HRC would have been nominated without the superdelegates...that proves we don't NEED them.

[Gothmog]

190. Your defense of your proposals does not stand up and is full of factual errors

I actually live in the real world and your proposals make zero sense in the real world. I actually know the DNC rules on delegate voting and I actually know a good number of super delegates and members of Congressional Black Caucus.

Your analysis of the Texas two-step was so off that it was funny. Under the old two-step process, two-thirds of the delegates were selected or allocated based on the primary results and one-third based on first on district caucuses that occurred the night of the primary and senate district/county caucuses that occurred before the state convention. Clinton narrowly won the primary but lost in the caucuses badly and so ended up with fewer Texas delegates than President Obama. The Obama people had some good trainers come in for the caucus segment and the Obama delegates won the caucus segment of the Texas two-step by a good margin. The DNC got rid of the Texas two-step in 2016 and all delegates were allocated based on the primary results. I know this because I campaigned for and ran to be a delegate for the Clinton campaign and was elected in my state senate district caucus.

You keep on ignoring the fact that DNC rules do not bind any delegate (both pledged and super) to vote a candidate. I was a pledged delegate to Philadelphia for Clinton. Again, I was anticipating a possible credentials committee fight in Philadelphia and so I read the DNC rules and the rules of a dozen or so state parties for delegate selection including a couple of caucus states (these rules are identical or have the exact same wording in each state). Pledged delegates are allocated based on either the initial caucus results or based on the primary. I could have voted for anyone but there was no way that I would not vote for Hillary Clinton. Super delegates are just like other delegates. In the real world campaigns carefully vet their pledged delegates to make sure that the people selected will vote for correctly. Again I live in the real world and I was on the committee that was responsible for vetting delegate nominees for the Clinton campaign. The DNC rules are based on some good law that you cannot force a presidential elector to vote for a candidate. To adopt your system, the DNC would have to change or ignore the existing court rulings. Again the current system works because the people selected in the vetting process tend to be loyal members of the party who will not change their votes.

Your proposal would not increase the power of super delegates. Super delegates are elected officials and party leaders. These elected officials have strong opinions as to which candidate they want to support and would laugh at your proposal. Your proposal takes away the right of elected party officials and leaders to indicate support for and to campaign for the candidate of their choice. Heck, one of the members of the CBC who I am friends with was at a Clinton event that I was "officially" a "host" of and had fun introducing me to Hillary Clinton by claiming that I was his lawyer. He would laugh at the concept that denying him the right to campaign for and work with the candidate of his choice during the primary process would increase his power. Your proposal would NOT increase his power but would deny this elected member of congress the right to campaign for and to support the candidate of his choice at the most crucial portion of the primary process.

As I noted on an earlier post, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee supported Hillary Clinton in 2008 even though her congressional district went heavily for President Obama. Sheila continued this support through the senate district/county caucuses but switched just before the State Convention and Hillary conceded. That was her right and I have no trouble with a super delegate or party leader supporting the candidate of their choice.

I would love to see you make your proposal to someone in the real world. Again I live in the real world and I have discussed issues with party leaders and elected officials like members of the CBC. If you want to come to Texas, I will love to introduce you to Sheila and let her have fun with your concepts. I would love to hear someone attempt to explain to a member of Congress why it would be okay to deny such elected official their right to campaign for and to support the candidate of their choice during the primary process.

I will continue to work in the real world on real political issues and work on real campaigns. Your proposals are not based on facts and would not work in the real world.