The diary of a mad, black, super delegate

Americans. Who the hell knows what a super delegate is? Even if you do, you don’t really. Primary season can be about as labyrinthine as.. well, as every other element to the broken, patchwork voting system that elects leaders in the most powerful country in the world.

Thing is, they could end up being awfully important, if Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to run tightly through to this summer’s Democratic Convention – which almost all are concluding they will. See, if the primary season doesn’t choose a presumptive candidate, then the Party’s 796 super delegates decide for them, as was displayed in an interesting report by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Larry Eichel. No surprise, Philadelphia’s representatives in this game are voices of the city’s Democratic machine, notably Carol Ann Campbell, the city party’s secretary, former councilwoman, and resident caricature.

Campbell has said she isn’t saying who she supports yet, as the Inquirer’s Heard in the Halls blog reported. Another noted machine rep who is a super delegate is Ron Donatucci, a Temple University alumus and trustee, the city’s register of wills and has also served as the city commitee’s secretary. The city’s other superdelegates are senior elected officials, like U.S. Reps. Chaka Fattah, Bob Brady and Allyson Schwartz, Sen. Casey and Gov. Rendell. (Photo courtesy of City Paper, from an article that is referenced in this post)