I always laughed at conspiracies where the superdelegates (the party "establishment") would somehow stage a coup in Boston to deny Dean the nomination. The theory made no practical sense (even if it was possible in the academic sense).
Superdelegates would never vote against the candidate with the most delegates come Boston. Whatever you might think of the "establishment", they were never the type to stage an undemocratic coup against the party's rank and file. The feud between the "establishment" and the Dean campaign was in actuality a feud between the Clinton people currently in charge of the party apparatus and a campaign that would clean house if elected.
In other words, a much narrower conflict than oftentimes thought, based on power rather than ideology (McGovern-type arguments notwidthstanding). Of course, there are politicians who genuinely worry that Dean could cost them in their home districts or states. But the bulk of the superdelegates, while lining up behind various candidates, never had the inclination to plan in unison to subvert the will of the Democratic electorate.
That was then. Now, we're seeing most of the outright opposition to Dean evaporate, and this week proved the turning point. The latest NH, IA, and MA polls. The $50K for the Florida Democratic Party. The realization of what the SEIU and AFSCME endorsements meant, the realization that it would take a miracle to overtake Dean given his current advantages in support, money, and most important (and most often overlooked) -- his ground organization. Clark, the only guy left with a chance to catch Dean, trails in all three with just over a month left before the first ballots get cast. Had he entered the race a mere two or three months earlier... but that's academic. Clark entered when he entered.
Now we are seeing more articles like this one:
In New York, the slate of potential national convention delegates being offered up by Dean for the state's March 2 presidential primary reflect the changing dynamic. Candidates in New York traditionally try to pepper their slates with well-known names to attract voters. Dean's reads like a Who's Who of New York politics.
I have seen it myself.
Having talked to several "establishment" types this week, it was startling to see how the conversation had moved on from who the nominee would be, and the possible repercussions of a Dean victory, to ways they could tap into Dean's money and supporters. The $60K (or whatever) for Rep. Boswell was key. It was then they realized that Dean would share the spoils, and nothing talks like money in DC. None of the other candidates can compete.
(Little known secret -- just about every Democratic candidate is trying to find graceful ways to crash the next Dean Meetup seeking support.)
And the best path towards that money and the avid support of the Dean army? Simple. Line up behind Dean. Praise the man. Praise his innovative campaign. And, most important of all, praise his supporters.
The establishment wants as much of that Dean magic as they can capture.