Let's clear this pledged delegate crap up once and for all

I am talking about getting pledged delegates to switch sides.What? Isn’t that impossible? A pledged delegate is pledged to a particular candidate and cannot switch, right? Wrong.Pledged delegates are not really pledged at all, not even on the first ballot. This has been an open secret in the party for years, but it has never really mattered because there has almost always been a clear victor by the time the convention convened. But not this time. This time, one candidate may enter the convention leading by just a few pledged delegates, and those delegates may find themselves being promised the sun, moon and stars to switch sides.

Rules of good behavior, maybe. But, in fact, the actual rules of the party allow for such switching. The notion that pledged delegates must vote for a certain candidate is, according to the Democratic National Committee, a “myth.”

“Delegates are NOT bound to vote for the candidate they are pledged to at the convention or on the first ballot,” a recent DNC memo states. “A delegate goes to the convention with a signed pledge of support for a particular presidential candidate. At the convention, while it is assumed that the delegate will cast their vote for the candidate they are publicly pledged to, it is not required.”

So here is the truth about the so called pledged delegates. They can switch even before the first ballot.

it won't be nearly enough to make a difference. Sorry bud.

undemocratic to the silly lever-pullers in the electorate...
unless of course they made the mistake of pulling the lever for the better candidate!

And it makes what Bush did legitimate.

... Officially Scraped by HRC Supporter."

Film at eleven.

You ever heard of the RAPTURE?

We've still got a couple of months until the convention!

Can you arrange it so I get their stuff (being as they won't be needin' it and all)?

If he gets raptured, *I* get his delegates!

... according to HRC Primary Rule Change No. 2743, "delegates inherited by way of rapture" do not count (along with most states, SDs who endorse Obama, Bill Richardson, Moveon.org, Democratic "activists", pledged delegates, etc.)

And I'm sure she will.

Maybe she can use W's phone - I understand he has the Almighty on quick-dial.

Barring that, pledged delegates don't switch, although they could.

By the same token, electors sent to the Electoral College could switch too, but they don't.

Obama should have a 100+ delegate lead going into convention

They're about as likely.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5639954

Math - it's not just for breakfast anymore!

There's probably a lot of pledged delegates out there who voted for Hillary in an early primary who have since become totally disgusted by the way she's dragging the party down with this bullshit.

Be careful what you wish for.......

The delegates picked are usually the most fanatical of the faithful. They are sent to the convention not because their name was picked out of a hat, but because they worked the hardest and showed the most support for their elected candidate.

You are talking about convincing someone who just spent months and months feverishly working their tails off to get their candidate elected switching sides because... well I don't even know why. Why would a pledged delegate show up at the convention and switch sides?

...the chances of it actually happening are so infinitesimally small as to render the suggestion ludicrous. But they ARE free to switch.

And she showed up at the office about 6am every morning and if she left at 9pm it was an early night. I don't think there's a chance in hell she'd switch to Hillary before the first ballot.

of the person to whom they are pledged. So it is likely that as many Clinton delegates will switch to Obama ... and I expect the count in either case to be low.

I pointed out that in '84, the Mondale people went around trying to get Hart delegates to switch to Jesse Jackson.
They did this to get Jackson's support.
It p*ssed off a lot of Hart supporters.

Most of my friends who worked on the Hart campaign didn't vote, some voted for Reagan and some, like me, voted 3rd party -- Bergland '84 (my first GE presidential vote)

It's an ugly way to do business and it alienates too many people.

But, you are right -- they can

her. She's out. Sooner or a little later, but without question...OUT!!!!!!

Getting pledged delegates who represent a lot of voters who supported Obama to betray their "constituents"?

This says a lot more about you (and Clinton) than it does about the system...

would never think of pulling such an undemocratic stunt.

But even if they did, no voters would be bothered by that in the slightest.

And an also-ran who doesn't know when to quit.

Please, be my guest. Go right ahead. I won't counsel against it because I'd rather see Hillary supporters waste their time on lost causes, rather than do the real work that's needed to win.

Ridiculous.

Be careful what you wish for.

:hi:

or win the lottery.

How likely is it, though? That's for the evidence to decide. And right now, there is exactly zero evidence that pledged delegates will switch over to one candidate or another in mass for any reason.

fucking pathetic

Instead why not have some guys in armani and gucci get together and tell us what to think and who we will get to vote for?

no Obama pledged delegate has, and it's likely none will. face it, hilly is running out of time and money. She won't be taking her moribund candidacy to Denver.

There is a right of refusal for the campaigns to vet the delegates in each state. If there is someone on that list whom a campaign feels is likely to switch his or her vote the campaign can have that person removed. It seems they make be looking at this a bit more closely this year than in the past.

Pledged delegates are supposed to reflect the votes of the state unless there is a unusual and compelling reason to switch. As a delegate, I won't switch just because some don't like my candidate or prefer the opponent.

Do you mean superdelegates?

Why would they do that?

Why would they switch from the winner of the primaries and the strongest candidate against McCain to Hillary?

Maybe Hillary's delegates should switch to Obama!

"This has been an open secret in the party for years, but it has never really mattered because there has almost always been a clear victor by the time the convention convened."

If the pledged delegates aren't actually pledged (for the first round of voting) then how is there almost always a clear victor? If what you're arguing is the case then no one can claim victory until after the voting.