by Mark Silva
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who flatly predicts there will be no “dream team” of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the ballot in November, also says this contest will have to “run its course” — and that Democratic superdelegates have every right to follow their “conscience.’
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“These superdelegates have the right to vote their conscience and who they think would be the better president, or who can win, but they also then should get involved in the campaigns and make their power known there,” Pelosi said today on ABC News’ Good Morning America.
Pelosi recently drew protests from the Clinton camp when she said she shared Obama’s view that the superdelegates — nearly 800 elected officials and party leaders — should be guided by the vote for pledged delegates.
Obama leads Clinton in pledged delegates, while Clinton leads Obama in endorsements from superdelegates. Overall, Obama has 1,631 delegates to Clinton’s 1,501, according to the latest Associated Press count. It takes 2,024 delegates to win the nomination.
Pelosi today reiterated her view that superdelegates overturning the will of voters could be harmfrul to the party, but made clear she is not suggesting that Clinton withdraw from the race.
“I think the election has to run its course,” Pelosi said. “I think that for all that I have said about respecting the will of the people that the inference to be drawn from that is that we have to continue the election in terms of hearing from the people.
“I do think that it is important for us to get behind one candidate a long time before we go to the Democratic National Convention if we hope to win in November,” Pelosi added.
Obama, in an interview taped Monday and aired today on NBC News’ Today Show, reiterated his own view that the former first lady “has certainly earned the right to stay in this race as long as she wants … I think she deserves to be able to run and make her case.”