Pelosi's Delegate Stance Boosts Obama

[Hope And Change]

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pauses as he speaks during a town hall meeting in Plainfield, Ind., Saturday, March 15, 2008. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)


Pelosi's Delegate Stance Boosts Obama


Published Saturday, March 15, 2008

By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says it would be damaging to the Democratic party for its leaders to buck the will of national convention delegates picked in primaries and caucuses, a declaration that gives a boost to Sen. Barack Obama.

"If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what's happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic party," Pelosi said in an interview taped Friday for broadcast Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

The California Democrat did not mention either Obama or his rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, by name. But her remarks seemed to suggest she was prepared to cast her ballot at the convention in favor of the candidate who emerges from the primary season with the most pledged delegates.

Obama leads Clinton by 142 pledged delegates - those delegates picked in nomination contests to date, in The Associated Press' count.

Barring an unlikely string of landslide victories by the former first lady in the remaining states, he will end the primary season with a delegate lead, but short of the 2025 needed to win the nomination.

That gives the balance of power to the so-called superdelegates, prominent Democrats who are automatically entitled to attend the convention because of their status as members of Congress or other leaders. Clinton leads Obama for their support in the AP count, 249-213.

Pelosi's comments could influence other House Democrats who are neutral in the presidential race and will attend the convention as superdelegates.

more...

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20080315/APP/803150758//Pelosi_s_Delegate_Stance_Boosts_Obama

[loveangelc]

1. love you nancy

[Donkeykick]

2. So far Clinton...

has carried the states (electoral votes) that is going to matter in the big run this Fall though. Think about it. :shrug:

[Liberal Gramma]

4. I don't buy this logic

California will go blue whichever of our candidates wins the nomination. New York will probably vote D also. Texas will go red. The big state strategy is a myth.

[Donkeykick]

Really?

How about those states that Obama won--especially those Midwest ones? How do you think they will go--Blue or Red?

And you did fail to mention that Hillary took the Delegates from the ones that do matter to begin with.

[Liberal Gramma]

12. Some of the states that he won are purple and could go blue

The states she won are reliably blue and wouldn't go red if we ran Ralph Nader. I don't think Clinton fans want to admit it, but Obama has crossover appeal and Clinton does not. He brings new voters to swell the Democratic ranks, she does not. He brings out voters in droves. She does not. He can win. She can not.

[Donkeykick]

13. OK Gramma.

I hope that you are right. If Obama does go to the General Election I'll vote for him. Have a good day! ;)

[tekisui]

6. Hillary proves it would be a very close race DEPENDENT on her"big states"

Obama would win the same "big states" PLUS some new blues. CO, VA, MO, NM and maybe even GA.

THe big state argument is bunk.

[Milo_Bloom]

7. So did Kerry...

Think about it.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Democrats continue to lose Presidential elections

based on this nonsense about "states that matter". These large states with a large Dem population are not going to suddenly vote for McCain. They will vote for whichever Dem is on the ticket. Clinton supporters need to snap out of their hypnotic stupor and stop repeating the twisted logic of repuke Mark Penn. The KEY is to turn out those Dems in states that have been ignored by the party for the past 28 years and bring the Reagan Democrats and Independents HOME.

[stop the bleeding]

9. Oh brother

:argh:

edit to add::banghead:

[TwilightGardener]

15. Impossible to predict how well each will do in November against

McCain in each "swing" state--but head-to-head polls usually favor Obama. Besides, the primary contest is a DELEGATE game--it was at the beginning, it is now, and Nancy sez it will continue to be. The rules don't change according to whatever favors Hillary: at the start, everyone wanted delegates--that's what Super Tuesday was supposed to be about. Then when Hillary started losing in delegates, it started to be popular votes, which is not a fair system to to by (caucuses vs. primaries), now it's "big states" that she happens to win. Er, sorry--if that was the case, Obama and Hillary should have ignored all of the other primaries and caucuses and just focused on a handful of states, right? Ridiculous.

[roguevalley]

19. dems will vote for dems. Only the partisan sulkers will stay home

don't assume that because of the primaries that the GE won't go for us.

[thoughtcrime1984]

20. Flawed logic

Polls show Obama doing better than Hillary vs. McCain in virtually every state, most notably Texas. A different opponent brings out an entirely different set of results. Obama will win all of the big blue states that Hillary would, PLUS he will very likely carry a few smaller purple states.

[cbayer]

3. I thought we hated Pelosi?

I just can't keep up!

Just kidding, good article.

[AGirl]

5. superdelegates wouldn't exist if they are just there to reflect votes

of the pledge delegate. Nancy can also shove it.

[Vinca]

10. Why do we bother with elections then? Just let the supers vote

and we could use all the hundreds of millions to feed the hungry. There will be hell to pay if Obama goes in with a majority and comes out the loser.

[Perky]

11. but neither are they there to deny the delegate leader or the popular vote leader the nomination.

They are there to protect the party against a non-mainstream candidate. Obama is hardly that.

[AGirl]

17. non-mainstream? kind of subjective.

[Perky]

18. Well of course it is. but that was the intent when instituted

post McCarthy and post McGovern.

This is simply the first time, they have had a significant role to olay

[Straight Shooter]

14. Nancy wants to remain most powerful woman in politics; and she wants R. Emaneul gone from the House.

Who know what Pelosi really thinks is right. She can't stand Rahm Emanuel, ever since the Hoyer/Murtha controversy where she got thrashed by Rahm's supporters and Hoyer was chosen instead of Murtha. If Obama becomes POTUS, Rahm runs for Obama's Illinois seat and he's a shoo-in to get it, with Axelrod's campaign support (they're best friends).

Bye-bye Rahm and a maintaining power prestige, way to go, Nancy. You never fail to live up to your character.

[TwilightGardener]

16. Thanks, Nancy!