Got a Problem? Ask a Super

Ms Ferraro's harangue about the role of the super-delegates fails the test of logic (Got a Problem? Ask he Super, New York Times, January 25, 2008: A21). If the Democrats wish to win the White House in 208, they will have to win the support of Independents and soft (in the sense of only weakly attached) Republicans. The very fact that in several primaries Barack Obama won the election with strong support of Independents and Republicans is the very reason that he should be chosen as the Democratic candidate.

Her call to allow the seating of the disenfranchised delegates from Michigan and Florida shows that her Clintonian partisanship has clouded her judgement. In Michigan there was no campaigning and only Hilary Clinton's name was on the Ballot; that is surely not a fair test of her strength in that State. In Florida there was no campaigning; once again it provided no test of the candidates' appeal to voters. The decision of the central committee -- those very super-delegates that Ms. Ferraro is appealing to on Ms. Clinton's behalf --should let their decision stand.

Finally, her sneering at the shift in allegiance of some super-delegates because "their constituents have spoken" has blinded her from being able to make a principled appeal to some of the super-delegates from Massachusetts (Kennedy, Kerry, Capuano, and Patrick) who all endorsed Obama. If Ms. Ferraro had appealed to that principle, they would have had to shift to the Clinton side.

I am a supporter of Barack Obama and have volunteered for his campaign.

Sent to New York Times