Holla at Them!

Here’s what most of us seem to know: Obama has 260 superdelegates, and Hillary has 273.

A lot of us have been throwing those numbers around like we really know what we’re talking about. I’ll only speak for myself when I say I’ve never been as involved in an election as I have been in this one. And I’ve certainly never had as many conversations about the whole election process as I’ve had about this election. I’m sure that I must have taken a political science course in college and some civics or social studies classes in high school, but I don’t remember them.

Like many of you, this primary election season has given me a crash course in politics. And I’m trying to keep up.

For example, as much as we talk about superdelegates, do most of us really know who they are or what they do? According to the 2008 Democratic Convention Watch website, there are 795 (not including Michigan and Florida) total Democratic superdelegates that the nominees are trying to be endorsed by.

Superdelegates are made up of Democratic governors and members of Congress, former presidents, including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter; former vice president Al Gore, retired congressional leaders, and all Democratic National Committee members, such as my girl Donna Brazile, and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Superdelegates automatically get to cast a vote at the convention this summer to decide who the party’s nominee will be. They can come out any time before their state’s primary and pledge to support either Obama or Clinton. That support is actually a vote that moves the candidate closer to the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination.

Before the superdelegate system was put into place, party bosses that were usually white men had way too much power and influence in the way candidates were nominated. So, in the 70s the party’s rules were changed to open the process to more grassroots activists, women and ethnic minorities.

Usually, by the end of the primary season, it’s clear who the presidential nominee will be. Of course, this is not a usual election, and it looks like the battle between Obama and Clinton will not only go beyond the primary season but all the way up to the convention. If this is the case, the role of the superdelegates will be huge.

So, I thought it would be a good idea to let you know who some of these superdelegates are and how you can get in touch with them to let them know how you would like them to vote. We know it’s ultimately up to the individuals, but I don’t see how letting them know how we feel can hurt.

Even though this is radio advocacy, it isn’t a case where we’re contacting a person to yell at them or make a demand. It’s more like a “let me holler at you” kind of thing.

Here’s the first list of uncommitted super delegates and their e-mail addresses. Holla at them.

Rep. Chris Carney (PA)
http://carney.house.gov/contact.shtm

Joyce Beatty, DNC (Ohio)
District27@ohr.state.oh.us

Gilda Cobb-Hunter
gch@schouse.org

Rep. Jim Clyburn (S.C.)
http://clyburn.house.gov/zip_code_verify.cfm

Akaka, Daniel K.- (HI)
http://akaka.senate.gov/public/index.cfm ?FuseAction=Contact.Home

Baucus, Max- (MT)
http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailFo rm.cfm?subj=issue

Biden, Joseph R., Jr.- (DE)
http://biden.senate.gov/services/contact/

Brown, Sherrod- (OH)
http://brown.senate.gov/contact/

Byrd, Robert C.- (WV)
http://byrd.senate.gov/byrd_email.html

Cardin, Benjamin L.- (MD)
http://cardin.senate.gov/contact/

Carper, Thomas R.- (DE)
http://carper.senate.gov/contact/

Representative Tom Allen (Maine)
info@tomallen.org (e-mail)

Representative Jason Altmire (Pennsylvania)
http://altmire.house.gov/IMA/issue_subscribe.shtml

Representative Howard Berman (California)
http://www.house.gov/berman/contact/

Governor Steve Beshear (Kentucky)
http://governor.ky.gov/contact.htm

Anita Bonds (Washington, DC)
http://www.faxzero.com