I never thought I would say this, but I wish I were a Republican.
Of course, that doesn’t mean much. I would rather be anything than a Democrat right now. I’d be more content as a Dixiecrat. Or a potato. Maybe even a teeny speck of sand. Because that’s how small the typical Democrat’s role in the party primary seems right now.
All of this began a few weeks ago when I heard the word “superdelegate” for the first time. I imagined a group of banal delegates dressed in business suits coming together to form a kind of Delegate Justice League, consisting of spandex-laden members of Congress, former presidents donning capes and other kryptonite-prone party leaders.
In reality, the superdelegates are a group of 796 banal Democratic delegates dressed in business suits whose superpower is actually the ability to strip the Democratic primary of its democracy.
This group of privileged men and women consists of all the Democratic members of Congress, Democratic governors, members of the Democratic National Committee, all former Democratic presidents and their vice presidents as well as numerous past and present elected officials.
Because of the political stalemate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the superdelegate vote ““ not ours ““ just may be the one that decides between the two candidates.
The difference between these delegates and the normal kind is that these delegates are not pledged to vote for a certain candidate. They can vote for whomever strikes their fancy, as long as he or she is a Democrat.
Even Republicans are smart enough to see through the injustice of such a system. Their system does not include superdelegates but rather awards delegates based on the popular vote.
As for the Democrats, Clinton and Obama remain in a seemingly impossible bind, with 1,147 delegate votes for Clinton and 1,124 for Obama. One of them needs to reach 2,025 to be chosen as the Democratic nominee.
So if neither of the candidates can secure the votes needed for nomination, the superdelegate vote will be the one to break the tie.
This is exactly what happened in the 1984 Democratic primary. The two contenders for the Democratic nomination were Gary Hart and Walter Mondale.
While Hart earned more of the popular vote, Mondale was able to persuade more superdelegates to cast their votes his way. In the end, these superdelegates pushed the balance toward Mondale and he was given the Democratic nomination. And we all know what happened to him.
Er, actually, no we don’t. And that’s the point.
If the Democrats want to win, they must first be able to pull together and let the people decide who their representative should be. If this decision is not in line with democratic principles, the party could suffer from internal division. Then we’ll end up with another old white guy for president.
The current system begs the question: What is the point of voting if over half of the superdelegates have already chosen their endorsements? And not only that, but of the decided votes, The Associated Press reports that 224 belong to Clinton (including the one from her husband) while only 135 belong to Obama.
Some people argue that if we must break the tie, those who have firsthand experience would know best who to choose. However, does it really seem fair that this small elite group should have the ability to make decisions against the popular will? This system constitutes a paternalism that sours the notion of American democracy.
Of course, our government is not a true popular democracy. Nevertheless, this system moves us much closer to oligarchy: rule by the few, the powerful, those “in the know.”
Strangely, many of the superdelegates are not comfortable with this unequally distributed power. Superdelegate Donna Brazile declared, “If 795 of my colleagues decide this election, I will quit the Democratic Party.” And Sen. Bill Nelson argues that the superdelegate plan “is a flawed system that has to be changed.”
If there is any way to save this system, it must be through the superdelegates’ decisions to align themselves with the will of the voters.
Better yet, fix the entire primary system and hold a national primary in which everyone in the country votes on the same day or same week. That way, this speculation disappears over whether superdelegates will or will not be necessary.
Of course, we can find some comfort in the fact that these delegates are themselves elected from popular votes. The question now is whether they will follow through with their duty to represent the needs of their constituents.
If you want to borrow a copy of the superdelegate graphic novel, e-mail Jones at cjones@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.