Top Clinton Adviser Says Superdelegates Will Decide Election, Obama's Victories 'Irrelevant'

Fox News ^

[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."

[pointsal]

Hillery... the absolute perfect example of bitchy arrogance!

[BlueYonder]

Oh but wait...wasn’t it the Rats arguing in 2000 that the winner of the popular vote - Al Gore - should be the President? How do they turn around and deny Obama, whose popular vote total will swamp Hillary’s?

Oh, that’s right. We’re talking about the Rats.

[Cicero]

If blacks riot, will it be too much to hope for that we can put some sort of signs on our doors that say, “Don’t blame me, I’m a Republican,” or, “I hate Hillary too”?

Unfortunately, rioters tend not to be terribly discriminating.

[blackdog]

And a Clinton III presidency would seat Ickes, Lenzner, Livingstone, Williams, Blumenthal, Socks Burglar, Jordan, Albright, Anne Frank, and an endless army of newspeak artists with a real pinache for trickery instead of governance back into the Whitehouse and State.

Do we really want that?

[devane617]

The MSM will lead the riots for Barocketman.

[upchuck]

I’ll take issue with your map. I’m not sure about 1967, but I know there were race riots in Louisville, KY in 1968 because I was there.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

They’re likely to riot even if the Witch “legitimately” wins the remaining primaries...

Let their Frankenstein Monster have at them.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Well, to be fair, Ickes was probably quite well aware that Monica was seriously jeopardizing his handsome salary.

[Lijahsbubbe]

They greatly underestimate the power of the “superdelegates” - if they even know about their existence. This week is the first week I’ve seen anybody else even acknowledge them.

I've heard it discussed here in Minneapolis on the radio. Very interesting. Am I correct in saying that many are senators and governors? Insiders indebted to the DNC and the Clinton machine.

[SE Mom]

I can’t wait to hear Donna Brazille’s reaction to this from Ickes. She’s on the record saying if the super delegates do as Ickes is suggesting- she will leave the Dem party...

It’s becoming clear- there isn’t ENOUGH popcorn.

Anywhere in the world.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

So every single Democrat who votes will be disenfranchised? How very ironic! That the Dems do it to themselves!

Reminds me of their political brethren, the Muzzies.

[G.Love]

I doubt we’ll see riots too. After the super-delegates select Hillary, she’ll put Obama on the bottom of her ticket as a consolation prize and people won’t be happy about it, but they won’t pass up the opportunity to vote for the history-making team of the first woman president and the first black vice president.

[Aglooka]

If party insiders “select” Hillary I would expect nationwide protests.

What amazes me is how the insiders are effectively bragging “we will choose who we want and votes don’t matter.”

[Lijahsbubbe]

I don’t believe there will be riots if Clinton wins the nomination. Most of the Obama voters would refuse to vote for Hilary in the election, and if she wins, THEN there will be rioting.

[Lijahsbubbe]

she’ll put Obama on the bottom of her ticket as a consolation prize

I don't believe Obama would take it.

[MASS-2 FAC]

Sub-Driver I have no doubt this will be the outcome. Will the Obama camp complain? Not if the Washington crowd “convinces” him that he stand down to her and take the VP slot. You can expect to see Obama grinning from ear to ear on TV telling the all the black Dems out there that this is the greatest ever ticket in history. The Clinton clan is too shrewd to steal this election in a way that they would allow themselves to be exposed going into the final round. They are power hungry and will not be stopped until they gain that power at any cost.

We really need to get the Republicans behind McPain to get this stopped. He ain't good, but he's better than this corrupt socialist. Another Clinton term will destroy this country. Semper fi

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

If blacks riot after being disenfranchised by the Democrat Party, the MSM will blame it on Bush and the Republicans. The white Republican industrial machine keeping the black man down...

[blackdog]

There hasn’t been a good riot in America for decades. Sure, a little spotty ruckus here or there because of cops with bad judgement putting down a few locals, but no real good riots based on politics. There aren’t enough people in this country who feel passionate and with enogh conviction about social concerns to riot. That’s a shame. Politicians know it too.

[ivoteright]

“Oh but wait...wasn’t it the Rats arguing in 2000 that the winner of the popular vote - Al Gore - should be the President? How do they turn around and deny Obama, whose popular vote total will swamp Hillary’s?”

If I recall correctly, it was Hillary herself who called for an end to the electoral system in favor of the popular vote.

[foreshadowed at waco]

IMHO if Clinton and Company steal this elecction from Obama by means of cronyism 75% of black America as well as a large share of young 1st time voters will sit out the election and many independents will go for McCain.