Super-Delegates, Stay Home!

Barack Obama cleaned up in the latest primaries and caucuses. But, in the end, it may not matter. All the delegates he won could be canceled out by the party’s super-delegates.

Super-delegate slots were created by the party in 1982 to give party leaders a say at the convention. You know, the big poobahs — like governors, senators, members of Congress, state party chairmen and members of the Democratic National Committee. I know. I used to be one. Today, there are 796 of them.

Their intended role was simply to show up at the convention and cast their vote for the winner of the primaries.

But this year, with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama so close in the delegate count — and with the increasing likelihood that neither will emerge from the primaries with the 2025 delegates needed to win the nomination — super-delegates could actually end up deciding the nominee, and not just confirming the nominee.

And that would be a disaster for the Democratic Party: back to the days of smoke-filled rooms.

There’s only one answer: Super-delegates should make no endorsement before the primaries are over. If they’ve already made one, drop it and go back to neutral. Then, at the convention, all super-delegates should endorse whichever candidate wins the popular vote in the primaries.

No back-room deals. Shouldn’t the Democratic Party exercise a little democracy?

Visit Mr. Press’s website at billpressshow.com.