Harold Ickes on Super Delegates

The Clinton campaign spin just gets sillier by the moment. Mark Penn argued that Clinton losing more states to Barack Obama makes her the stronger general election candidate. Harold Ickes states that Obama's victories in red states makes him weaker in the general election. Hillary won big in blue states so she should be the nominee. Reality-based Republicans do not believe that John McCain is going to beat the Democratic nominee in Califoria. The last two Democratic Presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, did well in the South. Obama's southern victories are exactly what Democrats need in a nominee.

Ickes goes one better and says that the super delegates should vote for Hillary, even if Obama receives more delegates.

''Automatic delegates are supposed to make their best judgment about who would be a good and hopefully a great president, and more importantly, who would win in November,'' he told reporters in a telephone call, pointing to Clinton's wider appeal among Hispanic voters and her victories in some swing states. Independent voters and traditionally Republican states who have favored Obama, he said, can't be counted on in November.

Fortunately, Nancy Pelosi is the voice of reason.

While Ickes emphasized that hundreds of the superdelegates are elected officials, some Democratic leaders say allowing them to break the deadlock would hurt the party's image. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week: ``It would be a problem for the party if the verdict would be something different than the public has decided.''

Pelosi also said states that broke the rules, namely Florida and Michigan, shouldn't settle the nomination.

Ickes is right. The super delegates can vote for the candidate of their choice. I always hated the Democratic Party using superdelegates to nominate a candidate. Hopefully, the controversy will end the practice. That doesn't mean that it would break party rules if the super delegates went with the candidate with less delegates.

It is amusing to listen to the twisted logic the Clinton campaign is using. They are saying we can't beat Obama or win red states, but please give us the nomination. The campaign that was telling the press they were unstoppable is now weak.

If Hillary fights for the nomination at the convention, trashing Obama and then loses to John McCain; she will be outcast from the Democratic Party. Blacks and progressives will feel Hillary stole the nomination. Even feminists will stop defending Hillary. She is setting herself up to be the Democratic version of Bush in 2000.

Hillary's scorched earth tactics are what makes her a polarizing figure. I lived through the Karl Rove/George W. Bush era. I don't have the stomach for another President that will mudsling her way into power.