SC Democrats Rocked By Superdelegate Scandal May 6, 2008
Posted by fitsnews in : Presidential Politics , trackback
REX WOULDN’T PLAY BALL WITH “AUTOMATIC OBAMA” ENDORSEMENT, SOURCES SAY
FITSNews - May 6, 2008 - Three days after former S.C. Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum was selected as one of South Carolina’s democratic superdelegates (and promptly pledged her support to Barack Obama), sources are telling FITSNews that Obama’s campaign and the state party deliberated manipulated the selection process to ensure that the Illinois Senator received this critical “unpledged” vote.
Specifically, the party is said to have initially offered the superdelegate slot to current S.C. Education Superintendent Jim Rex, who balked at having to endorse Obama as a precondition.
“It was offered to him,” a source close to Rex told FITSNews this morning. “He declined on the basis that the SCDP should not place conditions on unpledged delegates.”
S.C. democrats reserve an unpledged ”superdelegate” spot for top statewide officials like Rex. In fact, Tenenbaum represented the party in this capacity in 2000 while she was superintendent.
This time, however, Rex’s reluctance to pledge to Obama in advance cost him the coveted slot.
“This was a deliberate slap in Jim Rex’s face,” said another source close to the Superintendent. “To refuse to seat the state’s highest-ranking Democrat because he insisted on following the rules established by the party is despicable.”
This source called the joint action by the state party and the Obama campaign ”egregious and wrong,” noting the irony that “(Rex) is leaning toward Obama anyway.”
According to both of our sources, Obama’s campaign pulled out all the stops to secure the superdelegate postion, actually flying some of its top advisors to South Carolina to complete the coup.
Ultimately, after coordinating with state party officials, Tenenbaum spoke to Rex directly and delivered the “Obama ultimatum.”
“Inez told Jim that unless he pledged to Obama in advance she was going to run against him for the position - and that she had the votes to beat him,” our source said.
Rex reportedly bristled at Tenenbaum’s threat, saying that he “refused to be bullied.” Rex also told Tenenbaum that he would not drop out of the race under any circumstances, and that he planned on attending the August convention as an unpledged delegate if elected.
Needless to say, the Rex-Tenenbaum feud has exploded within S.C. democratic circles.
“There is a lot of bad blood,” one of our sources said. “This has created a huge rift within the state party at the worst possible time.”
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Same party that wouldn’t allow Colbert on the ballot. What else would you expect?
“REX WOULDN’T PLAY BALL WITH “AUTOMATIC OBAMA” ENDORSEMENT, SOURCES SAY
Really?.. so who’s the source.. I give you all ONE guess!!
Wow, what a nice cut-and-paste entry from the Obama camp (#1). I wonder if this sort of behind-the-scenes wrangling counts as “inspiring up” instead of “tearing down.”
Face it this is just the same old politics as usual.
Why would SC Dems select a superdelegate who wasn’t committed to voting how the people of south carolina overwhelmingly voted in the primary? Is that really so much to ask?
And why does Rex have enough free time to even give a shit about this stuff? Get back to fixing our schools.
Snead:
Superedelegates are not pledged delegates…if they were automatically pledged based upon the primary, there would be no need for them.
They are DESIGNED to be independent.
The Democrats never cease to amaze me in this state (or in the country, for that matter). They have one statewide office holder in Rex who seems to be trying innovative things to right the sinking ship called the State Department of Education and Public Education in general. He seems to be working harder at improving Public Education than Tennenbaum ever did. All she did was run for Senate while she was Supt. - AND LOST HUGE!
When he tries to get legislation passed in the general assembly, the Democrats don’t want to help it thru. Now this! Slapping a guy in the face for doing thr right thing?
WAKE UP JIM! The dems aren’t your friends nor are they friends of public education in this state.
There is absolutely no legit purpose for superdelegates. The superdelegate was designed to give the national party some quid pro quo after they wine and dine state officials and big wigs. We should send delegates based upon the popular vote at the primary, period. We are a democracy not an aristocracy. Its just a favor trading game for pork. Print it beeeoootch!
Scandal? Just sounds like someone got their panties in a wad. You know how that feels, don’t you?
Yeah, I don’t so much see a scandal here. The SC dems can elect whoever they want to be superdelegate. If part of the qualifications that they desire is a vote for Obama then that is their prerogative.
I think we will be seeing Inez for Gov… That will be a BIG BIG mistake. It really is amazing seeing Dems tripping all over themselves trying to coronate Obama….. What has he done in the past…. We he was associated with his pastor for 20years and the rantings were fine until they became politically inconvienient. Questions about his other associations are on the horizon….. Go ahead nominate him….. You will be surprised at what you will get.
SC Dems are losing a lot of long term dedicated supporters because of a lack of leadership. Why should this bonehead move surprise anyone? I didn’t even bother going this past Saturday.
the only scandal is that sic(k) willie has publicly expressed his desire to kiss Gavin Rossdale on the mouth. Quote from sic(k) willie: “…he’s earned the special distinction of being the only man Sic Willie has gone on the record saying that he would kiss … as in on the lips.”
sic(k) willie, being Gay does not make you a bad person. Thanks for coming out. See you Friday night at the railroad tracks in 5 Points.
Thanks Leo. I’m, for the lack of a better word, dumb.
[...] while the two Democrats - current State Superintendent Jim Rex and his predecessor Inez Tenenbaum - are on the same team this time around, the whole exercise appears to be nothing more than a [...]