I agree completely, but they are far more limited with no hands on LE bureaucracies. Their mob ties are probably still intact, but the mob notices who might win...
I'm sure they can still hire and pay hit men, but can they still control the aftermath? When their pet ME in Arkansas was finding natural causes or suicide for people who shot themselves repeatedly with a shot gun or one guy who allegedly cut off his own head, they were in control of Arkansas LE, courts, etc.
Remember Buddy Young? Maybe they could still count on him, but could he still direct Arkansas troopers? One of their enforcers, the Pelican, is in prison right now. It might occur to the brighter thug hires that they can no longer guarantee safety from prosecution.
Also, if one super delegate gets dead or really bad owies, that could be a coincidence. If several do, all the old stories come up again and this time the press will cover them because they are in the tank for Obambam.
Remember that terror only works if people understand WHO they have to fear, and, when that becomes obvious to a newly informed electorate, the electorate will usually reject the murderous evil skanks. Even the mob tries not to hit civilians in order to avoid mass demand for justice.
IOW Catch 22: PR still matters but you can't intimidate if the targets don't know what you do/did/might do to them, but PR still matters and will destroy you if you overstep...