Published: May 01, 2008 09:31 am            

Time to send superdelegates packing

One of the first actions Democrats should take at their national convention in August is to deep six the role of superdelegates.

It is unfathomable that the Democratic Party, which prides itself on being the party of Main Street and not Wall Street, would utilize a system of elitism based on the principle that a privileged group – the elected party leaders – have more knowledge and more wisdom than the people.

The idea of elites passing judgment on the political process exists in many and varied forms throughout history: The U.S. electoral college system, the House of Lords in Britain, even the Politboro and the Secretariat in the old Soviet Union, to cite only a few.

Democracy, however, is based on the principle of “one person, one vote.” The beauty of democracy, and its wisdom, is that on Election Day the vote of the poorest homeless person equals the vote of the richest investment banker, and the vote of the illiterate equals the vote of the most intelligent philosopher.

The Republican Party does not utilize the concept of superdelegates. The Demo-crats adopted the idea in 1982, after having witnessed their presidential candidates, George McGovern in 1972 and Jimmy Carter in 1980, taken to the proverbial woodshed by the GOP candidates, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

The party leaders felt that the previous system had produced candidates who didn’t appeal to mainstream American voters. Their solution: Superdelegates. This would ensure that the party professionals would have a strong voice in the selection of the future presidential candidates and avoid future GOP landslides.

Being superdelegates gives these 796 politicos a free pass to the convention. They don’t have to run in a primary election and risk the humiliation of being defeated.

The concept of superdelegates is the antithesis of democracy. It is based on the principle that the wisdom of party leaders and experienced politicians is greater than the collective wisdom of the people. The whole notion of democracy is based on the principle: Trust the judgment and wisdom of the people.

Remember, it is the party leaders who wanted to move the Pennsylvania primary election to February, so voters would be more influential in selection of the presidential candidates. Need I say more?

It also is the party leaders and party professionals in Florida and Michigan who defied he Democratic National Committee rules and held their primaries earlier than Feb. 5, ostensibly so their voters could be more influential on the national scene.

The DNC responded by denying these states the opportunity to have their delegates seated at the national convention. I have no sympathy for these states. They can’t come whining now because their leaders’ judgment and decision-making were poor.

And can there be anything more anti-democratic than the proposal by two eastern Democratic governors to raise $30 million from private donations to have a re-do of the Florida and Michigan primaries? Get serious.

Do we really want to say: “This election brought to you by Bear-Stearns” or “This election brought to you by Exxon?”

What is next, the sale of advertising space on the ballots? Money plays too powerful a rule in our election system without private companies sponsoring elections.

It is time for the Democratic Party to return power to the people.

Make the 2008 convention the last hurrah for the superdelegates.



Charles L. Kennedy is a senior instructor of political science at Penn State York and is currently a Democrat.

        

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