Now, don't get me wrong. Superdelegates who are elected officials in their given state are alright by me. I'm not going to argue against those governors, Congress-critters and such that the people of their given states duly elect to their positions of power.
No, I'm talking the other superdelegates, those ones who by virtue of being big "party supporters" somehow find their name on a list and become superdelegates. As turns out there are supporters of the party like you and I, and then there are supporters who support a little more than others...if you get my drift...wink wink, nudge nudge.
Turns out those of those superdelegates actually PROFIT -- yes, PROFIT -- from their association with a given campaign. Which is to say, they are the "gate" that we little folks want to crash.
They are folks like Harold Ickes, who best I can tell never had his name on a ballot anywhere. Ickes is a big Clinton supporter...everybody knows that. But did you know that Ickes actually makes MONEY off the Presidential campaigns?
The Clinton campaign paid Ickes's company, Catalist, a broker of voter contact lists, more than $125,000 last year. Obama's campaign also paid Ickes's firm, spending $25,000 to rent a mailing list.
Money talks, I guess. Ickes is a superdelegate for Clinton.
Or how about Mark S. Weiner? Ever heard of him? Turns out he rolls in more Clinton cash than Ickes:
A company run by Mark S. Weiner, a Clinton supporter who became a superdelegate by virtue of his party leadership role in Rhode Island, has been paid more than $800,000 for campaign bumper stickers, signs and other paraphernalia.
Of course, this type of conflict of interest is poo-pooed by the superdelegates who have such connections. "We're not in anybody's pocket," Ickes says.
Oh yeah? Money talks and bullshit walks. So I say to any superdelegate who is actually profiting from their association to a given Presidential campaign:
PROVE IT.
Either...
A. say you will commit to the candidate who wins the most pledged delegates this primary season or...
B. give up your superdelegate status NOW.
See, that's the dirty little secret these big time party supporters don't want you to know. They ARE the Gate. Don't kid yourselves. Those with a vested, financial interest in seeing one candidate succeed don't give a DAMN what those pesky VOTERS might want.
They want to perputuate this system, because it benefits them. Period.
That's the kind of thing we need to change. The "consultant culture" that allows these consultants not only to influence our candidates, not only to make money off them, but actually has an actual vote and say in WHO THOSE CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT ARE.
So defend those superdelegates if you want. I'm going to follow the advice of a wise sage who talked to a reporter in a Washington parking garage over thirty years ago.
I'm going to "Follow the Money."
At least then I'll know the score.
And I'll know what Gate we need to be crashin'.
UPDATE: I'm seeing a lot in the comments from Obama supporters about "don't worry about superdelegates," and some from Clinton supporters about "you're stacking the deck for Obama." Please note: This diary is NOT intended to be about the given candidates. This diary is more about the integrity of our party.
I say again: ANY superdelegate who financially benefits from a given Presidential campaign, and stands to financially benefit more from that candidate being the general election candidate, shouldn't have a say in the nomination as a superdelegate. That applies equally to both Obama AND Clinton.
It's a conflict of interest, and we need to recognize that for the sake of our party.