It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superdelegate

With the Democratic Presidential Primary race so closely knotted, there has been a lot of talk about so-called "Superdelegates." Faster than an '89 Yugo, more powerful than a thousand voters, able to leap public opinion in a single bound, these "Wonks of Steel" will wield great power come August and the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

What is the mysterious secret of their origins? The Political Machine has the answers, with a little help from Wikipedia. No, they weren't rocketed here from some distant, doomed planet. There are a few different ways to become a "Superdelegate", but it really amounts to something like an alumni association, the purpose of which is to act as a firewall against a crazy electorate, and to retain some party control in a fragmented election. The Washington Post has the complete list of Democratic Super Delegates.

Also called PLEO ("unpledged party leader and elected official delegates") delegates, the Super Delegates are a collection of current Democratic elected officials and party leaders, the composition and selection of which vary by state. But there are also automatic Super Delegates, people who are accorded the status by the National Party rules. These are: All current Democratic members of Congress, governors, DNC members, all former Democratic Presidents, Vice Presidents, Leaders of the U.S. Senate, Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives and Democratic Minority Leaders, as applicable, and all former Chairs of the Democratic National Committee.

So, there you have it, the mighty Super Delegates. There are only two forms of kryptonite for the "Supes"; If one of them endorses another party's candidate, he loses his Super Delegate status. (Sorry, Joe Lieberman). The other is the ire of primary voters, if their choice is overturned by the Supers. With great power comes great responsibility.