Drip, drip, drip: another super leaves Hillary

This time in D.C.:

A D.C. Council member and unpledged Democratic delegate has withdrawn his prominent public support for Sen. Hillary Clinton, preferring instead to be listed as undecided in the race for the nomination.

Ward 5 D.C. Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. was elected last week by the D.C. Democratic State Committee as a delegate to the national convention. Thomas, who had previously endorsed Clinton, was listed as a Clinton backer on a delegate spreadsheet circulated Monday by the committee.

But by the end of the day, the party had retracted that announcement, and Thomas was switched to simply "unpledged."

"He wants to confer with the party," said Vicky Leonard-Chambers, Thomas’ spokeswoman.

I bet he does.  In fact, I bet there are a lot of Clinton superdelegates who need to start conferring and backtracking and then, well, you know the rest.

•  It's 3:00 a.m.

  Do you know where your superdelegates are?

  by VirginiaDem on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:01:24 PM PDT

  •  A delegate a day is all I ask.

    by darthstar on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:03:35 PM PDT

    •  To defect form her or to endorse him? nm

      by VirginiaDem on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:05:09 PM PDT

      •  either way...

        works for me.
        
        
        ````
        peace
        
        

        by peace voter on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:10:17 PM PDT

        •  Exactly.

          by darthstar on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:14:47 PM PDT

        •  One-A-Day

          Plus Delegates.  What every healthy Presidential Candidate needs!

          by synchronicityii on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:15:03 PM PDT

          •  Recommended Daily Allowance of

            Vote-amins.

            by cmnh on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:24:48 PM PDT

            •  Groaning, but rec'ed. n/t

              by NWTerriD on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 09:57:51 PM PDT

      •  Endorse him

        I don't like the other way around so much... would rather not set too much of a precedent for defections. I'm tired of hearing that there's no such thing as a delegate - pledged or otherwise.

        by Sleepwalkr on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:57:19 PM PDT

  •  Well, at least now we...

    ...know why Clinton gets all those 3 AM calls.

    They're superdelegates letting her know that they're no longer supporting her.

    by WayneNight on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:05:16 PM PDT

    •  Definitely a crisis situation!!

      She's ready on day one!

      by VirginiaDem on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:06:49 PM PDT

  •  That should be the title of your next diary

    It's a great line :)

    by casperr on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:14:30 PM PDT

•  At this rate.

  Who needs primaries!

  by crystalboy on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:05:08 PM PDT

•  I hope there isn't a tidal wave..

  ... I fear that would smack of the exact kind back room deal-making that neither candidate wants to appear to benefit from.  

  One or two a day is terrific.

  by jamesparenti on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:06:04 PM PDT

  •  Well...

    ...if the primaries all run their course, and HRC still has not dropped out, I wonder if we might not see a flood of super delegates to Obama.

    At that point, I wouldn't be surprised if the superdelegates just want to end this damn thing as much as everyone else does.

    by WayneNight on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:07:19 PM PDT

    •  Yeah, I agree there...

      ... Howard Dean has basically given the notice to all involved that they can wait until July 1, and some will definitely dodge a commitment (and make a play for some political capital) between now and then.  Personally, I wish he'd said they needed to commit sooner than that, like after the last primary.  That last couple of weeks could be dragged out by waffling superdelegates the way that a football team can turn the last two minutes of a football game into a 45 minute ordeal.

      by jamesparenti on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:11:45 PM PDT

      •  July 1st?

        Wow... I thought (or had hoped) that they'd be required to commit sooner than that.

        I have to agree with you.  I really hope we don't have this whole thing dragging on, without primaries, while the superdelegates piss around on who to support.

        by WayneNight on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:14:29 PM PDT

        •  I think it will happen sooner than that

          After NC and IN there will be a lot of movement, I predict.

          by casperr on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:15:45 PM PDT

        •  That's what Dean said...

          ...but, there's more than a lot of behind-the-scenes "nudging" going on.

          by jamesparenti on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:34:31 PM PDT

•  Let's call a superdelegate who...

  Leaves the Clinton side a "drop" while we call a superdelegate who joins the Obama side a "drip."  So, in this case, the super has dropped Clinton.

  by BasharH on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:06:18 PM PDT

•  Drip drip drip

  appears to be the meme regarding supers.

  (great minds think alike.  What's my excuse?)

  FWIW, it seems we're all realizing that the supers ain't magically riding to Hillary's rescue.  In fact, quite the opposite.

  by synchronicityii on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:09:02 PM PDT

•  So he was a Hill endorser turned non-Hill super?

  It could be because it's late, but I'm confused.  He was a public supporter of Hill's.  Then he was made a super only to say "...I supported her until it became official?"

  I'm probably just being a late night cynic but I'll take a super however we can get them - and as far as I am concerned, 1 less for Hillary is good for Obama.

  by ILean Left on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:12:11 PM PDT

  •  he's the add-on superdelegate

    Frankly, he should never have been chosen but the pro-Obama people managed to split their votes, and some voted for this guy because he's important.  The other add-on superdelegate is very pro obama.

    by John DE on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:21:59 PM PDT

    •  this link might be helpful

      http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/...

      in explaining who he is.  I understand he made a speech about DC at the election where he was chosen, and didn't mention Clinton at all.

      by John DE on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:24:04 PM PDT

•  You Can Communicate...

  with two superdelegates over at The Field.  One guest blog is by Susie Turnbull who is a vice chair and DNC super.  Since she can't yet endorse (due to DNC rules) she is hosting the blog to discuss questions, etc. about the Party.  It's been wonderful to get her view of some things.

  The other guest blog is by Deb Kozikowski.  This blog is dedicated to making your pitch to an undeclared Superdelegate.  She participates as well.

  Extraordinary opportunities and fascinating.  Check it out.  I don't normally pimp another blog but thought folks would like to know about this.

  by mayan on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:22:51 PM PDT

  •  Have you or anyone else diaried on this? n/t

    by ILean Left on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:25:11 PM PDT

    •  Not the Susie Turnbull blog...feel free.

      Al Giordano of the Field diaried the Deb Kozikowski blog but that was several days ago.  I posted Susie's blog in an open thread last night but had already used my diary for the day.  

      by mayan on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:28:04 PM PDT

      •  If you do diary it...

        make sure people know that the Turnbull blog is NOT for making cases for the candidates.

        by mayan on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:28:59 PM PDT

•  Ward 5 is heavily African-American

  He was putting his seat in jeopardy by endorsing Clinton.

  by Erik W on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:27:14 PM PDT

  •  Harry "Tommy" Thomas, Jr

    

    I imagine he was too. (In ball cap)

    http://www.harrythomas5.com/...

    by Scarce on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:40:54 PM PDT

•  One thing is certain...

  Obama carried Ward 5, Harry Thomas'es ward by 83%.

  by howardpark on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:47:47 PM PDT

•  Please God

  I hope so.  We won't have any Democracy left with she and McCain and all of Mark Penn's tentacles in both campaigns . . . we'll just be one big corporate fiefdom.

  by Septima on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:13:30 PM PDT