Man the lifeboats!
It was bound to happen. The SS Her Inevitableness has taken too many hits below the waterline, losing eight state primaries and caucuses in a row to Barack Obama, and now the passengers are heading for the lifeboats: the superdelegates are starting to switch to Obama.
Representative John Lewis, an elder statesman from the civil rights era and one of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s most prominent black supporters, said Thursday night that he planned to cast his vote as a superdelegate for Senator Barack Obama in hopes of preventing a fight at the Democratic convention.
“In recent days, there is a sense of movement and a sense of spirit,” said Mr. Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who endorsed Mrs. Clinton last fall. “Something is happening in America, and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.”
Mr. Lewis, who carries great influence among other members of Congress, disclosed his decision in an interview in which he said that as a superdelegate he could “never, ever do anything to reverse the action” of the voters of his district, who overwhelmingly supported Mr. Obama.
“I’ve been very impressed with the campaign of Senator Obama,” Mr. Lewis said. “He’s getting better and better every single day.”
His comments came as fresh signs emerged that Mrs. Clinton’s support was beginning to erode from some other African-American lawmakers who also serve as superdelegates. Representative David Scott of Georgia, who was among the first to defect, said he, too, would not go against the will of voters in his district.
It's not a good sign when your first-class passengers start looking for the life-jackets, Captain Clinton. These are people who owe you, the ones you and your co-Captain, Bill, have spent a lot of time and effort since 1992 helping reach their own positions of power. But now they're worried: your campaign is taking on water, you don't seem to be as good a skipper as Bill was, and even he seems to be losing it. Obama's leading a boarding party to take over the Democratic Party, and your superdelegates don't want to be on the losing side. These two defections could just be the start, unless your damage-control people can seal off the bulkhead doors in Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
OK, enough with the strained nautical analogies. In any light, this isn't good for La Hillary or the Intern-Chaser. There's a growing perception she's a loser, and in American politics, no one likes a loser. While Captain Ed points out that Rep. Lewis is trying to backtrack from his betrayal of Hillary, the damage is done. A respected Party elder has looked for a way out: can others be far behind?
And does it depend on how much Obama pays them?
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