Can Clinton win over superdelegates?
Former foes and current bias affect her run for the White House
![]() Charles Dharapak / AP Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., answers a question from a reporter after speaking about Iraq, Monday, March 17, 2008, at George Washington University in Washington. |
Video: Decision '08 |
House conducts non-impeachment impeachment hearing July 25: Though it was technically a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Executive Power and its Constitutional Limitations” the theme of the day was violations by the Bush Administration that amount to impeachable offenses. Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr, who testified at the hearing, talks with Countdown’s Keith Olbermann. |
INTERACTIVE |
Candidate Brain Trusts See who is in the inner circles of the campaigns of Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. NBC News |
Slide show |
more photos |
Slide show |
more photos |
As many folks following this Democratic fight now realize, Clinton’s only shot at the nomination is to somehow make a case to the majority of the superdelegates that she’ll be the better nominee for the party.
But ask yourself, why does Clinton have less than half of superdelegates publicly behind her right now? Why isn’t her number higher?
At last count, Clinton had 253 superdelegates in her corner, not counting another dozen or so from Michigan and Florida.
But even including those folks, Clinton has fewer than 40 percent of superdelegates supporting her, and that's after more than a year of campaigning.
This is the wife of the former president, after all. Shouldn’t there be at least 400 party leaders who owe something to the Clintons on board?
This has been a campaign riddle that many of us have overlooked.
Clinton problems
One reason this has been brushed under the rug? Media-types don't realize the problems many rank-and-file Democratic activists have with the Clinton family.
Simply take a look at Bill Clinton's record from '92 to '00 and you’ll understand why they're having a harder time corralling party activists and elected officials to their side.
Remember, when his name was on the ballot ('92 and '96) the Democratic party lost Senate seats both times. Never mind the beating the party took in '94; a walloping often blamed on both Bill and Hillary.
Even in '98, which was, perhaps, the most successful Congressional election of the Clinton era, the party netted zero Senate seats and gained less than a handful of House seats.
It's not exactly something to brag about.
While there are plenty of unknowns about Obama’s ability to truly expand the base of the Democratic Party, there are plenty of superdelegates who think they know Clinton couldn't rise to that very same challenge.
The scars of the '90s are still rather prominent for some Democrats, particularly members of the House leadership who appear to be leaning Obama’s way (see Nancy Pelosi’s weekend comments).
|
In fact, that's not the Clintons' only rocky relationship. Key labor leaders also hold some grudges from that decade, when they felt like they had to capitulate more on certain things, like NAFTA. Some felt that it was beginning of what would be a long, hard fall from power in the '90s and early '00s.
So if Clinton has a pledged delegate problem (something that’s been well documented) and also has a superdelegate problem, then what’s her path to victory?
Believe it or not, it’s the media.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
- Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM DECISION '08 |
| Add Decision '08 headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links






