Really?

Keith at NPI (my emphasis)…

But superdelegates are appointed by dubious means: Favors, recognition, deals—the stuff of politics, the stuff of gambling, the stuff of cronyism. This is not how the system should work, and it should be exposed for what it is: Oligarchy. Power in the hands of a privileged few.

These are the PLEO delegates who will represent Keith and I at the Democratic National Convention.

Rep. Brian Baird
Sen. Maria Cantwell
Democratic National Committee member Ed Cote
Rep. Norm Dicks
Former House Speaker Tom Foley
Gov. Christine Gregoire
Rep. Jay Inslee
Rep. Rick Larsen
State party Vice Chairwoman Eileen Macoll
Democratic National Committee member Sharon Mast
Rep. Jim McDermott
Democratic National Committee member David McDonald
Sen. Patty Murray
Democratic National Committee member Pat Notter
State party Chairman Dwight Pelz
King County Executive Ron Sims
Rep. Adam Smith

"Favors"? Since every one of these delegates, save Speaker Foley, gain their credentials by virtue of the office they've been elected to, either in a public or Party election, it's fair to say no favor was involved, except the favor of the voters they've been appointed by ballot to represent. You could fairly argue that that's exactly how the system should work, if the system in place is, as it happens to be, representative democracy. (Of course, right now I'm sure a few folks on that list don't really consider their status a "favor" in any sense.)

"Recognition"? There's a case to be made, here, I suppose, that the reason the rules recognize these particular Democrats is in recognition of their dedication and contribution to the Party, and/or their personal (and for these persons, that, of course, includes the political) stake in the ultimate composition of the ticket. It's just that I can't see any problem with insuring that the convention, the presiding authority of the Democratic Party, includes, by design, a body of delegates who are dedicated Party activists and have a personal stake in Democratic success at the polls. Just seems to me you'd want some of those folks around. Of course, the real recognition isn't the PLEO delegate credential, but the election that brings that credential as an additional responsibility. These are people we have already chosen to represent us. This is just one of the ways they do that.

"Deals…politics…gambling…cronyism"? You can't cut a "deal" to get PLEO credentials - you have to be elected. That, of course, is politics, but I don't see why the word "politics" is included in such a litany of disrepute. If we can't learn to accept politics as an honorable endeavor, I don't know why we would expect to enlist honorable politicians. Happily, it is and most are. I suppose gambling and cronyism are tossed in just to be sure the well has been sufficiently poisoned, since neither is relevant to the selection of PLEOs.

And "oligarchy"? Please.

There are over four thousand delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Some are selected in caucuses, some in primaries. Some are elected directly, some through a convention process. Some are pledged, some may be uncommitted. Fewer than 800 of them are Party Leaders and Elected Officials, the overwhelming majority of whom won their place on the convention floor by election to an office outlined in the rules. They have no power at all, even if by some miraculous intervention they were persuaded to vote as a bloc, without the assistance of an even greater number of delegates selected through the various processes designed by the states. Some oligarchy.

It's time to put an end to this made-up controversy, largely concocted by concern trolls in the mainstream media, about delegates with a made-up title. They're not "super." They carry one vote per. They, like every other delegate on the floor, get to decide which candidate merits their vote. They differ from others largely in the amount of sweat equity they've put into building the Party and the stake they have in its success. Look at the list again. They are people many of us have voted for. People many of us have worked beside. People we rely on to do the right thing on one question after another, year in and year out. We can rely on them in Denver, too.

At the very least, we can spare them the slanderous notion that they come by their credentials via the backroom dealings of a pack of cronies.

The cronies is us.