SUPERDELEGATES...

[progressoid]

What do you think we should do with our superdelegates system...

[GarbagemanLB]

1. It is disgusting. It's a system I'd figure the REPUBLICANS to have, not Democrats. Get rid of it.

[onehandle]

2. What damage has it done?

As far as I can tell, the SD's are going with the voters.

[progressoid]

4. Then what purpose do they hold?

If they are going to represent the voters why not have actual pledged delegates?

[Deep13]

3. SD's were instituted after 1972's 49-state-sweep...

...to help make sure than anyone nominated actually had a fair chance of being elected. It is to insure some institutional memory in the process. There are not enough of them to decide unless it is close. I guess we saw just how effective the SD's were in the 1984 49-state-sweep.

[invictus]

5. Get rid of it. It's undemocratic. n/t

[Deep13]

7. Actually, the whole state-by-state system is undemocratic.

Not just for the electoral college, but for the whole Congressional system too. Wyoming, where cattle out-number humans, has the exact same Senate representation as California which is bigger in population than most countries in Europe. And unpopulated states get more Congressional representation too because every state gets at least on representative.

The Constitution requires that all states must be equally represented in the Senate and that no amendment can change it. Still, we could stop apportioning House Rep. districts by state and we could abolish the E.C. That is, if 3/4 of the states will agree, which they won't.

[progressoid]

6. .

Afternoon kicker