Home   News   Schools   Sports   Biz   Opinion   Health   Scitech  Arts   Dining   Movies   Outdoors   Weather   Archives  NM Jobs Cars Real Estate

Story Tools  E-mail Story  Print Friendly Save & Share  ‡  Tag this Page Most Requested Most E-mailed Who's Blogging? Read what's being written about Albuquerque Journal reports. Bluejay Basketball links to SPORTS: Alford Still Working on Slate How Bizarre links to NEWS/METRO: Woman Wears a Collar and Chain in Fight for Dogs' Freedoms New Mexico Politics: New Mexico FBIHOP links to /abqnews/ Men's Gymnastics links to SPORTS: Focus turns to Beijing for Rio Rancho gymnast Hagerty m-pyre links to Metro: Mayor: TIDDs Good Option for New Development Diogenes'six links to NEWS/METRO: Post Office: Check's Not in Mail Internet Business Learning | Internet Marketing Course| Promotion Course links to NORTH: Good Service Earns Big Jo's an Award Shopfloor links to NEWS/WASHINGTON: Bingaman Seeks To Amend FISA Oh Fair New Mexico links to NEWS/STATE: Horses May Be Relinquished as People Economize Civil Justice Center links to home page Full list and what they're blogging Opinion editorials State Should Act To Conserve Pecos Canyon Youngest Inmates Don't Need These Mentors Cops, CYFD Need Set More Opinion editorials

          Front Page  opinion  editorials

Saturday, May 03, 2008

N.M. Dems Wrangle Over 1 Superdelegate

By

      So this is what our nation's great experiment in democracy has come to — whining that we didn't get enough chances to game the system?
       Some of New Mexico's top Democratic Party leaders are claiming Chairman Brian Colón broke the rules when he nominated two people for the state's 12th and final superdelegate. They say he should have met with the executive committee first. They say he diverted from his original plan to nominate one Hillary Clinton backer and one Barack Obama supporter. They say he caved to Obama-camp pressure and that the winning “uncommitted” superdelegate, Laurie Weahkee, is a closet Obamaphile. They want a runoff between her and their candidate, Hillary backer Heather Townsend.
       Take a deep breath, people.
       Colón says he followed the rules. That he discussed his plan with several members of the executive committee. That because the delegate is called “unpledged,” he went with people who had not aligned with either campaign. That he was the target of tremendous lobbying from both camps.
       Maybe Colón gamed the system himself. Maybe he succumbed to pressure from superdelegate Gov. Bill Richardson, who's backing Obama but whose office says he applied no heat. Maybe he realized at the eleventh hour that a Clinton nominee would roll over an Obama nominee and so he changed course and named two Obama fans who are in deep cover as “unpledged.”
       But the bottom line is like any team captain in grade school, Colón is the party chairman, and he gets to pick the “add-on” superdelegate nominees. The rules say so.
       If Democrats don't like those rules, they can work to change them instead of game them. That's what real Democracy is all about.
   

---

---

Latest Albuquerque and New Mexico News
Sports

---

Albuquerque Journal Subscriber Services
Submit a news tip | Place a classified ad | Advertise Online at ABQjournal | Advertise in Albuquerque Journal print products | Subscribe to newspaper
Save & Share Tag this Page | ...go to bookmarks
back to top