I posted a flawed version of this a minute ago! This has a better link and includes the second half of the article!
The top two Democrats in Congress are coordinating an effort to get uncommitted superdelegates to publicly endorse a candidate and bring the Democratic presidential nomination fight to a conclusion. A senior Democratic aide tells CNN that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is already calling uncommitted superdelegates and pressuring them to back either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton between now and next week. Pelosi is working with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
In an interview with a San Francisco radio station on Thursday, Reid said he spoke to Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. “We all are going to urge our folks next week to make a decision very quickly," Reid said.
A DNC aide confirmed that Reid and Dean spoke, but said it was the latest in a series of conversations the Democratic leaders have had on this topic. "Dean is the one who has encouraged superdelegates to get off the sidelines. He has been saying that all along. They've both discussed in the past that the superdelegates should make their intentions known before July 1," said the aide, who did not know whether the two talked about putting a deadline on uncommitted superdelegates to pick their candidate by next week.
Pelosi told the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle this week that she "will step in" if there is no resolution to the contest before the convention: “We cannot take this fight to the convention. It must be over before then. I believe it will be over in two weeks."
Pelosi, who will serve as the chair the Democratic National Convention in August, insists she will remain neutral until there is a Democratic nominee. |