While we were looking over yesterday’s Newsweek interview with Hillary Clinton which hinted at a strategy of wooing Obama’s super-delegates, we also noticed a new definitional point Hillary made that builds on the earlier rechristening of super-delegates as “automatic delegates.” Here’s the key passage …
It doesn’t look bleak at all. I have a very close race with Senator Obama. There are elected delegates, caucus delegates and superdelegates, all for different reasons, and they’re all equal in their ability to cast their vote for whomever they choose. Even elected and caucus delegates are not required to stay with whomever they are pledged to. This is a very carefully constructed process that goes back years, and we’re going to follow the process.
Now, to the best of my knowledge this is the first time I think I’ve ever heard a distinction made between “elected delegates” and “caucus delegates”. I should also note that Clinton’s spokesman Phil Singer emailed TPM Election Central to say that notwithstanding Hillary’s statement they still will not pursue Obama’s pledged delegates.
