Let's Focus On Superdelegates OR Time For Some Time For Some Action!

cross-posted to jack and jill politics

Angela, a frequent commenter here, suggested that we take more action. In other words, be the change we want to see. I, for one, am tired of just getting upset and writing. Throughout this campaign, I've sought to put my energy where my mouth is by phonebanking, fundraising, canvassing and communicating actively with friends and family.

Here's a canvassing toolkit I put together, available for free download and reuse by Obama supporters to help them make the case.

But in some ways, we are beyond that. This race must end, and it will be resolved by superdelegates. Signing that petition earlier today was a good start, but let's focus on the best targets. Let's focus on the superdelegates.

They have the power to prevent this party from self-destructing. They are super for a reason. Use your super powers to save your party!

I present the Super Delegate Transparency Project, a joint effort of Congresspedia and several blogs/media outlets including Open Left and Huffington Post.

There are at least four things you can focus on to make a difference.

1. Simply read the site. check it out and learn what the project is about. it's full of good information you will never get from those so-called journalists on TV


2. Help the project. They have an entire section on how citizens can improve it. If you have just a few minutes, chip in.


3. Write to the uncommitted superdelegates. I recommend clicking on your state or a state you have a connection to (from the main page, scroll down to Delegate Information By State). You can also get a full list of uncommitted ones here


4. Finally I suggest writing to super delegates committed to Hillary despite the fact that Obama won their district.

An example: Yvette Clarke is a superdelegate for New York's 11th congressional district. This is Brooklyn. Obama won 56 percent of the vote in this district, yet Yvette has pledged for Hillary. I suggest a respectful letter to her asking her to reconsider her support.

Be careful using this logic, however. There are plenty of superdelegates pledged to Obama despite the fact that their districts voted for Hillary. The case to be made is not simply that they should vote in lockstep with their constituents. That's too simple. It has to be a broader case about which candidate is best for the party and how the party is being damaged by the continued ugliness of the campaign. And how all this helps the GOP.

Sample Letters:

• letter Angela sent to Howard Dean at the DNC.


• The Obama website offers a form to submit your letter to a superdelegate

My advice in these letters:
Try to stay positive and definitely stay respectful. Threats do not help.

Some possible arguments:

• Don't just say Obama leads in pledged delegates. The superdelegate system was created as a check on majority rule, much like the electoral college. If you're going with "Obama leads in X" make sure to include popular vote, contests won, pledged delegates, money raised and number of donors.


• Appeal to their sense of Democratic party well-being. Obama is more capable of unifying and expanding the party


• November competitiveness. Obama is preferred by Dems in many red states because they know Hillary will mobilize the GOP to vote against her and down-ticket Dems in states where Dems have a chance to pick up state legislative seats


• Hillary's scorched earth campaign in which her campaign challenges not just Obama as a presidential choice, but challenges his patriotism and fitness to be commander in chief. Her dismissal of his supporters and of nearly every contest she has lost as inconsequential


• Your own story

Now, let's go forth and change the world.