A Super-Delegate Meets With Hillary And Obama, Comes Away Unswayed
Rep. Tim Mahoney, an uncommitted super-del, is getting aggressively courted by both Hillary and Obama, but to no avail, it turns out.
Mahoney met privately with Hillary yesterday, and today with Obama.
But whatever charm was exercised on him by these two candidates behind closed doors apparently didn't sway him. Mahoney's spokesperson, Leslie Pollner, told me a few moments ago:
"He intends to remain uncommitted."
Separately, South Carolina Rep. John Spratt, another super-del who met with Hillary yesterday and encountered Obama on the House floor today, is now leaning towards Obama.
Late Update: It's worth noting that Mahoney is from Florida, and so doesn't count unless the delegation is seated, but the fact that both candidates are courting him suggests they expect this to happen in some capacity.
Mahoney better get himself "swayed" by May 20, or his "uncommitted" will turn quickly to "irrelevant".
May 8, 2008 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Have there been any superdels that pledged today?
Did I miss any?
May 8, 2008 3:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
nothing yet today
May 8, 2008 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks.
I think this is the first day of the workweek where no superdels pledged one way or the other.
Odd that. Could this be the calm before the storm?
May 8, 2008 3:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just now on MSNBC: Rep. Brad Hill from NC will endorse Obama.
May 8, 2008 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Doh! I meant Miller.
May 8, 2008 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just heard Rep. Brad Miller to go to Obama.
May 8, 2008 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice, but I was sure we'd see more like 4 or 5 endorsements today...
May 8, 2008 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
MSNBC is repoorting Brad Miller of NC is endorsing Obama today.
May 8, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
He is holding out because:
a) He doesn't think the time right just yet
b) He wasn't something from Obama that Obama isn't offering
c) He wants to support Obama but was pressured by Clinton to hold out.
May 8, 2008 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mahoney is one of the Class of '06 freshman reps. He beat the GOP candidate in the race for Mark Foley's seat, made vacant by the House page scandal. Mahoney is running again this year, and I can't imagine that he wouldn't want Obama's coattails to help him keep that seat, as the GOP has vowed to take it back. It's a race we here in FL are watching (closely -- it's the house district right next door to mine).
May 8, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do they have to declare at some point or can he remain uncommitted...forever?
May 8, 2008 3:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
They don't have to declare until the convention.
May 8, 2008 3:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
is there any reason a sd can't abstain from voting at the convention? or skip it entirely?
May 8, 2008 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Absolutely. As long as there are hookers and booze, there will be delegates who miss the big votes at the conventions. Its a fine old tradition. Why do you think these guys wanted to be delegates automatically without having to pledge and get elected at the county convention?
May 8, 2008 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hate this Super Delegate thing. It's just plain dumb!
May 8, 2008 3:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I understand the rational. What if someone totally unelectable (Hillary) won the nomination even though she had sky high unfavorables (Hillary) and was vehemently hated by millions across the country(Hillary)?
That would never happen, but what if?
May 8, 2008 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bosh. McGovern explained it himself on NPR last night, confirming something I'd read elsewhere. The rationale was that in the wake of the McGovern election, party bosses were actually getting beaten out for delegate slots dirty effing hippies in party conventions and were missing their all-expense paid trip to the big show. My flip "hookers and booze" comment notwithstanding, that was like missing a special Christmas that only came every four years for a politician or DNCer. So, under the guise of protecting the party from the danger that these longhairs (who, btw, are now the old codgers shaking their canes at the young punk know-it-all kids) would do something unwise, they got themselves made delegates ex-officio. At the time, only about of the delegates were selected democratically anyway, so its not like anyone thought much about the anti-democratic (small "d")implications.
May 8, 2008 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
If someone was higly unelectable, how did that someone won the nominiton in the first place ? Screwed logic and screw the SD system.
May 8, 2008 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
In '68, Hubert Humphrey only competed in the caucuses which occurred after he entered the race in late April and he participated in no primaries. He quickly became the front-runner and was to seen to have smooth sailing until Bobby Kennedy won California's June primary (over McCarthy because Humphrey didn't compete), but unfortunately, Kennedy was assassinated and the result of the entire cycle was the '68 Chicago Convention.
So, up until the first round of rule changes, you could become the nominee with no popular vote.
May 11, 2008 12:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I just lookeed him up (Mahoney). He's FLA. Aren't FLA SDs inoperative until the delegation is okayed?
May 8, 2008 3:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
That was my understanding.
May 8, 2008 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
It would seem so.
May 8, 2008 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
if the delegation gets seated in some capacity, he counts. the fact that both candidates are courting him suggests they expect that to happen
May 8, 2008 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right but his FL provenance should probably be mentioned in the story since FL supers certainly stand in a very special position right now, and face different incentives.
May 8, 2008 3:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg:
What are your thoughts on the Hillary comments in the USAToday article?
May 8, 2008 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/sfl-flpdems0215pnfeb15,0,5098344.story
Seems that Fl's superdelegates can't be counted unless the delegation is seated or the issue is resolved in some way allowing their vote to count.
May 8, 2008 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe undeclared FLAs and MIs will stay that way until things are resolved. Who the heck knows, it's such a soap opera.
May 8, 2008 3:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about this theory? Obama told him (and his other SDs) to wait two weeks? Endorse after Oregon, thus really driving momentum...
Makes sense to me. Especially with EVERYONE in the media saying Hillary is done.
Bottom line: The clock is running out on Hillary. Maybe 35 seconds to go, she has one timeout, and she's down by 30 (works for every sport, in my book).
Or, even better. She's the home team. it's the bottom of the ninth inning, She's down by 5. Joe Nathan's on the mound....
May 8, 2008 3:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Joe Nathan?
Should be a Chicagoan -- Bobby Jenks. Granted he doesn't look too much like Barack . . .
May 8, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I know, but I hate the White Sox. Besides, the White Sox bullpen doesn't look that great these days.
May 8, 2008 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm a Chicagoan and don't necessarily hate the White Sox (in deference to my Sox fan wife), especially cuz they can always hold their 2005 World Series championship over my Cubs-loving head when I talk any smack. All that said, better to use Kerry Wood in your analogy -- provided he isn't pitching against the Brewers...
May 8, 2008 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
ah yes, sox or cubs. One of my only major policy differences with Senator Obama. Even though having a Sox fan as president when my Cubs finally win the World Series again will be somewhat poetic....
May 8, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I refer you to little known DNC rule, found in the DNC bylaws at page 34, section III, paragraph 2, line 17:
Sorry, folks. It looks like Hillary will be the nominee. Let's just get behind her and work together to defeat McCain. Yes We Can!
May 8, 2008 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nice :)
May 8, 2008 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
i dont understand why the supers are such wimps. take a side already! seriously...stop waiting for political cover and pick a side! you can't be wrong because, hey, you can always switch if you back the wrong horse so what have they got to lose?
its frustrating.
May 8, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
You were aware that these people are politicians, weren't you?
May 8, 2008 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
As Colbert would say, "Pick a side; we're at war!"
May 8, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
You must have been asleep the past 2 years while the same people were behaving just as spinelessly vis a vis the Republicans. It's simply who they are.
May 8, 2008 3:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
With the Obama camp declaring May 20 D-Day, uncommitted supers have been given some license to wait until that date. With the pledged delegate threshold so near, it would probably look bad for the supers to jump in and end it before those last states have the chance to push Obama over the line.
May 8, 2008 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am not swayed by these 'unswayed' super delegates. Word is that many politicos fear the long memories of the Clintons as to what they perceive as disloyalty. So let's pretend to hear you both out and "nah....neither convinced me." My take is that they are waiting for the nomination to come without them having to put themselves at risk. That is why my hat is off to all the superdelegates that have committed, whether to Clinton or Obama for having the integrity and intestinal fortitude (for lack of Carville's vocabulary) to put their money where their mouth is. In the same article where Carville alluded to Clinton's 'cojones', he also said in response to a question about superdelegates ..."that and $4.00 will get you a cup of coffee at the Ritz...." For those growing cobwebs on the sidelines, maybe he's right.
May 8, 2008 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
They are waiting on him to actually do something and lead.
May 8, 2008 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only thing Hillary has ever led on was Health Care and her leadership doomed us to 16 more years of screwed healthcare.
Oh, and you are a insufferable little troll twit, go back to Little Green Footbals where you belong.
May 8, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your needle's stuck.
May 8, 2008 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly Gotalife!
Look at how Obama has run his campaign and look how Clinton has run her campaign - and you tell me who you think is the best leader.
(HRC!)
Hillary has consistently led the classiest, most professional, most fiscally responsible campaign. I sure wish more politicians would pony up their own bucks to solve the problems!
Who cares about a a bunch of inspiring Kool Aid that got more votes! More votes doen't make you a leader! Right?!
May 8, 2008 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ohhhh, I'm late to the snark party. And here I thought you were serious!
May 8, 2008 3:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
just in Brad Miller rep NC goes to HBO
May 8, 2008 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is he starring in his own series on HBO?
May 8, 2008 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
I love HBO, all the cussing and nudity!
May 8, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
is he going to be on the same night as real time?
cause i'll try to remember to watch...
May 8, 2008 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
:-
corrected Rep. Brad Miller (D) BHO supports after a meeting at DNC of NC SD's that ended 30 min ago.
Now meeting with Blue Dogs at DNC dozens attending
compare with the 5 that met with HRC yesterday
May 8, 2008 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
what a fucking moron. Why are selfish punks chosen to be superdelegates?
May 8, 2008 4:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gotalife is NOT a superdelegate!
May 8, 2008 5:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
What do super dels have to lose?
Their jobs. Most of them couldn't get elected with support of only half of the dem party and Obama/Clinton both have large followings. They've been through heck to get elected and they don't want to lose it. Still, part of the job is being party leader. Time to suck it in and stand up and be counted.
May 8, 2008 10:02 PM | Reply | Permalink