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LiberalFighter

(50,504 posts)
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 01:07 PM Apr 2016

Automatic Delegates (misnamed as superdelegates)

The media, Sanders and supporters push the narrative that automatic delegates are elected officials. That is not entirely true. Only 36.5% of them are delegates because they are either a Governor, Senator, or Representative. A total of 261 are in that category.

The remaining 454 (63.5%) are either Distinguished Party Leaders (DPL) or DNC members. 20 are DPL and 434 are DNC members.

DPL consist of current and former presidents, vice presidents, congressional leaders, and DNC chairs.

100 of the DNC members consist of state party chairs and an executive state party member of the opposite gender from each state. The remaining 334 are activists within the Democratic Party. They are elected either by delegates at state conventions or at state central meetings. They come from various backgrounds. About 65 of them are also elected officials from various levels that include city, county, and state. DNC members in many cases represent a geographical area. If they are one of the 65 they have two constituencies. Those as an elected official and the area they serve in their DNC capacity.


BTW despite what others say the Republican Party also has superdelegates. The media and others just want to pick on the Democratic Party.

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Thinkingabout

(30,058 posts)
1. Thanks for the information, does anyone here think there will be a second ballot? I don't, the
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 01:13 PM
Apr 2016

required number of delegate will be there on the first ballot, Hillary will have those delegates before convention.

stopbush

(24,378 posts)
13. Super delegates vote on the first ballot along with everyone else. There will be no second ballot.
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 03:26 PM
Apr 2016

In fact, if Sanders was any kind of a D, he would call to nominate Hillary via acclamation, the way Hillary did for Obama in 2008.

Thinkingabout

(30,058 posts)
14. This will be a big telling point with him. it will tell who is in charge of his campaign.
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 03:46 PM
Apr 2016

I have heard he wants to include overturning Citizens United on the platform, this will be good.

Cha

(295,926 posts)
2. "The media and others just want to pick on the Democratic Party."
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 01:14 PM
Apr 2016

I know that.

Thank you for this, LF

displacedtexan

(15,695 posts)
4. Excellent post. Now, I'll add some info on campaign staffers
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 01:31 PM
Apr 2016

Campaign staffers don't just appear out of nowhere and apply for jobs on political campaigns. They almost always come from politically active families, closely associated with the party. If not raised in the party atmosphere, they are those who feel strongly enough to volunteer and "pay their metaphorical dues" while developing trust. Lots of them do, actually, come from families who have been involved in raising money for candidates.

Be assured that all staffers and volunteers are vetted as thoroughly as possible, in order to weed out potential spies and/or rat f**kers. When I interviewed for the Kerry campaign in DC, I waited almost an hour while they checked my credentials. When they returned, they knew all about me, including my previous work with Gov. Granholm and Carl Levin, as well as my party membership history.

Anyway, my point is that virtually everyone involved with a Dem or Repub presidential election has either risen through the ranks over many years, is highly skilled in some necessary function (statistics, finance, etc.) and comes highly recommended by trusted insiders, or is a vetted volunteer assigned to a trusted group manager.

The important takeaway: you don't just decide one day to expect the party to change its entire operational system to suit your whimsical idea of how things should be. You either get involved or start your own.

LiberalFighter

(50,504 posts)
5. I agree. It would be foolhardy to do otherwise.
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 02:05 PM
Apr 2016

Betcha some are going to be tombstoned or relegated to minor campaigns from this point on. Tad Devine and Jeff Weaver to name two. Access will be severely restricted.

George II

(67,782 posts)
6. In other words, they're all people who over the years........
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 02:19 PM
Apr 2016

.......have been helping to BUILD the Democratic Party, not tear it down.

I guess that's why the current count is Clinton 479, Sanders 40 (and look at those in that 40!).

LiberalFighter

(50,504 posts)
7. That is a good way to put it.
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 02:40 PM
Apr 2016

It all flows up with connected activists along the way.

Democratic precinct committee people that are elected from within their precinct at the polls.

County party leaders elected by those Democratic precinct committee people.

Congressional party leaders elected by those county party leaders.

State party leaders elected by those congressional party leaders.

There are others involved but this is the main structure of how it works. If it was Trump he would demand the right to appoint everyone below him.

displacedtexan

(15,695 posts)
8. Absolutely! Millions of envelope stuffers, sign staplers, knock&droppers, etc.
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 03:02 PM
Apr 2016

They didn't just wake up one day and decide to be big deals in politics. I started out as a grade schooler licking envelopes for LBJ. By the time I finished high school, I got cards and gifts from Jim Wright (who used to help me with my Gov't. Homework projects), LBJ, and John Connally. I grew up in a strong union household, and we were all heavily involved in Dem party activities. My older sister was a delegate to the national convention in 1968, which as everyone knows, was... eventful. To this day, Though I marched against the war in Vietnam, I regret not standing up for LBJ against those evil Republicans. His war stance was wrong, but they were so much worse.

BlueMTexpat

(15,349 posts)
15. Thanks for both your posts!
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 03:52 PM
Apr 2016


They were very informative and so true. Thank you for all that you have done for so long in the Dem Party!

Stuckinthebush

(10,816 posts)
9. Yes, yes, yes!
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 03:08 PM
Apr 2016

These are party members who have built the damn thing over the years with blood, sweat, and tears! Are Sanders supporters telling us that people like Al Gore, Dick Gephardt, or Dianne Feinstein shouldn't have a strong say in who represents the party they have fought for and with for decades? Preposterous!

This non-Dem jerk, Sanders, wants to quibble over party rules???

Where has he been in building the Democratic party over the past decades? Nowhere except the back bench because we let him vote with us. He even had the nerve to say there was no difference between the Dems and the GOP. Yet he wants to argue about super delegates.

Too late for that, Bernie. You should have decided to become a Dem many years ago and worked from the inside.

Stuckinthebush

(10,816 posts)
11. Ha! Have you looked at the list of supers?
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 03:13 PM
Apr 2016

Take a look below and tell me which of these party members ol' Jeff is going to convince?

Ridiculous. It's such a farce.

Time for them to exit stage left.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Democratic_Party_superdelegates,_2016

George II

(67,782 posts)
12. Yes, a few weeks ago I checked them out - I'll bet that she'll get the votes of....
Thu Apr 21, 2016, 03:20 PM
Apr 2016

....90+% of those remaining.

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