Pajamas Media

In Focus: Dems Hemorrhaging Superdelegates

They're being indicted and they're resigning. If this keeps up, which Democrat will suffer more come the convention?

March 27, 2008 - by Sheryl Longin

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Just when the party needs them most, the Dems super-delegates are dropping like flies. First there was William Jefferson, followed by Eliot Spitzer, then Kwame Kilpatrick, and today, Anibal Acevedo-Vila.

This morning’s announcement of the indictment of Puerto Rico’s governor along with twelve others, including prominent Philadelphia democratic fundraiser Robert Feldman, worries party faithful for more reasons than one. Governor Acevedo-Vila , “a Harvard educated attorney and politician,” who according to AP, “was elected governor in 2004 after campaigning on an anti-corruption platform,” just last month endorsed Senator Obama for president. But as WaPo’s the Trail points out:

The reach of the case could wind up touching supporters of both Obama and his Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton…The paper reports that the investigation “was triggered by the FBI’s Philadelphia City Hall corruption probe in 2003. Feldman, who raised more than $1 million for Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Gov. Ed Rendell, was a former business partner of Ronald A. White, the late power-broker who was the lead defendant in the Philadelphia corruption case.” Rendell is a prominent Clinton supporter.

And Senator Casey is, you guessed it, an uncommitted super-delegate.

Neither Rendell nor Casey have been implicated in the probe, but association with Feldman seems to bring bad luck at the very least. Another recipient of his fund-raising largesse was former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey.

The stench of scandal threatens to further envelop the Garden State as Acevedo-Vila’s close ties with Sen. Robert Menendez are once again in the spotlight.

The Star-Ledger reports that:

“Acevedo-Vila is a significant behind-the-scenes player in New Jersey politics. He was an ally of McGreevey and he endorsed Jon Corzine in the 2005 election, and then attended his inaugural as governor the following January. In 2006, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) vacationed with Acevedo-Vila at the governor’s beach house in Puerto Rico.

As the federal probe of Acevedo-Vila progressed, Menendez used a controversial and secretive parliamentary maneuver to try to block the nomination of the U.S. attorney whose office Wednesday indicted Acevedo-Vila. Menendez was roundly criticized for his conduct in the nomination fight and has refused repeated requests for comment on the matter.”

Sen. Menendez, bien sur, is a super-delegate too. For Hillary.

Though a tally suggests the scandal so far is tit for tat, impacting neither candidate more than the other, Ed Morrissey at Hot Air believes Obama takes the bigger hit.

“He loses a superdelegate in Acevedo, but more problematic, he has once again been associated with election crimes and corruption. He had just gotten past his Tony Rezko problem, and now the proximity of another money-launderer will call into question just how naive or worse the unvetted Obama may be.”

Judging by such commenters as Tyross, posting at USA Today’s On Deadline, it won’t make a whit of difference, since it’s all a republican conspiracy:

“The republicans are using to patriot act to spy on the democrats, this is exactly what Nixon was impeached for. These are trumped up charges meant to make the dems look bad. The playground bullies are rearing their ugly heads!”

23 Comments

ic:

“The republicans are using to patriot act to spy on the democrats,..”

Pity the deluded.

Mar 27, 2008 - 1:32 pm Ed Wallis:

Sheryl,

I think it’s too early to be licking one’s chops…quite a bit of time before November. Though it is amusing (from this side of the aisle), I think it speaks to a broader/deeper malady of the Democrats, nicely described by J.R. Dunn here:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/03/the_disgrace_of_liberalism.html

Mar 27, 2008 - 1:39 pm Anthony (Los Angeles):

The playground bullies are rearing their ugly heads!

I’ve been wondering who drank all the Kool-Aid.

Mar 27, 2008 - 4:05 pm Lyndell:

I have never voted I have never got in on any of the debates of people talking I said each to there on. But when someone sits in the pulpit and listens to these so called preacher talking like satan himself then I know what to think and say.EACH TO THERE ON Well HERE GO,S Will they when they go to Hell And ask for a sip of water there is none ask for a pillow or there wife or children and it can,t be found Its no Dream wake Up AMERICA TEACH YOUR CHILDREN AND ANY THAT DOESN,T KNOW, THERE IS A GOD HE SAVES. HE LOVE. GOD IS LOVE.

Mar 27, 2008 - 5:38 pm David Ross:

Anthony: I drank some of their Kool-Aid and it was very tasty. The trick is to tell it from its very dangerous and funny-smelling rival Flavor-Aid.

Mar 27, 2008 - 5:58 pm bc:

You can fool all the people some of the time…

Mar 27, 2008 - 6:02 pm James:

O, to be in kindergarten again! Once more to see ugly heads rear upon the playgrounds of my youth!

Mar 27, 2008 - 6:29 pm David Thomson:

Anibal Acevedo-Vila’s difficulties will hurt the Democratic Party establishment in Pennsylvania and other northeastern states. It also does not help “Barry” Obama’s chances in the near future primary. My guess is that Acevedo will not hesitate to turn state’s evidence to save his own skin. One thing will likely lead to another. The odds are minimally 50/50 that this is only the beginning.

Mar 27, 2008 - 6:42 pm Don Meaker:

Oh for those happy days of yore when the sex scandals were all Democrats and the money scandals were all Republicans.

Clintons were cross over candidates. Since then it has been all confused.

Mar 27, 2008 - 6:43 pm Neo:

“this is exactly what Nixon was impeached for”

No, Nixon broke into there offices to find out what their legal activities were. These guys are being indicted for illegal activities.

Mar 27, 2008 - 7:45 pm Just Some Guy:

It seems as though the Democrats may be headed toward an avalanche of scandal. Hillary lies, Spitzer hires a prostitute, Jefferson takes bribes, etc. There’s not a comparable counterpart on the GOP side, and there seems to be more and more such news coming from the Democratic side.

Slightly related: registered Democrats average about 6% more income than Republicans, but they give far less of their income to charity.

My conclusion: Democrats are jerks.

Mar 27, 2008 - 8:18 pm TallDave:

At this rate, the candidacy will go to whichever contender has the most superdelegates not behind bars.

Mar 27, 2008 - 8:43 pm dick:

Don,

when were all the money scandals republicans? I seem to remember the Keating 5 had 1 republican, Rostenkowski, the post office checks, Jefferson, LBJ’s assistant Bobby Baker, the list of democrats just goes on and on. The only republicans who had money scandals are very recent and are dwarfed by the ones that the democrats are guilty of but don’t resign; at least the republicans resign.

Actually this coming out now is only because of the close race and the lack of ethics by both candidates of the democrats. Otherwise this would all be covered up as business as usual. Glad to see it all coming out though. About time the politicians who are crooks and had associates who are crooks get named and charged. Interesting that some of the charges are set to be tried starting Nov 10. Wonder why that date was chosen.

Mar 27, 2008 - 9:19 pm Gary Wylie:

Culture of Corruption? Which party was that?

Mar 27, 2008 - 10:12 pm Fen:

“The republicans are using to patriot act to spy on the democrats,”

No. NSA is using the patriot act to intercept comm traffic between Democrats and Al Queda cells in Pakistan.

Mar 27, 2008 - 11:05 pm bandit:

The republicans are using to patriot act to spy on the democrats, this is exactly what Nixon was impeached for.

Nixon conquered the space/time continuum - or do moonbats just have a little problem with reality

Mar 28, 2008 - 5:24 am Dan D:

Sheryl, the news today is that Senator Robert Casey Jr is endorsing Barack Obama as Obama begins his bus tour of Pennsylvania, so Casey is uncommitted no more.

Casey is from Hillary’s father Hugh Rodham’s hometown of Scranton, so that hurts. But while Governor Rendell endorsed Hillary Clinton, he and Casey have had their differences, so the ever-cautious Senator feels free to stir up the pot a little by instead endorsing Obama.

Mar 28, 2008 - 6:32 am Gino:

Acevedo? Wonder if there’s any incriminating cellphone camera footage.

Where’s Vick Mackey when you need him?

Mar 28, 2008 - 8:46 am Rubicon:

As the world turns, “we the people” learn once again, ALL politicians are susceptible to corrupting influences. It is neither Republican, nor Democrat, nor even Independent. It is career politicians selling out their very souls for money & power. They cater to special interest groups who feather their personal nests, albeit behind the scenes & through family members.
Its time we demanded all politicians serve one or at the most, two terms. NO MORE!
And, if they want to become lobbyists, then they must wait ten years or surrender half of any money they make directly or indirectly from their enterprises!
Its also time we outlawed the ability of special interest groups designed to alter our national political operation structure, from ANY activity in Washington & to make many of their plans & programs criminal acts!
Our founding documents list who is important in this nation…. “WE THE PEOPLE”, not we the Republicans or we the Democrats.

Mar 28, 2008 - 2:28 pm Sue:

I honestly don’t understand the problem lefties have with this news. It is, after all, business as usual for the Democrats and certainly for the tinfoil hatted leftist loons in the party. Money and power. Power and money. It all corrupts absolutely! I only have pity for the poor ignorant, nonthinking supporters of this party who would love nothing more than to get their share of the pie while wailing: it’s a VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY!!! (the right side of the Democrat party, that is!)

Mar 29, 2008 - 7:49 am BFB:

With the sudden surge of indictments and other scandals it makes me wonder whether someone who knows “where the bodies are buried” is leaking information to influence the remaining super delegates. I know its tin-foil hat territory, but these rumors need to begin somewhere.

Mar 30, 2008 - 6:52 am OldSarg:

Any party that condones the killing of unborn babies was bound to have other problems in the making. Their view seems to be “at first I only stole a little”. Look at where they are now. As you sow shall you reap.

Mar 30, 2008 - 12:32 pm