# Superdelagate primary? Any chance of this happening? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 26, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superdelagate-primary-any-chance-of-this-happening/442790 "2008-03-26T13:41:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superdelagate-primary-any-chance-of-this-happening/442790/1 "2008-03-26T13:41:10Z")
Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee [is pushing the idea of a “Superdelagate Primary”](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9217.html) to help the Dems settle on a nominee and avoid a protracted summer-long battle between Obama and Clinton that he fears will damage the party. > [@](#): > > Bredesen is doing something about his concerns. He was in Washington this week to promote his idea for holding a “superdelegate primary” in June, in which the 795 party bigwigs would gather to hear one last time from Clinton and Obama before casting a final vote. > > Rather than allow the horse-trading and bloodletting go on all summer, he’d get it over with during a two-day business meeting in a neutral, easily reached city like Dallas. > > “Invite the candidates to come and talk if they want, and then literally call the roll,” he explained. “We should not go through the summer and have a divided and exhausted Democratic Party. The inescapable conclusion is: OK, you’ve got to find some way to bookend and bring it to closure earlier. How do you do that? Do it in June rather than August." I think it’s a great idea but I’m not sure if it would work in a practical sense. Any chance that this idea will take off? ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superdelagate-primary-any-chance-of-this-happening/442790/2 "2008-03-26T14:02:38Z")
It’s a very good idea, and in fact I expect that the vast majority of supers will commit after the last primary votes have been cast. This just puts pressure on the last few weasels to take a chance and vote. ---
**Author:** ![onions\_without\_tears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c37758/32.png) [@onions\_without\_tears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onions_without_tears)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superdelagate-primary-any-chance-of-this-happening/442790/3 "2008-03-26T15:58:54Z")
Seems to me the whole point of using delegates, rather than just adding up vote totals, is that they should be able to use their own judgment. And that would be at the convention, not in a smoke filled room beforehand, like in the 1800’s. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superdelagate-primary-any-chance-of-this-happening/442790/4 "2008-03-26T16:02:49Z")
Sounds pretty reasonable to me. As he points out, it’s going to happen anyway, why not do it as soon as the argument fodder (the complete set of primaries and caucuses, including disputed states, which are now apparently not going to generate new results) is all in and accounted for? Admittedly, I am an Obama supporter and it looks like he’ll be ahead when this thing is held, based on conservative projections. It seems like one or the other of them is going to have to suck it up and really speak to their supporters to get them back on board, I am just as much concerned about the loser’s ability to influence their people as the winner’s ability to attract people who initially opposed him/her. Time will help that. I would still vote for Clinton at this point, but I’d really be hoping that Obama gets another shot at it. However, there are lots of people on both sides that seem a bit more bitter- they will take some real work to win back. However, assuming that things go lilke they’re gonna, then Hillary has more to lose, and Obama will want to quit while he’s ahead. A longer fight only helps Hillary at this point. Why would her supporters agree to stop early? ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superdelagate-primary-any-chance-of-this-happening/442790/5 "2008-03-26T16:06:25Z")
[QUOTE=onions without tears] Seems to me the whole point of using delegates, rather than just adding up vote totals, is that they should be able to use their own judgment. And that would be at the convention, not in a smoke filled room beforehand, like in the 1800’s. [/QUOTE] But absent an earlier decision, there will be a “smoke-filled room” at the convention to do just the same thing. Why would delegates not be able to use their own judgement at an earlier meeting? The only difference is timing. Certainly there will be pressure, but that pressure would equal or pale in comparison to the pressure that would be brought to bear at the convention. To combat the SFR thing, and it seems like the proposals do this, this would need to be a public forum as the convention would be. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superdelagate-primary-any-chance-of-this-happening/442790/6 "2008-03-26T16:38:59Z")
[QUOTE=stolichnaya] Sounds pretty reasonable to me. As he points out, it’s going to happen anyway, why not do it as soon as the argument fodder (the complete set of primaries and caucuses, including disputed states, which are now apparently not going to generate new results) is all in and accounted for? Admittedly, I am an Obama supporter and it looks like he’ll be ahead when this thing is held, based on conservative projections. It seems like one or the other of them is going to have to suck it up and really speak to their supporters to get them back on board, I am just as much concerned about the loser’s ability to influence their people as the winner’s ability to attract people who initially opposed him/her. Time will help that. I would still vote for Clinton at this point, but I’d really be hoping that Obama gets another shot at it. However, there are lots of people on both sides that seem a bit more bitter- they will take some real work to win back. However, assuming that things go lilke they’re gonna, then Hillary has more to lose, and Obama will want to quit while he’s ahead. A longer fight only helps Hillary at this point. Why would her supporters agree to stop early? [/QUOTE] That’s the beauty of it. They wouldn’t have to. Imagine the superdelegate primary is made up of only Obama supporters as Clinton supporters refuse to attend (not bloody likely, but just suppose). If their headcount plus pledged delegates equals the amount necessary to win the nomination, game over. The press and public opinion will do the rest, and it’d be a tough sell for Clinton to continue to press on after that point. If not, then reverse the circumstances. Either way the famous Democratic Circular Firing Squad can finally turn their muskets toward Mumm-Ra–I mean, Sen. McCain. Win-win!