Super delegates? Do they have super powers?

Riding high from a week of victories, Obama is leading in number of states, number of votes, and, most importantly, number of delegates. Now, the delegate system is complicated to begin with (think the electoral college, only with more delegates and caucuses), but the addition of super delegates confuses matters further. I am a polysci nerd who follows the news with an unhealthy glee, and even I had no idea what the super delegates were all about.

What are super delegates (or superdelegates)? They're party officials, either Democrats who hold elected office or high-ranking members of the DNC. There are 796 of them in all, and they are free to vote for whomever they choose at the convention in Denver. Each of them counts as one delegate-- in other words, each super delegate is worth 1/3 of the Virgin Islands' delegation or 1/370 of California's delegation. Several of them have already endorsed one candidate or another (for example, Bill Clinton is a super delegate), but they are always able to change their minds right up to the convention.

Super delegates were instituted after the 1980 election. The Democrats decided to get out of the smoke-filled room and give the voting public more say in the primary process back in 1968 with the McGovern-Fraser commission. The problem with this, of course, is that some powerful people were nostalgic for those smokey rooms, and wanted more say in their party's primary. Thus, super delegates were created.

Normally, super delegates vote along with whatever the prevailing winds are from the primary process. It was obvious that John Kerry would get the nomination long before the 2004 DNC Convention. But this election is so close, their 796 votes might actually matter.

The Obama campaign is encouraging super delegates to vote with the will of the people. In other words, if Obama has won the most delegates, but still does not have enough for nomination, super delegates should vote Obama. Clinton is countering, saying that the super delegate system was set up so that party insiders could have a say and decide who the best candidate would be for the party. Clinton has a valid point, but this primary election is incredibly unique.

Normally, interest in the primary selection process is limited to party insiders and liberal activists. Candidates who appeal to the far left have historically done better in the primaries, and the super delegates were a way to assure a moderating presence. This election, however, has seen record turnout in every part of the country. What we are seeing is true democracy-- more people are caring, more people are voting, and more people are having their voices heard than ever before.

And many of those voices are declaring support for Obama.

The Democratic party has long held true to the ideals of true democracy. No matter what the public ends up declaring, the super delegates should respect it and not seek to overturn the popular vote. To do otherwise would be nothing short of disenfranchisement.