Hunt: Father of the superdelegates

Don't like superdelegates? Blame Jim Hunt.

As research scholars Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein point out in a guest column today's New York Times, the superdelegates were created by a commission led by the former North Carolina governor in 1982.

Their purpose was to limit the influence of ideological activists who only get involved during presidential elections. This Christmas-and-Easter crowd had the most influence in 1972 and 1980, when the party lost elections after draining primary fights.

The superdelegates had several roles:

...to improve the party's mainstream appeal by moderating the new dominance of these activists and increasing the contributions of elected and party officials to the Democratic platform and their impact on the selection of a nominee; to provide an element of peer review, weighing the requirements of the office, the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates and the chances that they'll win; and to create stronger ties between the party and its elected officials to promote a unified campaign and teamwork in government.

The system worked as intended in 1984 when superdelegates gave Walter Mondale the majority over Gary Hart, avoiding a convention fight. Of course, Mondale went on to lose the general election.