SubscribeHow The Super Delegates Have Been Bought
A study from the (non-partisan) Center For Responsive Politics, via their Capital Eye:
Seeking Superdelegates
As the Democratic Party’s superdelegates decide whether to support Clinton or Obama, will they take into account the $890,000 they’ve received from the candidates?
February 14, 2008 | At this summer’s Democratic National Convention, nearly 800 members of Congress, state governors and Democratic Party leaders could be the tiebreakers in the intense contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. If neither candidate can earn the support of at least 2,025 delegates in the primary voting process, the decision of who will represent the Democrats in November’s presidential election will fall not to the will of the people but to these “superdelegates”—the candidates’ friends, colleagues and even financial beneficiaries. Both contenders will be calling in favors.
And while it would be unseemly for the candidates to hand out thousands of dollars to primary voters, or to the delegates pledged to represent the will of those voters, elected officials who are superdelegates have received at least $890,000 from Obama and Clinton in the form of campaign contributions over the last three years, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Obama, who narrowly leads in the count of pledged, “non-super” delegates, has doled out more than $694,000 to superdelegates from his political action committee, Hope Fund, or campaign committee since 2005. Of the 81 elected officials who had announced as of Feb. 12 that their superdelegate votes would go to the Illinois senator, 34, or 40 percent of this group, have received campaign contributions from him in the 2006 or 2008 election cycles, totaling $228,000. In addition, Obama has been endorsed by 52 superdelegates who haven’t held elected office recently and, therefore, didn’t receive campaign contributions from him.
Clinton does not appear to have been as openhanded. Her PAC, HILLPAC, and campaign committee appear to have distributed $195,500 to superdelegates. Only 12 percent of her elected superdelegates, or 13 of 109 who have said they will back her, have received campaign contributions, totaling about $95,000 since 2005. An additional 128 unelected superdelegates support Clinton, according to a blog tracking superdelegates and their endorsements, 2008 Democratic Convention Watch…
Since 2005 Obama has given 52 of the undecided superdelegates a total of at least $363,900, while Clinton has given a total of $88,000 to 15 of them…
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell received $5,000 from Clinton in the 2006 election cycle and has endorsed her, while he hasn’t received anything from Obama, campaign finance records indicate…
[T]he Center for Responsive Politics has found that campaign contributions have been a generally reliable predictor of whose side a superdelegate will take. In cases where superdelegates had received contributions from both Clinton and Obama, all seven elected officials who received more money from Clinton have committed to her. Thirty-four of the 43 superdelegates who received more money from Obama, or 79 percent, are backing him. In every case the Center found in which superdelegates received money from one candidate but not the other, the superdelegate is backing the candidate who gave them money. Four superdelegates who have already pledged received the same amount of contributions from both Clinton and Obama—and all committed to Clinton.
In addition to Gov. Rendell of Pennsylvania, at least two other governors who have endorsed Clinton have also received contributions from her in the past. Ohio’s Gov. Ted Strickland received $10,000 and Oregon’s Gov. Ted Kulongoski received $5,000. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who dropped out of the presidential race in January, has not endorsed a candidate but received $5,000 from Clinton in the 2006 election cycle.
The money that Clinton and Obama have contributed to the superdelegates who may now determine their fate has come from three sources: the candidates’ campaign accounts for president and, before that, Senate, and from their leadership PACs. These PACs exist precisely to support other politicians in their elections—and, thus, to make friends and collect chits. Leadership PACs are supposed to go dormant after a presidential candidate officially enters the race.
Contributions to candidates for federal office are relatively easy to track, but money given to state and local officials is harder to spot. Campaign finance reports from Senate candidate committees are still filed on paper, making it difficult to know who is receiving money from them. For that reason it’s possible that Obama and Clinton have given superdelegates even more than the $890,000 the Center for Responsive Politics has identified…
Another senator running for office in 2006, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, collected $10,000 from both Clinton and Obama. As a superdelegate, Whitehouse is backing Clinton for the White House. “His decision was based on his relationship with the Clintons. President Clinton nominated him to be United States attorney in 1994, in Rhode Island, and he believes Sen. Clinton is the strongest candidate,” said spokeswoman Alex Swartsel, adding that money wasn’t a factor in Whitehouse’s decision…
Though it might seem undemocratic to allow elected officials who have received money from the candidates to have such power in picking their party’s nominee, the process was not meant to be democratic, [Richard Herrera, a political scientist at Arizona State University] said. “If anything, it was meant to take it out of the democratic process. In 1982 [the party] said they needed to have some professionals making decisions here to blunt the potential effects of what they perceived as amateur delegates making decisions—those who vote with their heart and not their head.”
Yes. Thank goodness all of that nasty money has been taken out of politics.
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15 Responses to “How The Super Delegates Have Been Bought”
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February 14th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
The best delagates money can buy!
““If anything, it was meant to take it out of the democratic process. In 1982 [the party] said they needed to have some professionals making decisions here to blunt the potential effects of what they perceived as amateur delegates making decisions—those who vote with their heart and not their head.”
Well that explains Hillary’s daughter sucking up to a pimple faced twerp.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I’m looking forward to the riots that’ll break out when Hitlery buys the nomination…
February 14th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I’m looking forward to shooting those chocolates down Hillary’s gob with a sling shot.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
“amateur delegates making decisions”
Hmmmm, that would be us choosing Electors to the College. But, there are no SuperElectors in the College. The Democrat Party is proven to be non-democratic.
Re: Chelsea:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200802140018
February 14th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Wake up America! There is no substance to Obama…just a bunch of fancy talk that any motivational speaker can spit out. Check my blog for the Uncovering of Obama——
http://smithfiles.com/category/uncovering-obama/
Rick Honcho
February 14th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
“those who vote with their heart and not their head”
Utter stereotype redundancy: “those who vote with their heart and not their head” are DEMOCRATS/LIBERALS!
Oh, maybe that is blatantly obvious to the most casual intelligent observer.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Yessir, those democrats are so high-minded. Those democratic senators/super-delegates would never just sell out to the highest bidder. They only care about principles. Never mind the statistics about them always voting for the person who lays out the most payola. That’s mere co-incidence. It doesn’t mean a thing. The GOP is the party of corruption. Democrats are idealistic and don’t you forget it.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
“Wake up America! There is no substance to Obama”
We know, and we heard you the first time!
February 14th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
No DEZ, it’s pete and repeat.
Have you ever noticed that Schillery likes playing stewardess? Must be a fantasy of hers. Why is she always handing out “stuff” on a tray lately? LOL
Good info on your site Rick!
February 14th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Thanks for the corrction Tex, I was kinda slow on that one, On the upside I do have a really nice sling shot.
That’s right Hilldy, Open that trap.
And nobody do the Heimlich, It would ruin the fun.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:29 am
You mean Hillary and Bill didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day with a quiet romantic dinner?!
Seriously, I bet Chucky is Chelsea’s real father.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:41 am
You might think you are joking, Eva. But Hillary claims that’s how they usually spend Valentine’s Day:
“Clinton said she had received chocolates and a dozen roses from Bill and talked to him this morning and said they had spent almost every Valentine’s Day together.”
Hillary hands out Valentine’s chocolates - First Read - msnbc.com
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com.....65393.aspx
February 15th, 2008 at 6:44 am
The mantra of the Democratic Party…..”We know what’s best for you!”. Though this time they will use the Super-delegates instead of activist judges to circumvent the will of the people. I am really hoping also that Obama squeaks out a narrow regular delegate victory and then Billary takes with the SD total. Our side can sit it out and watch the hysteria and frothing of a Democrat Civil War, lol.
Though if Obama does win their nomination, for his sake he better not ask Billary to become VP. Though I don’t think Billary in a million years would accept a VP slot, if she does, that only means she is one bullet away from becoming POTUS. All it would take is one phone call to some old friend to take care of business. Of course there would be enough people who Billary would point fingers at for such a tragedy, (talk-radio, right-wing conspiracy, right wing racists, right wing hate groups).
February 16th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
An update from The Hill:
There have been few people better named in life than Mr. Ickes.
Mr. Ickes, in fact, helped force through the rules that stripped Florida and Michigan of their delegates. But that was before he knew it would end up hurting his master, Mrs. Clinton.
Mr. Ickes is a super-stooge.
February 16th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
There have been few people better named in life than Mr. Ickes.
LMAO…I totaly agree.