By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Producer  

Posted Feb. 15, 2008 – Has the pressure on Black lawmakers who are backing Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) – and holding “super” status – started to mount for them to move their support to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the candidate overwhelmingly picked by the people they represent?

According to the online publication The Nation, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said he will cast his super-delegate vote for Obama at the Democratic Convention, even though he will not formally switch his endorsement of Clinton at this time.

But that alone is enough to send a signal to others and get the ball rolling for other super delegates with the same thoughts, who didn’t want to be the first to follow the popular vote.  

Lewis, a respected civil rights leader and former aid to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., endorsed Clinton before the early primary contests.  This move could bring other Black naysayers from the old establishment  into Obama’s fold.

As you may remember, I  (see my Blog Feb. 11, 2008) asked how Black lawmakers would justify not following the will of the people they represent.  But Lewis is making a smart decision early, before the numbers game for delegates gets too close to call.  He’s standing by his endorsement as a “personal choice,” but at the same time he’s telling the folks who sent him to Washington, “I hear you, and your choice is Obama.”

On Thursday, David Plouffe, Obama campaign manager said it is “highly unlikely” that Clinton could earn enough votes in the remaining contests to win the nomination with pledged delegates, adding Clinton would “have to win Ohio, Texas and virtually all other remaining primaries by roughly 2-to-1 margins.” 

If he’s right, and super delegates start to shift, even in small numbers, Obama could be closer to the nomination than was originally thought. Plouffe believes even the most “creative math” won’t knock Obama out of the lead.

But Guy Celcil, Clinton’s political director, told reporters, ” Clinton should be within 25 delegates of Obama after March 4.” That’s when primaries take place in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. 

The Obama camp said in an email that he leads Clinton by 136 delegates, but other reports put the number as low as 25 delegates.  It’s hard to be exact because the number of pledged and undecided delegates changes daily. 

This battle for delegates could go all the way to the convention floor and leave a deeply divided Democratic Party.  It might be wise for more super delegates, who’ are elected officials, to stay with their personal choice, but pledge the people’s choice.

That’s what representative government is all about.