In a fresh sign
of trouble for Hillary Rodham Clinton, one of the former
first lady's congressional black supporters intends to vote
for Barack Obama at the Democratic National
Convention, and a second, more prominent lawmaker is
openly discussing a possible switch.
Rep. David
Scott's defection and Rep. John Lewis's remarks highlight
one of the challenges confronting Clinton in a
campaign that pits a black man against a woman for a
nomination that historically has been the exclusive
property of white men.
''You've got to
represent the wishes of your constituency,'' Scott said
in an interview Wednesday in the Capitol. ''My proper
position would be to vote the wishes of my
constituents.'' The third-term lawmaker represents a
district that gave more than 80 percent of its vote to Obama
in the February 5 Georgia primary.
Lewis, whose
Atlanta-area district voted 3 to 1 for Obama, said he is not
ready to abandon his backing for the former first lady. But
several associates said the nationally known civil
rights figure has become increasingly torn about his
early endorsement of Clinton. They spoke on condition
of anonymity, citing private conversations.
In an interview,
Lewis likened Obama to Robert F. Kennedy in his ability
to generate campaign excitement, and left open the
possibility he might swing behind the Illinois
senator. ''It could [happen]. There's no question
about it. It could happen with a lot of people ... we can
count and we see the clock,'' he said.
Clinton's recent
string of eight primary and caucus defeats coincides
with an evident shift in momentum in the contest for support
from party officials who will attend the convention.
The former first lady still holds a sizable lead among
the roughly 800 so-called superdelegates, who are
chosen outside the primary and caucus system.
But Christine
Samuels, until this week a Clinton superdelegate from New
Jersey, said during the day she is now supporting Obama.
Two other
superdelegates, Sophie Masloff of Pennsylvania and Nancy
Larson of Minnesota, are uncommitted, having dropped
their earlier endorsements of Clinton.
On Wednesday,
David Wilhelm, a longtime ally of the Clintons who had been
neutral in the presidential race, endorsed Obama.
The comments by
Scott and Lewis reflect pressure on Clinton's black
supporters, particularly elected officials, not to stand in
the way of what is plainly the best chance in history
to have an African-American president.
''Nobody could
see this'' in advance, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina,
the highest-ranking black in Congress, said of Obama's
emergence. He is officially neutral in the race, but
he expressed his irritation earlier in the year with
remarks that Clinton and her husband the former
president had made about civil rights history.
One black
supporter of Clinton, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, said
he remains committed to her. ''There's nothing going
on right now that would cause me to'' change, he said.
He said any
suggestion that elected leaders should follow their voters
''raises the age old political question. Are we elected to
monitor where our constituents are ... or are we to
use our best judgment to do what's in the best
interests of our constituents.''
In an interview,
Cleaver offered a glimpse of private conversations.
He said Rep.
Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois had recently asked him ''if it
comes down to the last day and you're the only
superdelegate? ... Do you want to go down in history
as the one to prevent a black from winning the White
House?
''I told him I'd
think about it,'' Cleaver concluded.
Jackson, an Obama
supporter, confirmed the conversation and said the
dilemma may pose a career risk for some black politicians.
''Many of these guys have offered their support to
Mrs. Clinton, but Obama has won their districts. So
you wake up without the carpet under your feet. You
might find some young primary challenger placing you in a
difficult position'' in the future, he added.
Obama and Clinton
are in a competitive race for convention delegates.
Overall, he has 1,276 in the Associated Press count, and she
has 1,220. It takes 2,025 to clinch the nomination.
But the overall
totals mask two distinct trends.
Obama has won
1,112 delegates in primaries and caucuses, and Clinton has
won 979 in the same contests in the AP count.
The former first
lady leads in the superdelegate chase, 241-164.
Not surprisingly,
two sides differ on the proper role of the
superdelegates.
''My strong
belief is that if we end up with the most states and the
most pledged delegates, and the most voters in the
country, then it would be problematic for political
insiders to overturn the judgment of the voters,''
Obama said recently.
But Clinton said
superdelegates should make up their own minds. She noted
pointedly that Massachusetts senators John Kerry and Edward
Kennedy have both endorsed Obama, yet she won the
state handily on February 5.
House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi of California, who is neutral in the race,
said she hopes one or the other of the rivals emerges as the
clear winner through the primaries and caucuses.
''I don't think
it was ever intended that superdelegates would overturn
the verdict, the decision of the American people,'' she said
Thursday. (David Espo, AP)
