the presidential convention, delegates that are too stupid to discover that his candidate, Hammond Egger, is a crook. Enter the stooges as janitors sent to clean the man's office. After some of their antics, the boy's suitability for the job is apparent and they're hired. The stooges go to the convention, but double cross their boss and vote for another candidate, Abel Lamb Stewer. When the boss and his muscle man come looking for revenge, the boys defeat them in a wild fight."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045233/plotsummary
He is the last person I want to see left standing.
He is frightening in so many ways, on so many levels, it curdles the blood.
And no one is even asking the questions - this is like the mindless craze that swept Hitler to power
“Wow. The word hubris don’t even come close to covering this....”
True, but this is exactly how I see the Clinton - Obama race playing out. It is going to convention, and the Super Delegates are going to hand it to Hillary.
That key fault is that the Clintons have never let the other two branches of government to function without interference at all levels. They strongarm, blackmail, smear, and send justice out on false charges aimed at their targets.
I think Obama has none of those traits at this point and I'd find it a safer world with in-tact, pseudo ethical, inexperienced executive branch with the other two as oversight. Inexperience is not always a bad idea. Let's start hearing who he might appoint as his cabinet? Then you might feel better.
Do you really feel integrity is an acceptable trade-off for experience?
How very ironic!
That the Dems do it to themselves!
It makes our own problems with McCain seem almost bearable.
Supper-delegates, Automatic-delegates or I-get-to-vote-twice-delegates are NO DIFFERENT if a primary vote has been cast in one’s own precient box then as a convention delegate he/she gets one more vote on the convention floor. Makes good sense to me if the Democrats want to destroy themselves in front of the American voters.
Do I understand correctly that in some instances one Super-delegate vote can neutralize as many as 1300 primary votes cast by plain ordinary Democrats, the little Americans that the candidates love so much. I don’t have a “dog” in their fight but this just “looks undemocratic”.
“We’re going to win this nomination,” Ickes said, adding that they would do so soon after the last contest on June 7 in Puerto Rico. “You’re not going to see this go to the convention floor because we’ve paid off the Super Delegates big time. They’re smart enough to know that taking care of Hillary! should be their first priority.”
Roger that!
Wasn't he in the Ike admin.?
Another Civil-War is brewing. This one, we can watch on TV.
FDR Administration. Ickes was Attorney General I think.
Perhaps. But who would lead them.
The Obama campaign has nobody experienced at "taking it to the street" -- no Sharpton, no Jackson or their cohort.
Indeed, "taking it to the street" might be counter-productive -- risking the support of those who are attracted to Obama because "he's so nice and un-threatening".
The Democrat party might be facing some big problems. But so is the Obama campaign, if they get out-maneuvered by Her Thighness and her thugs.
That's not to say that events won't cost the Democrats some black votes. At this stage, a Hillary candidacy assuredly would. But riots in Denver? As much as the networks would love it, I doubt they'll happen.
Brilliant way to herd the sheep back into the pens.
I am in awe...
The Democrat super-delegate scheme was created precisely to prevent an insurgent non-establishment candidate from taking the nomination, this to avoid a repeat of their McGovern ‘72 debacle.
Is there anyone left who still thinks Democrats advocate actual Democracy?
This may clear up that misconception.
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