Reply #11: Why shouldn't all the states get to vote? [View All]

[ozone_man]

I don't understand Howard Dean on this. I think the potential source for a bloody fight lies solely with the super delegate process. If it were a plurality required, then there would be no fight. Whoever has the most pledged delegates wins. Simple. It's the fight over these super delegates that gets bloody.

The only year when they may have an impact was in 1984, he said. The loyalty of Democratic elected officials probably helped Walter Mondale survive an unexpectedly strong challenge from Sen. Gary Hart who had beaten Mondale in New Hampshire and other primaries.

“The super-delegates clearly gave him his majority and helped him wrap up the nomination earlier,” Mayer said.

So it gave us Mondale, but he was not a strong candidate. :)

Perhaps super delegates are an archaic system? My concern is that a candidate will have a plurality of pledged delegates, yet will lose based on the super delegates who are not selected by voters. We may have an interesting test case at the convention.