House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the superdelegates who may ultimately decide the Democratic party's presidential nominee have a right to vote as they wish, and that the drawn-out contest between candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama should be allowed to reach its conclusion.
"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 in an interview aired Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America."
Pelosi recently drew objections from Clinton backers when she said she shared Obama's view that superdelegates — nearly 800 elected officials and party leaders — should be guided by the vote for pledged delegates. Obama leads Clinton in pledged delegates earned in primaries and caucuses, but Clinton leads Obama in endorsements from superdelegates. Overall, Obama has 1,632 delegates to Clinton's 1,500, according to the latest Associated Press tally. It takes 2,024 delegates to win the nomination.
Pelosi repeated her view that it would it be harmful to the party if superdelegates were perceived to overturn the will of voters, but made clear she was not suggesting 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.
Last week, Pelosi received a letter from 20 top Democratic donors who support Clinton, expressing unhappiness that Pelosi appeared to be backing Obama's position on pledged delegates and urging her to clarify her position.
Asked about the letter, Pelosi said: "It wasn't important to me."
Barring a complete meltdown by Obama, Clinton has almost no chance of surpassing his number of pledged delegates, even if she wins big in Pennsylvania's April 22 primary, the largest remaining cache of delegates. But some Democrats fear such victories would encourage her to keep criticizing Obama — her only hope for the nomination — and thus heighten doubts about Obama's ability to defeat Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain in the fall.
Obama, in an interview taped Monday and aired Tuesday on NBC's "Today Show," said 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."
Some Democratic strategists have warned of damage to the party's chances in November if women — especially the older, white working-class women who are Clinton's base — sense a mostly male party establishment is unfairly muscling her out of the race. Women make up the majority of Democratic voters nationwide.
This video, uploaded by David Edwards, is from ABC's Good Morning America, broadcast April 1, 2008.
Transcript via closed captions
:: first this morning a new suctio that the united states might have to make a bold stand against china's leaders at this year's olympic games. the first time leaders mentioned a possibility of a boycott. came in an exclusive interview with speaker of the house nancy pelosi who also had a lot to say about this year's presidential candle pain.
:: reporter: the olympic torch is burning, and so is the recent controversy. from the crackdown on tibet to its abuses. so are calling for a boy cat. and back from meeting with the dalai lama, nancy pelosi is weighing in.
:: it's a sporting event. it's interesting that the chancellor of germany said she will not attend the opening ceremonies.
:: president bush said he will be there.
:: he did say that. and when he goes there i hope he talks to the chinese government as he gives them creditability at that time because of loss of jobs in america because of barriers going into china. dangers to medical supply and food supply because of lax regulation in china. the list goes on.
:: if we're saying this far out that we will not boycott. does it take away leverage to the chinese government to human rights, doing the right thing?
:: i think boycotting opening ceremony which gives respect to the chinese government is something that should be kept on the table. i think the president might want to think about this later depending on what other heads of state do. a difference between that ceremony and actual athletic events. but i don't think china should have gotten the olympic games to begin with, but they did get them with the promise that they would open up more and have better respect for human rights and freedom of expression. they have not honored that.
:: reporter: back home pelosi has become a vocal point in a tense democratic race after a letter was sent plit kreising that superdelegates vote. which seemed to favor barack obama.
:: when you received the letter what was your reaction?
:: it wasn't important to me. what i said is it will be harmful to the democratic party if the superlegates are rceived to overturn the will of the people. superdelegates have a right to vote their conscious and who they think will be the better president and who can win. but they should also get involved in the campaigns and make their power known there.
:: how long can this continue to go on? how long until somebody steps up and the democratic party are then says we've got to decide this, this is just too harmful?
:: well, i think the election has to run its course. i think that for all that i have said about respeing 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 expect to win in november.
:: senator clinton has said she's going to take this to the convention, if the math holds, she would still be slightly behind senator obama. is there somebody in the democratic party? al gore already said he's not going to step up and say anything. is it howard dean? is it you? who from the democratic party steps up and says no, that's enough?
:: well, i would not assume that senator clinton would not be going to the convention as the front-runner. we don't know what these next elections will do. we do not know what the conduct of the campaigns in the next four to six weeks will produce. so if you're the candidate for president, you certainly are saying that you're going to the convention. you can't say anything but. and senator clinton may well be going to that convention as the nominee. but i do think that as it evolves, one of them, one of them is going to have to realize the numbers, whether senator obama, and he would step aside. or whether it's senator clinton.
:: the one that loses, do you see as the vice president? you said earlier you don't believe that.
:: no, i don't see that.
:: why don't you see them on the ticket together?
:: i don't see it. all these years in politics making judgments about candidates and chemistry, i don't see it.
:: reporter: even with the extended campaign pelosi believes either democrat candidate bill beat john mccain who is out on a tour he dubbed service to america.
:: if senator mccain wants to talk about his biography and god bless him for it. he's a pate riotic american, but our candidate will be talking about the future, about a bigger vision for america. america could not afford four more years of jorks w. bush. that's what john mccain is. we need change. and i think the american people have spoken very clearly as to their desire for it and now we have to measure up to their expectations.
:: she said she's not certain if it will be barack obama or hillary clinton as nominee, but she said she is certain that either one will do just fine against mccain in the fall.
