[From the diaries - BarbinMD]
I just came upon a disturbing realization today. The Green Papers report on Democratic delegate allocation indicates 51 Senate super delegates. 51?? Does Joe Lieberman qualify to be a super delegate at the 2008 Democratic Convention? I cannot think of a greater slap in the face than to have this shill for the Bush administration show up in Denver. But he might do so.
How could that be? Lieberman is now a member of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party, right? Wrong. Lieberman defines himself as an "Independent Democrat" and is listed as such in Senate records. Furthermore, Lieberman recently registered as a Democrat in Stamford. So does he qualify for super delegate status?
Here are the official super delegate requirements from the Democratic National Committee website:
The procedure to be used for certifying unpledged party leader and elected official delegates is as follows:
Not later than March 1, 2008, the Secretary of the Democratic National Committee shall officially confirm to each State Democratic Chair the names of the following unpledged delegates who legally reside in their respective state and who shall be recognized as part of their state’s delegation unless any such member has publicly expressed support for the election of, or has endorsed, a presidential candidate of another political party;
- The individuals recognized as members of the DNC (as set forth in Article Three, Sections 2 and 3 of the Charter of the Democratic Party of the United States); and,
- The Democratic President and the Democratic Vice President of the United States, if applicable; and,
- All Democratic members of the United States House of Representatives and all Democratic members of the United States Senate; and,
- The Democratic Governor, if applicable; and,
- All former Democratic Presidents, all former Democratic Vice Presidents, all former Democratic Leaders of the U.S. Senate, all former Democratic Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives and Democratic Minority Leaders, as applicable, and all former Chairs of the Democratic National Committee.
And here’s the rub. It says, "All Democratic members of the United States Senate." Lieberman is a U.S. Senator and Lieberman is registered as a Democrat. The Democratic leadership rewarded Lieberman already with seniority and a committee chair. Why wouldn’t it also give him a super delegate seat?
I contacted the Democratic National Committee’s Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection. I was assured that Lieberman was not considered a Democrat, but was told that the delegate selection status would remain "in flux" until early March. That sounded like both a "No" and a "Maybe" answer.
Since Lieberman caucuses with the Democrats, since Lieberman’s vote is essential to Democratic control of the Senate, and since the party leadership is, well, the party leadership – I wouldn’t be surprised if Lieberman was given a super delegate seat in the convention.
If you believe, like I do, that this violates Democratic Party rules and rewards someone for ignoring the results of a legitimate primary election, then I urge you to contact party officials at the DNC.
Here is the DNC e-mail website:
http://www.democrats.org/...
And their phone number:
202-863-8000
Let’s make sure that Lieberman only attends the Connecticut for Lieberman convention.
No, wait a minute. He’s not a member of that party, either.