The super delegate system of the Democrats intrigues me.

It was started to counter populist trends to nominate a president like George McGovern who have little chance of success in the general election. It is basically a complex control mechanism to counter the popular will.

Yet as more super delegates continue to announce for Obama, it appears that it has in effect canonized the McGovern Effect instead of neutralizing it. Obama, if nominated, will likely go the way of McGovern.

The real problem that the Democrats fail to face is that the nomination process gives larger voice to elements that are far more liberal than the voting majority. The super delegates magnify this flaw instead of reducing it. Jimmy Carter and Al Gore are representative of the super delegates more than Sam Nunn.

Hillary has presented herself far more palatably than the memories of her resentment and ‘bitchiness’ as first lady. But Obama’s success is more attributable to the party’s exhaustion with the Clintons debasement of the office and their proclivity for lying shamelessly. I think this is true for the super delegates as well.

HKO

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