as an obama guy thats good news

plus i was hoping for 25 statewide got 28

Bill, maybe you can tell us, what do the "super delegates" usually do? Do they go with the winner, of the state or the national? Or do they horse trade, or...?

This stuff is too complicated for my simple mind, but if I understand it correctly there are 17 of them this time...

1984 was the last time super delegates clinched the nomination.

After Hart beat Mondale in Cal.(held in June)Mondale was 40 delegates short.Mondale worked the phones & got the 40 he needed.

Since then super delegates have jumped on the bandwagon after a nominee was decided.In 88 & 92 after NY..in 2000 after NH..in 2004 after TN & Va.

These are the ones I know but there could well be others.

There are two super congressional delegates for Obama
Cooper & Cohen.

Bill Owen(DNC member)is for Clinton.

If Ned is one he's for Clinton & if Tuke is one he's for Obama.

Bredesen,Gore,Naifeh are uncommitted.

I presume Gray Sasser is one but no clue on his preference.

This one is uncharted waters & the Washington Post said today that there was no way Obama & Clinton could get to majority in the remaining caucuses & primaries.

That means,if the Post is right,its the super delegates that will decide.

The smoke filled room..pork barrel projects...vice president..cabinet positions...campaign cash for re election & jobs for cronies,spouses,children..are in the mix.

This will be done by both Clinton & Obama.

Its going to get rough as a cob...but after all these two are going after the presidency.

R if it gets to down & dirty

if the convention after a few ballots is deadlocked

Al Gore!!

I don't know how accurate it is, but these guys are tracking the super delegates.

So far:

Rep. Jim Cooper, Rep. Steve Cohen, DNC Lois DeBerry (TN) for Obama.

DNC Bill Owen, DNC Elisa Parker (TN), DNC Hon. Myron Lowery (TN) for Clinton.

The vast majority of superdelegates are waiting on the sidelines right now ready to push the plurality winner over the edge as they did in 1984, or just endorsing the pledged vote winner. With the exception of some hardcore committed superdelegates, most have no interest in throwing the nomination to the person who did not receive the most pledged delegates. That would cause pure chaos. The only wrinkle is MI and FL where the DNC may ask that they hold new caucuses.

I wish the media would not include them in delegate counts because they can change their mind at any moment.

It would seem logical that the Democratic Party would not want a lot of in-fighting just before the convention, so I think Howard Dean and the other bigwigs will be calling Obama and Clinton together for a little arm twisting. Whose arm they will be twisting hardest could depend on who the Party sees as strongest to win in the general election against McCain.

That's not an easy call because both candidates have positives. They have proved about equal as far as the people's choice goes. They're both smart and run good campaigns, and they are not that far apart on the issues (except for the war, foriegn relations, and healthcare), but even there the distance between them is marginal compared to their differences with McCain.

They both also have negatives. I won't mention what these are for the sake of the peace treaty recently suggested by our esteemed moderator.

Oviously, the Party heads know passions have been high during the lead-up to the primaries. If Obama gets the nomination there are people who simply won't vote for him. The same goes for Clinton.

I feel the Democratic Party will take the safe road. The Clintons are much more part of the machine than the upstart Obama. I think the Party will push Obama to get out of the race or accept the vice-presidency in the holy name of unity.

It's not a very pleasing thought that in the end the Party could choose who the nominee will be. Machines tend to be soul-less things. But what alternative is there? To run as an Independent?

The only thing I do know is that only one person will emerge from Howard Dean's smoke-filled backroom with a crown on their head.

In spite of the fact that I personally will do whatever I can to support Obama, if it's Hillary I will get behind her.

It will be harder than some think for either Obama or Clinton to go up against McCain. He's an angry seasoned scrapper with decades of experience, and a lot of people only know him as a war hero that leans a little too far left. This may attract Democrats who see their candidate suddenly dropping out of the race because of Party loyalty.

a lot of people only know him as a war hero that leans a little too far left. This may attract Democrats

This is precisely why the press keeps pushing this line.

"Independent." "Maverick." "Straight talker."

How about... "Conformist." "Toady." "Bullshit artist."

He's a company man, straight down the line. He supposedly found his political soul after getting busted for corruption involved with his buddy Chuck Keating, and he keeps twisting in the political winds trying to define himself by the latest poll results.

He is a slave to the conservative Victrola. He's a petulant yes-man who lives in a sense of entitlement. He got rolled on torture policy, and he has sat on his hands ever since.

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With the possible exception of things like box scores, race results, and stock market tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms.

Here's a pretty good analysis of superdelegates from Sunday's NYT: