Posted on 01/07/2008 3:29:17 PM PST by Richard Poe
| by Richard Lawrence Poe Monday, January 7, 2008 |
Permanent Link Past Columns |
FORGET IOWA. Forget New Hampshire. Forget the Democratic primaries altogether. The fix is in for Hillary Clinton. When Democrats convene this August in Denver, they will nominate Hillary as their candidate for President of the United States.
The day after Hillary’s loss in Iowa last Thursday, her campaign chief Terry McAuliffe told reporters, “Listen, Hillary is going to be the nominee. There’s no question.”
McAuliffe was not indulging in wishful thinking. He was stating a fact. He knows things the rest of us do not.
One thing McAuliffe knows is that Hillary controls a decisive majority of the Democratic Party superdelegates. The superdelegates control 42 percent of the votes needed to nominate Hillary. They may vote for whomever they wish, for any reason, and may change their minds at will. In August, they will nominate Hillary.
Democrats started the superdelegate system in 1984, to give party leaders tighter control over the nominating process.
This was partly in response to the catastrophic defeat of George McGovern, the radical, anti-war demagogue who, in 1972, lost every state in the union except Massachusetts to Richard Nixon.
To prevent such maverick candidates from winning the nomination in future, party leaders rigged the system. State delegates were no longer permitted to nominate presidential candidates on their own. Henceforth party-approved superdelegates would also cast votes.
Superdelegates are party stalwarts, Democrat officials whose loyalties favor party over state. Their number varies from one election to the next. Currently there are 852 superdelegates, including 29 state governors, 232 congressmen, 49 senators, two “shadow” or non-voting senators from the District of Columbia, and 540 Democratic Party leaders and officials of various sorts.
At this year’s Democratic Convention, 4,049 delegates will vote. Hillary must get 2,025 votes to win the nomination. This is the so-called "magic number". The 852 superdelegates total 42 percent of the magic number. In a close race, their votes could prove decisive.
At this writing, CNN reports that 257 superdelegates have already pledged their votes: of them, 154 (60 percent) have pledged for Hillary; 50 (19 percent) for Barack Obama; and 33 (13 percent) for John Edwards.
Should Hillary falter in the primaries, the superdelegates will likely come to her rescue and nominate her anyway.
The Web site 2008 Democratic Convention Watch offers updated lists of superdelegates who have and have not pledged their votes.
Of course, Hillary cannot win from superdelegate votes alone. She must get a sizeable number of state delegates as well. This presents no problem for Hillary. Her political machine is deeply entrenched in America’s urban centers. These crowded cities can overwhelm rural voters, bringing entire states into Hillary’s camp, with large numbers of delegates.
The decisive date will be February 5, dubbed Super Duper Tuesday by political pundits. Twenty-four states will hold their primaries that day.
"These states include some of our largest and most delegate-rich states, such as California, New York, Illinois, Georgia, New Jersey and others," notes Steven Hill, political reform director for the leftwing New America Foundation. "Together these two dozen states hold enough delegates to nearly decide the presidential nomination all by themselves."
Hillary is counting on that. As Steven Hill explains, "Having a single primary day with so many states... gives great advantage to those candidates with the most campaign cash and name recognition... It creates a virtual wealth primary in which new presidential faces will be quickly eliminated."
In any contest of wealth, Hillary has the advantage. Her blue-chip backers include the likes of Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, wife of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild of the famed Rothschild banking dynasty.
“I'm always doing everything I possibly can for Hillary Clinton…”, Her Ladyship told Portfolio magazine. “I have been waiting for this since Bill Clinton left office, frankly.”
Married November 30, 2000, Lady de Rothschild spent her wedding night in the Clinton White House.
OpenSecrets.org reports that Hillary has raised $90.9 million, only slightly higher than Obama’s $80.3 million.
However, most of Hillary’s money is off the books. No one knows how many millions Hillary has laundered through George Soros’ “Shadow Party”, a network of Democrat front groups masquerading as non-partisan charities. These include Fund for America, the Democracy Alliance, America Votes and Media Matters for America, among others.
Republicans need to stop gloating over Hillary's every misstep and see the big picture. Hillary has the money, the machine, and the support of global financial elites. Unless we can muster a counterforce of similar strength, Hillary will win the nomination and the presidency.
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Richard Lawrence Poe is a contributing editor to Newsmax, an award-winning journalist and a New York Times bestselling author. His latest book is The Shadow Party: How George Soros, Hillary Clinton and Sixties Radicals Siezed Control of the Democratic Party, co-written with David Horowitz. |
Hey that’s alot of good info and links packed in there. Thanks. My comment: Maybe the Republicans need a superdelegate system too to prevent populist radicals from winning the nomination? Thoughts all?
Just like the Politburo.
Visions of truther nuts dance in my head.
Don’t know if it will go that far, but I do have a feeling that the Empire is about to Strike Back.
My only concern is if she has a 2nd ace up her sleeve for the nationals. The rats are not above breaking the law to win. Remember their motto: "The end justifies the means.". They want to win at any cost. We need to be prepared to go to the mattresses on this if fraud is evident...
You are right. She is not out yet, they will not go quietly. Clintonistas don’t care what the base thinks as long as it means winning, the base will hold their nose and vote for her. All the overconfidence on other threads makes me nervous, we should not be underestimate the Clinton machine.
Bookmarking.
In advance of the big day, I recommend all Hitlery and Bubba’s corruption be readied for exposure. Then, we can enjoy a weekly or daily dose detailing the demise of all their room temperature associates and illegal campaign finances. Get out the popcorn.
I compared it earlier to Saddam Hussein setting fires to the oil wells. If she can’t have it, there is no more vidictive politician.
That is fine. It will be easier for the Repubs to deal with her baggage than fighting the Osama Obama race card.
Mondale '84 repeat anyone?
Oh, if this happens the rat party will be splintered.
Hillary dumpty had a great fall and party hacks could not put back together.
This works true on the R side as well.
VLWC?
What disappointed me is how many folks fell for the Drudge story {leaked by the Clintonistas} this morning.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Your article; it’s a beautiful thing.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
The will of the people be d@mned--the party will always know what is best for them.
The Hopers and the Changers aren't going to like this one little bit....
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