…Superdelegate!

On the tongues of Americans everywhere, the focus of endless pundit banter, the superdelegate is finally getting its moment in the sun. All hail the powerful superdelegate! The potential bulwark of the Clinton campaign, the denizens of the smoke-filled rooms of the 21st century, the ones who can subvert the will of the American people and turn democracy on its ear.

Well, let’s just hold on there. It’s really unlikely there will be any subverting going on here, and indoor clean air laws pretty much preclude smoke-filled rooms these days (we should probably call them Blackberry-filled rooms instead).

First, let’s take a look at the reality of superdelegates, who they are, how many, etc. All of the current federal officeholders of the Democratic Party (Senators and Representatives), plus former Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Speakers, Senate Majority Leaders, and various other electeds. There are also many people drawn from the membership of the DNC (folks you’ve almost surely never heard of), as well as 76 unpledged add-ons from the states (that are apportioned by the vote in that state).

Now, these superdelegates are free to vote however they choose. They can vote for the winner in their state, in their district, for the popular vote winner in the primaries, for the delegate winner in the primaries, for the one who shares their love of little-known red wines from Eastern Europe … anything.

Which, in this close election, has led to much kvetching online and off. The cable news shows LOVE this story, devoting hour after hour to it. It’s perfect for them: easy to book guests for, easy to understand on a surface level with arcane rules that can create endless discussion, and it doesn’t hurt that it makes Democrats seem disorganized and chaotic. That’s always a fun theme!

Momentum is one of the most overrated aspects of contests. That’s not to say it doesn’t exist; it does. But the importance of it is continually overstated in all aspects of competition, from sports to politics.

There’s a saying in baseball: momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. You may have won 6 straight and feel like you are on a roll, but you’re throwing out a chump starter against Josh Beckett, you don’t have momentum going into the next day. That’s just reality.

So it is with politics. Momentum is real. When you win, people talk about you in good ways, which exposes the best of your message to more people, which creates excitement, etc, etc. But it’s only as good as the next contest. If you are fundamentally behind in that next contest, you may not be able to catch up, and your “momentum” suddenly seems to disappear. But that’s just because it wasn’t nearly as strong a force as people thought it was.

Which brings us to this primary season. The chaotic nature of this primary season isn’t really chaotic at all. The beginning of this primary season went across states where each of the two Democratic candidates had clear advantages. Obama had a great Iowa organization, and he was from neighboring Illinois. Clinton had a massive well of support in New Hampshire and the support of the Shaheen machine. Clinton had support from the institutional party in Nevada plus a deep well of support among Hispanics. Obama had the overwhelming support of the African-American community in South Carolina. Sure, hindsight is 20-20, and the NH and NV races were very close, but the fundamentals in each race favored the eventual winner.

But last night, Barack Obama broke that trend. He began to play on Hillary Clinton’s side of the field.

The energy around the Obama campaign is amazing right now. I'm running all over Massachusetts for Barack today. In fact, this morning I was in Newton stumping in Lasell Village -- and it turns out that Barack's strategist David Axelrod's mother lives there! I told her that her son David was doing a great job. Great to make a local connection!

The last days, I've been on the road for Barack, and I've seen 1,600 people come to a town hall meeting with me in San Francisco to talk about Barack, seen hundreds standing in the driving rain in San Jose, and seen a hundred people shivering in a driveway in New Haven just yesterday -- every one of them energized by this movement. Something's happening out there. Half way through my day in California, knowing I had the pleasure of a red eye flight coming up, it was enough to make me call my guy in Chicago and tell him I wanted to be in Connecticut on Super Bowl Sunday to try and do some more events.

We've got another event together tonight right here in Boston, so come on down and check it out. Even if you can't, you'll be able to watch it live. Barack, Ted Kennedy, Gov. Patrick and I will all be at an event in Boston at 9 tonight, in the Commonwealth Hall of the Seaport World Trade Center, and I'm sure the room will be packed.

If you can make it to Boston, come on by! But if you're not in the area, you can still watch it on BarackObama.com; they'll stream it live from the hall (event begins at 9 pm tonight). It'll be the final event before Super Tuesday, and we're excited it's here in Massachusetts, so don't miss it. And tell your friends and family about it, as well. We want to make sure as many people get a chance to see Barack speak before the vote on Super Tuesday.

I am a twenty-something who for too long has looked at the world as something that is happening to me. Being an intern for John Kerry’s online communications team has given me the opportunity to see that I have been wrong.

I am what is happening to the world. I am a voter. I am informed. I am the next generation that has to deal with the decisions of today’s Congress, Court and President.

Upon this realization, it all became too real for me. It made me angry. I am fed up with the way this government works and with the Roadblock Republicans who actively to keep the country from progress.

This is a recurring feeling that creeps into my stomach every morning when I read the paper. I am so happy to see that the media is catching onto the word “block.” It is rather irritating to read over and again that the Democratic initiatives are “facing tough opposition.”

The most recent news in today’s New York Times is that the GOP will block the Democrats’ stimulus plan. The headlines do not say that there will be tough negotiations. They certainly do not say that, after careful study, the Republicans will bring forth their side of the argument on the issue of stimulating the economy.

What has happened to the Republican members of Congress? They are there to study, to listen and to address the problems of the country, not to enforce power of numbers or cloture as absolute rule for the sake of personal or party gain.

Okay, perhaps the Republicans are going to try to hold onto power for as long as they can. I can understand this, but will not accept it as a valid or virtuous behavior.

When John and I were researching our book, This Moment on Earth, we spoke with hundreds of people across the country who are forming the modern core of today’s environmentalism. One of these was Cheryl Osimo, of the Silent Spring Institute (a non-profit scientific research organization in Massachusetts dedicated to identifying the links between the environment and women's health, especially breast cancer).

Cheryl became an environmental activist for a very personal reason: she was diagnosed with breast cancer and she started to look for answers. Their ground-breaking work found a link between estrogen-mimicking compounds in pesticides and higher incidences of breast cancer.

I’ve worked on environmental issues for over 25 years, and I’ve learned time and again about the nexus between our environmental crisis and our own health. From the warming of our planet to the toxic chemicals in our homes, the state of our environment is affecting us and our health more and more every day.

So when I was thinking about which Presidential candidate I would support, I knew I could only choose someone I believed would bring about the change we need in our national policy on environmental issues.

I know I found that candidate in Barack Obama.

I support his environmental policies. I know a bit about what is required to bring about change. There a lot of good people who care about environmental issues but who do not have the transformative quality or the capacity to break the barriers currently facing this nation. Barack Obama does.

I’ve looked at his record, and I’ve observed his career, and he has a leadership ability that is rare in public life. He is, in many ways, a lot like my husband. He’s a leader who listens, and a listener who unites.