02/27/2008
Nation's Youngest Superdelegate Jason Rae Talks to CNN
CNN anchor John Roberts talked to Jason Rae, the nation's youngest superdelegate (who also happens to be gay) on Monday's American Morning. Roberts asked him how he became a superdelegate, how aggressively the campaigns have reached out to him, and why he ultimately chose to support Barack Obama.
Said Rae: "Senator Clinton needs to win both Texas and Ohio. If she doesn't, I think she's going to see that she just keeps slipping further and further behind in the delegate count. And that in order to make it up, it would have to resort only to superdelegates. I think that both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are very experienced in politics and both know that dragging the nomination process out even longer is detrimental to the party as a whole. We don't want to go into convention in August without a nominee. We need to spend the summer months getting, you know, a solid message out there. With the Republicans already having Senator McCain chosen. If we spend the next, you know, three or four months fighting internally over who our nominee will be, it just gives the Republicans time to get a message together and attack us...I think for me, one the factors I was deciding to endorse Senator Obama was how my state voted. Wisconsin was overwhelmingly in favor of Senator Obama but that wasn't my only reason. I really do think that superdelegates, you know, the reason they were created back in 1982, was to add a different perspective to the process, and I think that as such, you know, superdelegates are responsible to, you know their electorate. For example, I'm responsible for the Democratic party of Wisconsin. And I think that we do have a duty to represent our best judgment and figure out what we think is best for the party and for the country."
View the entire clip AFTER THE JUMP...
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 1:00 PM EST by Andy in Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Election 2008, Hillary Clinton, News | Permalink
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Wow. Like, you know, this kid is, you know, really smart, you know. At least much smarter, you know, than any of us. You know?
Posted by: jeffreychrist | Feb 27, 2008 1:07:33 PM
Andy, I am never one to question you. There however, a girl who is from some ivy league school who is also 21-and a 'superdelegate'. So are you sure he is the youngest?
Posted by: Andrew | Feb 27, 2008 1:11:41 PM
Andy, a friend pointed something out to me in a recent post of his. How does someone "happen" to be gay? Would you ever write a sentence that stated "presidential hopeful Barak Obama (who also happens to be Black)" or "Rugby star Ben Cohen (who also happens to be bi-pedal)..."?
His much more eloquent post is here:
http://www.joelderfner.com/blog/2008/02/post_274.html#comments
Posted by: David | Feb 27, 2008 1:20:09 PM
The kid is my kind of Democrat--thinkin' what's good for the party, and not getting caught up in this stupid primary fight. If we had real ideological differences in the party, then I could understand it. THe days of Henry Jackson fighting George Wallace fighting Hubert Humphrey fighting George McGovern for the heart of the party are over! All Democrats are about the same now--except Robert Byrd, but he's almost dead.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Feb 27, 2008 1:27:32 PM
Well as eloquent as his commentary was, you know, I have to say that he says that the superdelegates put a different perspective on the nomination process, but then just says they should vote the way their electorate voted. Which is actually not all why superdelegates were added to the process, but okay Jason.
Also, I hate to tell him but the superdelegates will be making the decision unless Hillary pulls out. Numerically Obama cannot secure the nomination without superdelegates. Now I'm sure he meant to say that Hillary will just pull out if she gets so far behind in the delegate count/popular vote that superdelegates would just abandon her. But the fact remains that numerically, should she not concede and pull out, the superdelegates would have to vote at the convention.
Glad to see our youngest superdelegate is on the up and up.
Posted by: BANNE | Feb 27, 2008 1:34:55 PM
This kid is the intern at the Victory Fund, right? I was an intern at the Victory Fund once, too, but all I got was 3 credit hours and a mug! Waah!
Posted by: Jeff | Feb 27, 2008 1:52:33 PM
I'm sorry, but I just can't stand him, you know, ah, yeah, really.
Posted by: Ryan | Feb 27, 2008 1:54:19 PM
Whatever... He supports Obama, so he's automatically a douche.
Posted by: Lion | Feb 27, 2008 2:35:12 PM
Nothing like a self-hating gay superdelegate Obama supporter.
Posted by: Bran | Feb 27, 2008 2:42:47 PM
Maybe he's tied for the youngest!
Posted by: oakling | Feb 27, 2008 3:37:53 PM
Andrew, David - I think Andy meant to write "the nation's gayest superdelegate who happens to be young."
Posted by: Mark | Feb 27, 2008 3:56:54 PM
He's the Supercute Superdelegate!
Well, not really, but it was fun to say!
The whole notion of superdelegates strikes me as backwards. Why can't the party just have an Internet primary election? That would be tres moderne.
Posted by: anon | Feb 27, 2008 4:46:56 PM
"And, you know, Obama gives better head...."
In addition to contradicting himself about what superdelegates should do, was I sleeping when the Repugs had their national convention and officially chose McCain?
Sure they probablly WILL but that's not the point. Both slips reflect Rae's fractured thought processes which explain his bad taste in glasses and having been sucked into the Obama Borg.
So it is written. So shall it be. Obama will get the nomination, beat McCain which is, in any case, a good thing, but one to two years from now the Obamaheads are likely to wake up with a killer hangover.
Posted by: Michael Bedwell | Feb 27, 2008 5:59:17 PM
Aren't you thinking of Thomas Roberts?
Posted by: Leigh | Feb 27, 2008 7:43:01 PM