|
Is Hillary in like Flynn, no matter what happens in New Hampshire?
It’s good to see Richard Poe back in circulation. In his January 7 article, “The Fix is in for Hillary,” he says that reports of Hillary’s Clinton’s imminent presidential demise are exaggerated. Even if she loses New Hampshire, the 852 “super-delegates,” who make up about one-fifth of the 4,049 total delegates and a bit less than half of the 2,025 needed to win, will likely come to her rescue. (Super-delegates are elected officials and party officials who are not chosen in the primaries, a system inaugurated in 1984 in order to tamp down the sort of pure democracy that had resulted in the 1972 McGovern debacle.) In addition, Poe writes, Hillary’s money and name recognition should serve her well in the big urban states voting on February 5, “super-duper Tuesday.”
However, there are questionable assumptions built in to Poe’s analysis. If the voters start going heavily for Obama, so will the super-delegates; that’s why, as one news story had it last Thursday night, the Hillary campaign was anxiously calling up the super-delegates to keep them aboard after the Iowa debacle. If the supers were so solid for Hillary, the campaign wouldn’t have to be urging them to stay aboard. For another thing, there’s no reason why Hillary’s name recognition necessarily assures her victories in the February 5 states. Poe, with his choice of title, “The Fix is in,” makes it seem as though the Hillary campaign possess actual, sinister control over the nomination process, regardless of what the people want. I don’t see how the rest of the article backs up that claim. Email entry |