ARE SUPERDELEGATES FOR SALE?

by Lynette Long

In a few weeks the historic 2008 Democratic Party Presidential Primary between an African American Man and a White Woman will end. The two candidates competed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam. At the end of these contests, neither candidate had earned enough pledged delegates to garner the necessary 2118 needed to win the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Hillary Clinton earned 1640 pledged delegates while Barack Obama earned 1763 pledged delegates. A paltry 123 pledged separated the two candidates at the end of the primary season. Since there was no clear winner, the superdelegates would determine the Democratic nominee.

Approximately 800 superdelegates will make up around 20% of the 4000 delegates at the convention. These superdelegates are Democratic Party leaders, Democratic governors, and Democratic members of congress. They have the right to endorse either candidate without reason and can change their endorsement from one candidate to another at any time. The superdelegates are very powerful and highly sought after by candidates. One superdelegate is equal to one pledged delegate or 11,361 voters in California or 7,220 voters in New York. Many factors influence which candidate a superdelegate endorses but they usually vote the way their constituents vote. Some superdelegates have intense personal relationships with particular candidates that may influence their endorsement. Members of congress may also be influenced by money given or promised by party leaders, the DNC or the candidates themselves.

Politicians collect money for their campaigns but most American’s don’t realize that politicians collect a separate a pot of money called a Leadership Political Action Committee or PAC. These PACs are used to hire additional staff and pay for additional perks such as limos and first class flights. But one of the major reasons for these PAC’s is to donate to the campaigns of other candidates. Nancy Pelosi’s PAC is called PAC to the Future, Barack Obama’s PAC is called Hope Fund, and Hillary Clinton’s PAC is called Hillpac. Money was distributed by these PAC’s to the superdelegates to influence their voting. The Federal Elections Commission requires scrupulous reporting of how PAC money is obtained and how it is spent. This data can be retrieved at www.opensecrets.org.

In 2007, Obama distributed 299,000 from his PAC to superdelegates. He especially targeted the states of Iowa and New Hampshire. On July 25, 2007, the Hope Fund made $1000 donations to each of the following groups: Hillsborough County Democrats, Hudson, NH; Martha Fuller Clark for State Senate, Portsmouth, NH; Merrimack County Democrats, Chichester, NH; New Hampshire for John Lynch, Manchester, NH; Sgambati 4 NH Senate, Tilton, NH; Stafford County Democratic Committee, Durham, NH and Sullivan County Democrats, Claremont, NH. Obama also gave $5000 contributions to New Hampshire Democratic Party, Concord, New Hampshire, on July 26,2007; New Hampshire for John Lynch on July 25, 2007, and New Hampshire Democratic State Committee, Concord, New Hampshire on November 3, 2006. Obama did not announce his candidacy until May 2, 2007.

Obama also gave New Hampshire Democratic State Senator Jacalyn Cilley $1000 on July 25, 2007. She endorsed Obama on July 31, 2007, just six days after his contribution to her campaign. On July 26, 2007, first term New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes of New Hampshire endorsed Obama. The New Hampshire Primary was not until January 8, 2008 and Hillary won New Hampshire.

By March 28, 2008, Hope Fund donated $710,900 to superdelegates, more than three times as much as Hillpac. ($236,100). A study by the Center for Responsive Politics showed that presidential candidates who gave more money to a superdelegate received their endorsement 82% of the time. This is especially disturbing when the superdelegates endorse a candidate that is decidedly contrary to the will of the voters in their state and their districts.

After reviewing state and congressional voting records as well as PAC donations, members of congress were identified that fulfilled the following four criteria: 1. These members endorsed Barack Obama. 2. The constituents of their state preferred Hillary Clinton. 3. The constituents of their district preferred Hillary Clinton. 4. They got more PAC money from Hope Fund than from HillPac. These senators are Jeff Bingaman, Frank Lautenberg, and Jay Rockefeller. The members of the house are Jason Altmire, Dennis Cardoza, Jim Costa, Joe Donelly, Gabrielle Giffords, Baron Hill, Ron Klein, Patrick Murphy, Gerald Mc Nerney, Carol She-Porter, Zack Space, Niki Tsongas, and Charlie Wilson.

Charlie Wilson is the perfect example. He ran in Ohio’s District 6 in 2006. His seat was the seat of the former governor and is located in Southern Ohio. Wilson was a last minute candidate for his seat and because of this was a write-in candidate. The governor and the party worked hard to get Wilson elected.  President Clinton made an audio recording endorsing Wilson that went out to 50,000 homes.  The governor of Ohio is a big Clinton supporter, the voters of Ohio voted 54-44% percent in favor of Clinton, and District 6, Wilson’s District, voted for Clinton 70% - 27%. Yet Wilson endorsed Obama. It looks like there is no loyalty in politics to either your constituents or your friends. Wilson got $7,000 of PAC money from Barack Obama, but no money from Hillary Clinton. Was this a factor in his choice?

The following chart summaries the data culled from a variety of sources. The data raises obvious questions about the inherent power of superdelegates and their vulnerability to financial contributions. Contributions from other Pacs such as Pac to the Future need to be reviewed.

 

	NAME	STATE DISTRICT	STATE RESULTS	STATE RESULTS	DISTRICT VOTES CLINTON	DISTRICT VOTES OBAMA	PAC MONEY CLINTON	PAC MONEY OBAMA	PLEDGE
	JEFF BINGAMAN	NM Senate	73,105 71,396	49-48% CLINTON	NA	NA	$0	$4200	OBAMA 4-28-08
	FRANK LAUTENBERG	NJ Senate	602,576 492,186	54-44% CLINTON	NA	NA	$0	$9000	OBAMA 6-04-08
	JAY ROCKEFELLER	WV Senate	239,298 91,747	67-26% CLINTON	NA	NA	$0	$9000	OBAMA 2-29-08
	RON KLEIN	FL 22	857,208 569,041	50%-33% CLINTON	39,451	19,228	$2500	$11,000	OBAMA 6-03-08
	CHARLIE WILSON	OHIO 6	1,207,806 979,025	54%-44% CLINTON	98,826	37,661	$0	$7000	OBAMA 6-07-08
	JOE DONELLY	IN 2	644,594 630,399	51%-49% CLINTON	72,554	69,747	$0	$7500	OBAMA 5-13-08
	JASON ALTMIRE	PENN 4	1,260,444 1,046,220	55%-45% CLINTON	84,122	43,962	$0	$10,000	OBAMA 6-04-08
	GABRIELLE GIFFORDS	AZ 8	228,158 191,681	51%-42% CLINTON	38,216	35,676	$0	$9,000	OBAMA 6-03-08
	BARON HILL	IN 9	644,594 630,399	51%-49% CLINTON	94,717	54,763	$2,500	$12,500	OBAMA 4-30-08
	GERALD MC NERNEY	CA 11	2,306,361 1,890,026	52%-43% CLINTON	51,112	37,310	$0	$5,000	OBAMA 6-03-08
	DENNIS CARDOZA	CA 18	2,306,361 1,890,026	52%-43% CLINTON	37,409	20,467	$0	$4,000	OBAMA 5-23-08
	JIM COSTA	CA 20	2,306,361 1,890,026	52%-43% CLINTON	29,995	13,780	$0	$4,000	OBAMA 5-23-08
	PATRICK MURPHY	PENN 8	1,260,444 1,026,220	55%-45% CLINTON	78,655	46,287	$2,500	$18,626	OBAMA 8-21-07
	CAROL SHEA-PORTER	NH 1	112,251 104,772	39%-37% CLINTON	56,830	48,928	$2,500	$11,500	OBAMA 12-10-07
	ZACK SPACE	OHIO 18	1.207,806 979,025	54%-44% CLINTON	72,950	33,725	$0	$7,500	OBAMA 6-5-08
	NIKI TSONGAS	MASS 5	704,591 511,887	56%-41% CLINTON	68,631	46,811	$0	$5000	OBAMA 6-5-08

Comments

[Robert]

It is amazing that there are so many racist people on this board. You might as well say, don't vote fr Obama because he is a black man and we want a white person in office. Did obama trick voters to vote for him? The people, both white and black voted for him fairly. The superdelegates then chose. You can say he paid them off-then you must say hillary should have just paid more if that is the case. Don't sit here and say he paid 2-3 times as much as she did. if he is wrong, then she is also for paying any of them. This would not even be an issue for hi if he lost, because he was expected to lose.

[MurphysPumaNoMore]

Darragh Murphy is a horrible person!

==============================

JUST SAW THIS AT GRETAWIRE.COM:

* * * * * PUMA WAR * * * * *

Darragh Murphy, the corrupt treasurer of PUMA PAC, has declared war on Knoxville Puma for speaking the truth about her.

How disappointing to learn that Murphy is no better than Barack Obama, now that we can all see that she’s willing to use smear campaigns against one of the hardest working Pumas in an effort to discredit what he has said about her.

See the truth at http://www.NotFallingInLine.org

[Still4Hill]

I shared the video with a few of my diehard Hillarista colleagues, but I am glad to find the information in this format for some of my seriously-leaning-toward-Obama friends who might not take the video as seriously. I love the video, BTW.

[Sharmajee]

Dr. Long: Nice work, great video. Congratulations to all involved in research, imagery, graphics and editing.

Is there a pdf of the chart, or graphic file of it. It would be great jumping off point to numerous other bloggers, posters and commenters who could then attach the chart, along side a link to your post, and a link to the video. I am having trouble reproducing that chart as it is above.

If anyone knows of a place to download the chart from, please clue me in. Once again, Dr. Lynette and associcated bloggers, nice job! Thanks.

[rockrooky]

I just found your blog from a YouTube link and am loving it!!! Thank you so much for your insightful and intelligent site. I spend about 3 hours a day on this issue and most of it on the net, so I have seen some junk in the mix.

I wish I could do more to help and fight for this cause, as it is the most important thing to me these days.

People like you are a big help to those of use doing our best to stay on top of this takeover.

[EMJ]

These are reps. (all up for re-election) from districts that supported Hillary in states that supported Hillary. A win/win, right? Wrong. They need to hear from you, so please call:

Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN-2) (202) 225-3915
Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN-9) (202) 225-5315
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI-1) (202) 225-4735.
Patrick Murphy (D-PA-8) (202) 225-4276
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL-19) (202) 225-3001
*Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz (D-FL-20) (202) 225-7931 (was strong Hill Supporter - be sure to thank her for her support)
Rep. Ron Klein (D-FL-22) (202) 225-3026
Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH-01) (202) 225-5456

Swing State Phone Pounce
Between the hours of 9am - 5pm EST call these U.S. Representatives.

One Suggested Phone Pounce Message - change up your way!:
I am calling to urge (Representative ____) to endorse Hillary Clinton for President. Hillary won both your district and state. I encourage the representative to reconsider their endorsement, which is not written in stone until the convention, and to change it to reflect the wishes of their constituents. (Then say why you support Hillary over Barack Obama)

[Jay Morris]

Tom Allen from Maine

http://tomallenwatch.blogspot.com/2008/05/done-dealobama-purchases-tom-allens.html

After receiving $10,000 from Barack Obama's Hopefund PAC, Maine Congressman Tom Allen delivered his superdelegate vote today. Cash on the barrelhead seems to be the name of the game for Allen, nevertheless it is entertaining to see him wait till the absolute end before committing to Obama. What a leader. I've heard Allen will generally wait till the fourth quarter before picking his favorite football team as well..

Our Congressman Tom Allen has made currency the, well, currency of his political life lately. This whole superdelegate for sale situation is reminiscent of the infamous 'General Betray-Us' vote. Last year, when MoveOn.org ran their ad in the NY Times accusing General Petraeus of being a traitor, the House and Senate voted to condemn the ad. Tom Allen voted initially to condemn the ad as well, but then went back and changed his vote to no. Later that week, Allen received over $100,000 in donations through MoveOn.org.

[Trisha]

Great work Dr. Lynette. We need this info out there!

[Michelle]

For once I agree with you completly. The superdeligates should be done away with completely. Who are they to overturn the will of the people. As Obama has the most deligates lets make him the winner.

What is your alternative?

[Heather in Florida]

Great work, Lynette. Thank you for doing this.

I am utterly disillusioned about my party. I have been a loyal Democrat since before I could vote. Hillary Clinton is the most qualified candidate for President, and she can beat McCain. Obama cannot. The GOP machine will get cranked up after August, and all of the dirt on Obama that the media refused to do anything with will explode onto the scene. We will once again have a Republican in the White House. All because Dean, Brazile, and corrupt SDs like the new superstar - all style, no substance. Forget about hard-working Hillary Clinton, who has devoted her life to public service. The Dem leaders are a disgrace.

[Justamom]

These elected officials do not have any loyalty or backbones. Many of them were shown with Bill Clinton and likely owed the Clintons for their own re-election in the past. One comfort is that their allegiance to Obama is not solid; it will be up for sale the next time around. It is so sad to see in hard cold numbers that these elected officials do not give a darn to the wishes of people putting them in office. No wonder Congress approval rating is in single digit and nothing gets done for the country with this lot in congress.

[ck]

Lynette,
The "For Sale" video is powerful. It should be sent to all the major TV news outlets in this country. These turncoat Democrats (and ultimately all the do-nothing Democrats in Congress who turned against Sen. Clinton) should be made to answer for taking BO's money in order to endorse him. Is the BO "hopefund" PAC not acting precisely like the lobbyists and PACs whose money BO once so pompously claimed he would not accept? If BO wouldn't accept such money, why did he authorize nearly 1 million dollars in exactly such money to be paid to superdelegates for their votes? He needs to be called to task on this blatant hypocrisy. Thanks for all you continue to do. With help from activists like you and all the 'Just Say No Deal' coalition PUMAs, we, the people can reclaim our country and our democracy. This video tells me (as the DNC's May 31 RBC decision also did) that the Democratic Party apparently is so corrupt that it is perhaps no longer worth the effort to reclaim it.
CK

[Michelle]

As Obama won the most delgates, and if the super deligates voted along the lines of thier constituents, would it not make sense that Obama would win the majority of super deligates, and therefore the nomination?

[NancyinCali]

This is not surprising, but it is disgusting and it is why I've decided to support McCain should Hillary not be on Obama's ticket.

I have already left the democratic party (did so the week Hillary suspended her campaign), but unless true reform takes place in the primary system - including caucuses - I have no intention of voting democrat again.

[nhkat]

I am from NH, and am thoroughly disgusted with my reps here! I had already written to them regarding this matter, but this video just got me fired up again. If our votes don't count, why bother voting at all? How hypocritical can they be...they go to other countries to oversee elections to make sure they are free and fair, but our own are bought and paid for. I have voted Democrat since I was old enough to vote but, not this year. This whole election has been making me sick! I have watched as the press gushed over Obama giving him free passes on everything under the sun, meanwhile they have called people who have been fighting for civil rights their whole careers racists. I don't understand. I have watched MY reps go against the voters in MY state, and I am pissed. Hillary Clinton is STILL the most qualified candidate, and she has been insulted over and over. The fact that she went back to the Senate and has been doing what the party asked of her aside, her campaign is only suspended not ended so, I continue to ask my super delegates to change their position and vote for the qualified person.

[GRL]

Is this part of what you were going to release? You mentioned that there was something you were doing, the other night on the radio show...

As for the money...there was an ad that was on when I was a kid...It ended with...

"Money Talks, Nobody Walks"---so apropros!!

In the meantime...

So, Dana Milbank escapes the grip of Olbermann for about 3 seconds today with his “presumptuous nominee” crack…
Seriously, where was the critical gaze of the “official” 4th Estate when we really needed it?????

I’ve dashed this off which expresses my frustration over “uninformed, conforming voters”…many who are in this state because of the lack of serious journalism in this country!!

I talked to this young, educated young woman and found myself slipping into “I’ve been through it all mode, since I’m older than you.” Can’t help it…it’s true! But it gets very little respect…. I was appalled at her lack of knowledge and how little "fight" she had in her...at the age of 26!

“Let’s Face It, PUMAs—Uninformed, Conforming Voters are Our Worst Enemy….No Matter How Smart They Are”

http://tinyurl.com/6ogf6n

http://insightanalytical.wordpress.com