Slog - Comments on A Hillary Superdelegate Dies.

Comment by Andy Niable

Andy Niable — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:47:09 -0800

I SWEAR I can prove where I was then. I swear. I have witnesses.

Comment by Bellevue Ave

Bellevue Ave — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:47:22 -0800

OMG, TOM WAS MY REP IN THE AREA I LIVED IN BACK WHEN I LIVED IN CALIFORNIA! OMG! This makes me sad. he was like a political institution unto himself there!

Comment by Phelix

Phelix — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:52:26 -0800

Ok, not to be cynical but, what happens to his pledged Super Delegate vote? Will his replacement be named in time to cast a new one? Will the replacement be bound by that original pledge from Mr. Lantos?

Comment by Josh Feit

Josh Feit — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:59:25 -0800

@4,
Perhaps...or maybe they'll be bound by the California primary...which went to Hillary Clinton.

Comment by Fifty-Two-Eighty

Fifty-Two-Eighty — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:59:46 -0800

Oh come on! An outstanding human being, a true American BY CHOICE, and a 14-term senator dies and the best you can say about him is "Hillary superdelegate dies?" You make me sick.

Comment by zzyzx

zzyzx — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:00:34 -0800

No replacement vote. There just is one fewer SD now.

Comment by lorax

lorax — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:00:49 -0800

That's a really distasteful way to report this story.

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:01:16 -0800

Where was Huckabee?

Just sayin ...

But I admit, that was the last thing that came to mind ...

Comment by onion

onion — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:02:04 -0800

Yeah, sick. Yuck.

Comment by Mahtli69

Mahtli69 — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:13:07 -0800

Everybody fucking calm down. He was an HRC superdelegate, and now he's dead. There's nothing wrong with the headline.

It's certainly more tasteful than "The Jaws of Death" claim Roy Scheider, which nobody batted an eye over.

Comment by anna

anna — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:17:11 -0800

In the hostile climate on the Slog it's highly irresponsible and disappointing that Feit would post this and reduce this man's life to how it may or may not affect the party nomination. A victory for Obama? No one expects class from the Stranger or the Slog, but this is disgusting.

Comment by Fnarf

Fnarf — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:21:23 -0800

Why wouldn't his congressional replacement take his superdelegate seat? I assume the governor will appoint one? Is it because the governor's going to appoint a Republican?

Comment by zzyzx

zzyzx — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:47:15 -0800

No, it's just that the rules. Admittedly I got this from CNN but, 'If a superdelegate dies or is unable to participate at the convention, alternates do not replace that delegate, which would reduce the total delegates number and the "magic number" needed to clinch the nomination.'

It's on the bottom of

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#D

Comment by LMSW

LMSW — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:18:17 -0800

I agree with @5. JF=schmuck.

Comment by holz

holz — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:30:04 -0800

99% sure i saw this story on drudgereport, w/ matt saying Lantos was an R... sounds a bit faux news-ish

Comment by Will in Seattle

Will in Seattle — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:34:51 -0800

@11 wins, after a KO by @5.

Comment by ollie

ollie — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:54:49 -0800

@12: The Constitution specifies that his replacement will be chosen in a special election. Only Senators are replaced by gubernatorial appointment.

There should be plenty of time for a successor to be elected by late August and, given the district's make-up, there's a very high probability a Democrat will be elected. That person will be a superdelegate.

Comment by Kent Cudgel

Kent Cudgel — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:21:26 -0800

Having good timing when it comes to dying is why there's fiction, right?

Comment by Tony

Tony — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:22:28 -0800

Tacky and disrespectful, Josh.

Comment by Disgusted

Disgusted — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:29:56 -0800

Mr. Lantos was admired all over the USA. His passing is very sad. Your flip manner is not only rude, crude and stupid - it shows just what a low life thinks at such moments.
His voice was the most eloquent in the US Congress when it came to matters of civil liberty and human rights. Some of the posters here are not fit to touch his cofin.
Yuk from disgusted.

Comment by Maggie

Maggie — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:00:34 -0800

I lived in California some years ago. I had a chance to meet Rep. Lantos (he was in the House not the Senate).

He was very mannerly and distinguished. And at the same time he radiated a humble spirit.

As we reached to shake hands, I took both his hands and raised our gripped hands and kissed his hands. I told him with tears in my eyes it was my life time honor to meet him. Tears welled in his eyes too. We then hugged and he kept saying thank you, thank you.

This man survived the German death camps and went on to reshape his life and offer decades of public service in Congress. And he should be honored even in death.

Some apologies are owed his memory.

Comment by NapoleonXIV

NapoleonXIV — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:17:18 -0800

I'm hard pressed to come up with anything more tacky and tasteless than that which has already been expressed.

But here goes, anyway.

One down, 222 to go....

Thank you, thank you--you've been great. I'll be here all week. Try the veal. It's delish.

Comment by christopher

christopher — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:08:40 -0800

I'm sure it's been said in here before, but the existence of superdelegates is an insult to the idea of democracy. This shit is why I won't campaign for Democrats: I'll vote for their sickeningly corrupt asses because the alternative is pure Hell, but I don't like or trust them. Fuck Hillary in her scaly neck, though I'll probably have to vote for her. And fuck Obama too, though I'll vote for him again IF I get a fucking chance.

Comment by ahava

ahava — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:07:45 -0800

@21, your tribute is lovely. Everywhere else in the world, he is being remembered for all of his contributions to our society.

No one cares about his being a superdelegate. It seems like his death was almost an excuse to post something else about this stupid process, instead of honoring the life of a decent man, who served his adopted country in more ways than many of its native born.