Political Primary Process

Government 201-051
March 10, 2008
The Political Primary Process 2008
The primary process of 2008 has been intriguing if anything at all. It has also generated enthusiasm among both parties, and young voters alike. Most of the hype of the political primaries emerges from the Democratic Party with the possibility of the first woman president, who has background experience, or the first African American president, who has mass appeal but an unknown future. The Republican Party came up with a clear nominee for presidency, whereas the Democratic Party is torn between two noteworthy contenders. As of February 10, 2008, the remaining candidates for presidency from the Democratic Party were: Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, and Mike Gravel. The…show more content…
They do not compete for a seat at the convention like delegates because of who they are. Their role at the conventions is to choose a candidate for presidency. Super delegates were established due to the nomination of George McGovern in 1972, who won only one state and the District of Columbia. Super delegates are more or less set up as a checks and balance system for extreme or inexperienced candidates. All of the voting power would not be left to the general public. Democrats wanted to be rid of party bosses and allow elected officials to have a bigger voice in the nomination process. Voters do not choose the 842 super delegates who make up about forty percent of the number of delegates needed to secure the democratic nomination. Super delegates, often called unpledged, are not required to indicate a preference for a candidate and may change their mind at any time (even if they announced their support to a candidate publicly). This poses a problem because it makes the notion of super delegates seem undemocratic. If super delegates are allowed to change their mind at any time they could easily go against the popular vote of the primaries and caucuses, and instead vote in their own favor. If they choose to vote in their own favor it will be perceived that they are going against the voice of the people. That is why in…show more content…
American Government and Politics Today. Canada: Clark Baxter, 2007-2008.
2.) “Super delegates won’t have it easy this time”. Editorial. The Star Ledger. 22 Feb. 2008. Page 19.
3.) Curry, Tom. What role for Democratic ‘super delegates’. 2007. 5 Mar. 2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18277678.
4.) Brown, Campbell. Helton, John. Hornick, Ed. Democrats fear super delegates could overrule voters. 14 Feb. 2008. 5 Mar. 2008 http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/14/superdelegates/index.html.
5.) Thee, Megan. How The New York Times Counts Delegates. 6 Mar. 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/ref/us/politics/2008delegates.html
6.) Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008. 10 Mar. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_%28United_States%29_presidential_primaries%2C_2008
7.) Election Center 2008 Primaries and Caucuses. 10 Mar. 2008.