Breaking rules, changing rules, manipulating rules, ignoring rules: this politician learned a great deal in Chicago.When one looks back at the origin of the Democratic Party endowing so-called super-delegates with power to influence nominations for the Presidency it is apparent that the rules were meant to tamp down on any radicalization in the party a la George McGovern. Elder party leaders and current Congressmen became super-delegates. They had the ability to check popular excesses or tamp down choices that might be perceived as being too radical for America as a whole. One of the key reasons Barack Obama won the nomination is because of his early primary success in so-called caucus states: where his campaign was able to tap, and influence, individuals rather than relying on party leaders. His campaign won on a wave of populism: the type of mindlessness the super-delegate process was designed to tamp down. Even down to the wire, there was hope in the Hillary Clinton campaign that...(Read Full Post)