Chuck Todd: Clinton Could "Steal" Obama's Caucus Delegates

[THUNDER HANDS]

Chuck Todd was just on Meet The Press explaining how Obama could lose some of his caucus delegates because they have to go through the state conventions before the national one...and in 1984, that's where Walter Mondale stole delegates from Gary Hart.

I was unaware that was possible with caucus delegates.

[Captain Hilts]

1. They're BOTH campaigning for them.

But everything she does is "cold" and "calculating."

It would be having the House of Lords decide who becomes Prime Minister.

[Tellurian]

29. So why do we have to listen to Obama's BS..."I WON"! he doesn't know what he's talking about!

He said he wants to go the Super Delegate route...and that would give Hillary the backing of Kennedy and Kerry!

And you expect this "guy" to run a country, when he can't even figure out the Delegate Rules of engagement?

<<<sheesh>>>

[wndycty]

2. Any legal, but backroom, tactics used be Clinton to secure the nomination. . .

. . .can have a negative effect on her in November if she is the nominee.

[chimpymustgo]

6. What about legal, but backroom tactics used by Obama to secure the nomination?

You don't think he'll be pulling the same sh*t? Pulleeze.

BTW - Todd did not say Hillary could "steal" Obama votes. He used that word reffering to Mondale. But pointed out that Clinton could try the same thing. Does it not go without saying that Obama could, as well. Oh, but that doesn't fit the meme.

[K Gardner]

10. Its because those aren't Obama tactics.. they're tactics of the Clinton Machine, already well

documented and known to all. Everyone expects it from them. I doubt they'll disappoint.

[sykalla]

13. Don't you remember. Obama is infalliable? N/T

[chimpymustgo]

15. Ah...the BAM! causes blindness, too. Obama's hands are FAR from clean.

The racism charges against the Clintons were scurrilous. Calling John Edwards a "trial lawyer". The horrendous Reagan pandering. The Hillary snub. Lying about it. That's just a little of what we've seen. We have no idea what else is going on behind the scenes. But we know enough to know that Obama WILL do whatever it takes to win. He's no different that Hillary, or any other politician.

[sandnsea]

30. Talk about blindness

Even if every one of your charges were true, you've got to be kidding me. She lied about the rules of student voting in Iowa. She kept Obama observers out of precincts in NH, which has Dems in that state spitting mad. NV Dems are at each other after the law suit and fliers giving erroneous caucus info there. Now she's supporting the idea that the superdelegates should reject the will of the voters. NO, all politicians are not crooked. That sounds like Republicans defending Tom Delay.

[qazplm]

20. not when all current signs

point to OBama having more pledged delegates at the end of the day.

[rodeodance]

9. "Any legal, but backroom, tactics used by OBAMA to secure the nomination. . .

. . .can have a negative effect on HIM in November if HE is the nominee.""

[BeyondGeography]

3. I'm glad Mondale did that

We never would have carried Minnesota by 3,800 votes that year without him.

[rodeodance]

12. I lived in MPLS at the time--I recall that.

[Hart2008]

28. But he had no coattails!

Repuke Rudy Boschwitz was reelected to the U.S. Senate by a healthy margin.

[Zueda]

4. I believe that Obama is better positioned to do to Clinton what Mondale did to Hart. n/t

[Hart2008]

5. Mondale also stole delegates from Jesse Jackson.

There is one clueless individual here who keeps telling everyone that Mondale "won" more votes in '84. He certainly stole more, but he didn't really win them.

Hart won 26 primaries or caucuses, including California, Florida and Ohio, but Mondale kept getting more delegates.

Mondale only lost 49 states in the worst defeat in the Electoral College in U.S. history.

Why do we want to go down that road again?

[rodeodance]

7. yes, they do have go through state conventions. But also Todd has been hitting

on Hillary over and over.



He is one biased 'jounalist"

[Barack_America]

8. Could this still happen in the internet age?

I'm not sure. Supporters of both have their delegate counts memorized. If any backroom dealings alter those counts, people will be outraged. And the internet allows for instantaneous outrage.

It would be highly risky to try this.

[rodeodance]

11. sounds like you should educate yourself on the primary process huh MR??

I was unaware that was possible with caucus delegates.

[9119495]

14. Since I live in a caucus state...

His point is that if Hillary starts to do well, as in pulls some big states and surprises, and it looks like she will win the pop vote total and get more total delegates, a delegate could change their preference. At the county convention level here in Iowa, most will stay with their candidate (unless they were for Edwards or Richardson). But as the months go on and the congressional district level and state level conventions are held, delegates will likely move towards the apparent victor, whoever that may be.

[HopeforChange]

17. I had no idea they could change their votes. Where is democracy ?

I thought only the Super Delegates could change their votes. This system needs to be reformed.

[Debi]

19. Their candidate has to be 'viable' throughout the process

If the candidate that the delegate supported isn't viable in the convention then they have to either stay with that candidate and not move on to the next convention or they have to move over to the next candidate and run as a delegate to the next convention. There are over 13,000 county convention delegates but only a fraction of that move on to the district convention - and state convention.

[9119495]

21. It is essentially what we do with members of congress.

We elect them but they will vote in their own best interestes. If a delegate switches their vote, everyone knows. Our system works fine.

[Debi]

18. Hey, are you a county convention delegate? n/t

[9119495]

22. No

I've been just too darn busy. Also, I was a county delgate the last three cycles but have had unavoidable conflicts the last two. My caucus had some people new to the process and I wanted to give them a shot. I usually campaign for the interested youth in my caucus group.

Are you?

Vote well on the education platform please.

[Debi]

24. I am an alternate - so a 50/50 chance I'll be seated (really depends on the Edwards folks)

I'm on the platform committee here, we have one more meeting before we send it on to the County (oh, and I was on the Ed subcommittee, hope I did you proud!)

[Debi]

16. Yep, the only delegates selected at the caucuses were for the county conventions

they have to go throug the same 'caucus' process (15% viability threshold) at County Convention, District Convention and State Convention.

[Big Blue Marble]

23. So he is saying that Clinton can steal the nomination,

the way that way that Bush stole the 2000 election.

If she does, then we know what we have been suspecting is really true.
Democracy in the United States is dead.

[BlackVelvet04]

26. That's not what he's saying.....

educate yourself.

[paulk]

25. I don't know if other states are the same

but the caucus rules in Colorado very clearly state that delegates are not bound in any way to respect the results of the caucus at either the county or state conventions.

This actually makes sense - what if something happens, like for instance a candidate who is winning suddenly becoming untenable in a general election because he's been named in a major scandal. The party vote needs to be flexible enough to avoid the situation of nominating someone who can't win.

[d.amber]

27. Well..in Washington State....

We go through District conventions and then county conventions and then State and then National. At the caucus, you pick delegates to go forward to the next level. If those who you pick to go forward, don't show up at district then your vote or the delegate is lost. They reform and pick again at county. Again delegates are picked to go forward. If you pick the wrong delegate, then it could be changed...but...Obama has alot of passionate supporters who will show up. There are some dedicated Hillary supporters as well, but as long as the Obama supports stay dedicated he will not lose his support.

For myself and my husband, we are Obama delegates going to district and I can assure you that we will show up and Obama's delegates will not be lost from us. On the other hand the Clinton delegate might not show up. So it could go either way.

[marlakay]

31. Yesterday at caucus in WA

both our 2 delegates went for Obama, then I find out they are real people who go next month to the state convention. At this point two people who were old party people and admitted they were only 60% for Obama put their name in. We were told only Obama people could vote for the delegates so this one lady asked if she could vote if she changed her vote to Obama and they said yes. next thing i know not only has she changed vote but her name is one of our 3 choices for the 2 delegates!! talk about tricky!!

So me and about 5 others (mostly me I am not afraid to speak up) said I wanted people who were 100% for obama, about 25 others in the room said yeah yeah...and lady running the room (who was hillary supporter and couldn't vote) said we already have the 3 choices. Then it got loud with people wanting more choices.

So she asked and we all voted yes to allow more choices and me and our little group of wanting 100% people put up these 2 guys who said they were totally for him. Then the whole room voted and the two guys won! The old party people who were used to going to state conventions for years didn't look to happy but I thought to myself I hope the others voted in 100% Obama folks...

[NoPasaran]

32. "Steal" makes it sound so negative

It's part of how politics works. People horse trade, they adapt to changing circumstances, the make deals. And that's how the game gets played, whether it's some kind of "New Politics" or Roman politics as practiced by Cicero.

In 2004, I came out of my caucus as a Dean delegate. At the county level I was elected, still as a Dean person, to go on to state. But when I signed in at the state convention, I (together with just about every other Dean delegate) signed in for Kerry. Why? it made strategic sense for us to do that, since we then got to vote on who the Kerry delegates going to national were, and elect some of our own.

Clinton can try to persuade some of Obama's delegates to switch, Obama can do the same to Clinton's. And they'll both be doing whatever they can to persuade the delegates from the candidates who are now out of the running, as well as seducing the "Uncommitteds" to make up their minds.