Bredesen pushes ‘superdelegate’ primary

Bredesen National Media Appearances

NASHVILLE — From Fox News to C-SPAN, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen has been blitzing national media this week in an effort to sell his idea of a “primary” of Democratic superdelegates to break a potential logjam in the party’s presidential nomination battle.

“It’s been interesting, and you don’t know what will happen,” Gov. Bredesen told Tennessee reporters Thursday.

The governor was in Washington on Monday and part of Tuesday. He has been interviewed by at least 27 national outlets this week. The interest started with a March 19 op-ed piece in The New York Times in which he pitched his proposal.

The idea has been received warmly in some quarters, but the governor acknowledged there is “coolness” among some including from Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.

Dean spokesman Damien LaVera did not return calls.

Gov. Bredesen said his concern is that the contest between Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama likely will not be resolved by regular delegates elected in remaining presidential primaries. Instead, the decision is expected to come down to the 795 so-called superdelegates.

Superdelegates are Democratic National Convention delegates who are seated based on their status as current or former elected officeholders or party officials.

Among them is Gov. Bredesen, who says he fears if a nominee is not determined prior to the Democratic National Convention in August, Democrats could be in for an electoral disaster.

His solution is a two-day primary of superdelegates who would meet in a neutral location and determine which candidate to back. It would come after the final Democratic primary in June.

Gov. Bredesen’s desire to pitch his idea on Washington-based C-SPAN on Tuesday resulted in a two-hour delay of a roundtable discussion at St. Barnabas Senior Living Services in Chattanooga on his proposed reform of long-term care.

“Absolutely not,” Gov. Bredesen said on whether his political advocacy is interfering with his elected responsibilities. He said aides checked in Chattanooga and “nobody objected.”

Efforts late Thursday afternoon to contact Eric Boston, president and chief executive officer of St. Barnabas Senior Living Services, were unsuccessful.

Earlier this week, Bredesen senior adviser Will Pinkston said taxpayers were not footing the bill for the governor’s political tour of national media outlets in Washington.

Tennessee Republican Party spokesman Bill Hobbs said he had no comment.

Gov. Bredesen’s approach to how he might decide the nominee appears to be evolving.

In mid-February, he said he was looking for the best president and might vote for that person regardless of who was leading in delegates.

On Politico.com, Gov. Bredesen was quoted saying this week that if U.S. Sen. Obama, who currently leads U.S. Sen. Clinton in delegates, were to stay ahead in the popular vote but be denied the nomination by Democratic insiders, “there would be (trouble) to pay.”

Speaking to Tennessee reporters, Gov. Bredesen said his choice would be complicated by the fact that Sen. Obama is leading nationally but Sen. Clinton won Tennessee’s Democratic primary.

He said his decision will be a “combination of what’s my responsibility to the people who voted for me, what’s my responsibility ... as a member of the Democratic Party, who do I think would be best for the country. I have to say I think that in some way, respecting the will of the people ... has got to be an important piece.”

Former Vice President Al Gore said he sees no urgency in endorsing a presidential candidate and told The Associated Press that he expects the nomination fight to resolve itself before the Democratic convention in August.

Mr. Gore made the comments after a speech at Middle Tennessee State University on Thursday.