Democratic Primaries

The Democratic Party primaries have developed in what I think is a rather unusual way, and I thought I might explain why I have this opinion.

The 'super' delegates, whom I believe to be about six hundred prestigious party members, but unelected in any primary, hold the balance of power, so that they are in a position to sway the election if they believe the public choice to be ill-advised. I assume that Senators Kennedy and Kerry of Massachusetts would be in this group.

Florida and Michigan chose to disregard party instructions as to the permissible dates for holding their primaries, and the results were declared invalid. There appears to be no intention of allowing, or requiring, the states to reschedule them. Senator Clinton won both states.

The results so far show Senator Obama to have a significant lead. However, a great part of his total is in states which are dominated by the Republican Party. Will his popularity among Democrats be of any help in swaying Republican voters? Senator Clinton's strength is in the Democratic heartland, with exceptions, such as Illinois

I think it was unfortunate that Senators Kennedy and Kerry sought to influence the choice, instead of waiting to see how they could ensure the best partnership of presidential and vice-presidential candidates, before they showed their hand. Their backing in their own state, Massachusetts, was insufficient for Senator Obama to carry the state primary.