|
The youngest super delegate is Jason Rae, a 21-year-old from
Wisconsin. This year, his ability to publicly endorse a candidate
has made his cell phone number a popular one with Democratic
party leaders from President Bill Clinton and beyond.
On his way to the grocery store, Rae said he stopped to chat
with Massachusetts senator and Obama supporter John Kerry.
Sitting in the car, waiting for an oil change, former Secretary
of State Madeline Albright rang, and Rae went to breakfast
with Chelsea Clinton when she visited Wisconsin to support
her mother's campaign.
"To be 21 years old and to receive calls from President
Clinton, Madeline Albright and John Kerry, for me those calls
were all an important learning process. These calls gave me
a new perspective into how the campaign was going," he
said.
Who are the super delegates?
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
All former Democratic U.S. presidents, including Jimmy
Carter and Bill Clinton, are super delegates. |
|
|
Super delegates are often
influential party leaders, including former presidents, governors,
members of Congress, and party activists elected by state representatives.
In 1982, Democratic Party leaders created the super delegate
process in an effort to re-establish some measure of electoral
control to party insiders after a decade of wide-open, populist
primary results.
Super delegates are permitted to vote for whomever they choose,
allowing the party to counterbalance traditional "pledged"
delegates who are typically awarded in state primaries and
caucuses.
Under Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules, pledged
delegates are distributed proportionally after a state's primary
or caucus votes are tallied, meaning that a candidate who
receives 30 percent of the vote will receive approximately
30 percent of the available delegates.
This year, as the tight race between Senators Obama and Clinton
continues, neither candidate will likely gain the 2,025 delegates
needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination by
popular vote and pledged delegates alone. As a result, the
individual, unpledged support of some 800 super delegates
is on track to be the deciding factor in the race.
A tough decision
Super delegates do not
all agree, however, on the appropriate means of choosing which
candidate to support. Some, such as Congressman Chris Van Hollen
of Maryland and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, have suggested
that super delegates have an obligation to reflect the will
of the voters.
Others, such as former DNC national chairman Steve Grossman
and current chair Howard Dean, believe super delegates should
exercise their own judgment to determine who will best serve
the needs of the party in a general election.
Jason Rae's dilemma
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Rae has met both Clinton and Obama, and the campaigns
have lobbied for his endorsement via phone calls and meetings. |
|
|
Jason Rae, who lost an
election to represent his homeroom in sixth grade, but at 17
won a statewide election against the president of a firefighter's
union and a state legislator to become a super delegate, is
taking his responsibility very seriously.
He believes the party will avoid a delegate deadlock and
have its nominee before the national convention held in Denver
this August. "I think [both candidates] know that not
having a nominee by May will be detrimental to the country,"
he said.
Rae believes that recent criticism of super delegates - as
being removed from the electoral process and the will of the
people - is unfounded. He notes that his daily routine consists
primarily of voter outreach: working with the DNC Youth Council,
volunteering for local campaigns, and even answering e-mails
from those who are interested in the party, the election season
or the respective candidates.
"There's some people out there who've said DNC members
are these party insiders who spend all their time in back
rooms making deals doing this or that, and to me, that's not
the case," he said. "I'm a student, I'm an activist
in the party and on top of that I hold this position. I think
they all go hand-in-hand."
Decision made
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Rae chose Obama in part because of his support among young
voters. |
|
|
After weighing the results
of the Wisconsin primary, in which young voters supported Obama
in record numbers, and forming his own opinion on the candidates
and issues, Rae decided to support Obama.
"The reason I ran for the DNC in the first place was to
be a voice for this generation. I saw very clearly that the
generation was speaking for Senator Obama," he said, adding,
"But it should come down to super delegates determining
individually who they think would be best for the country and
for the party. I was leaning towards Senator Obama and those
[Wisconsin poll] results reinforced my opinion." |
Joplin was able to rise from the ashes because of help from everyone. And I am eternally grateful to anyone who made that possible.
