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Highlands Today

We Need A Democratic Presidential Front-Runner Or Else...

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Highlands Today Staff

Published: February 18, 2008

Remember the hanging chad and the butterfly ballot from the 2000 presidential season?

These infamous terms still leap into the mind when thinking of that race, not to mention the lingering conviction of a few that Al Gore, who had more popular support, was cheated out of the White House.

This year, it's the superdelegates' turn to make voters shake their heads and wonder why the democratic process in the United States has so many caveats.

For those who don't already know, superdelegates are about 800 elected Democratic Party officials and activists. They each have the chance to vote for a Democratic presidential nominee at the National Convention, like each delegate does, except that their support is not pledged to any one candidate.

In a perfect world, the superdelegates would be reflecting the will of their constituents or those who vote them into superdelegate status or even propping up the chances of the candidate who leads in delegates, but in the real world their support goes to whoever they choose to support.

Is that fair and democratic? Not really. Should there be another Plan B in case nominations are too close to call? You bet.

The good news is that there is still some time left for the democratic process to pan out. Voters in Wisconsin, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and 12 other states still have to cast their ballots.

Should either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, who are neck-and-neck, secure the 2,025 delegates needed to win the party's nomination, the superdelegates would not be needed and the Democratic National Convention in Denver will be all confetti and smiles.

If no decisive winner emerges by June 8, the morning after the last contest, prepare for some ugly backroom politics. The record voter turnout and the significance of this year's presidential race could be overshadowed by politics as usual.

The Democratic Party, and the candidates themselves, cannot let that happen. If the nominations are too close to call, we hope the selection process is done civilly and fairly. Last but not the least, the candidate with the losing delegates should consider bowing out of the race for the larger good of the party, during an election year when the party has a good chance of winning.

Battling factions in the Democratic Party will only heighten John McCain's chances and solidify people's perception that nothing changes in Washington.

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