"Superdelegates" Should support the majority of the voters.
LazyJ said 02/20, 12:26 PM
It is the responsibility of politicians to use their influence (vote) in support of the people who put them in office, pay their salaries and pension. They represent the people and therefore should show that representation in how they vote. I know you can't make all the people happy all the time but you can go for the majority. Isn't that democracy?
Hogtown said 02/20, 12:53 PM
The superdelegate system was not designed to be used "bonus points" as you are saying. If so, there would not be a system with the involvement of superdelegates, each state would either have more pledged delegates or the amount of delegates required for the nomination would have been lowered. Also, where do you draw the line on how these people should vote? Should all of the delegates of a state vote with the popular vote of the state? Should Senators and Representatives vote strictly by their districts within the state? Should past Presidents vote according to the national poplular vote? There are many ways this argument could shake down. The superdelegates are also supposed to be people that are more involved in the party than the average citizen, therefore they know the candidates better. This, in a sense, gives them the moral authority to cast their vote the way they see fit. If a politician's constituents do not agree with how they cast their vote as a superdelegate then it is the people's responsibility to remove this person from office. This is just another extension of our Republic style of government. So technically, no we are not a Democracy, we are a Republic.
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The increased significance of the super delegates were heightened in '76 so they wouldn't have another George McGovern situation again. McGovern lost terribly to Tricky Dick, but won the primaries because the voters there were the most liberal. The super delegates made sure that they chose someone more electable. They have though, made bad decisions, like choosing Adlai Stevenson over everyone's favorite hero, Estes Kefauver. But that was because Kefauver went after the mafia and crooked party bosses. Still, the super delegates should vote as to how they want. They decide who's the most electable and beneficial to their party.
Ikefan | 02/23/08
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