“I’m a practitioner of politics, and that would not be remotely effective with me,” he said. He sees no one “who has got the clout” to convince either candidate to drop from the race just by twisting their arm.
Bredesen, who in 2004 was often mentioned as a possible running mate to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), floated his proposal in an op-ed to The New York Times last week.
“This is not a proposal for a mini-convention with all the attendant hoopla and sideshows,” wrote Bredesen. “It is a call for a tight, two-day business-like gathering, whose rules would be devised by the national committee, of the leaders of our party from all over America to resolve a serious problem. There would be a final opportunity for the candidates to make their arguments to these delegates, and then one transparent vote.”
The governor conceded that the results of a “messy” superdelegate primary might result in a fractured party. But he said it’s better for that to happen in June than near Labor Day, when a short calendar would leave little time for the eventual nominee to heal the division.
McCain, Bredesen said, faces a similar problem in bringing his party together, but has more time to do it while his rivals spend the next few months telling voters that the other is unelectable.
“He [has] got a similar problem to what we’re going to have except he [has] got it in March,” Bredesen said.
While in Washington, the governor was joined by Democratic strategist Tad Devine on a radio show to discuss his proposal. Devine told The Hill that he was initially skeptical, but as they discussed it, he began to view Bredesen’s plan as a good idea.
“It’s easy to see the downside of it,” Devine said. “[But Bredesen] represents the viewpoint of a lot of people out there, a lot of superdelegates.”
Devine said Bredesen is doing what other party leaders — outside of the campaigns — should be doing on this issue and other areas, like the dispute over Florida and Michigan, areas where there’s a “need for a resolution as opposed to an impasse.”
“I think what he’s doing is very productive,” Devine said. “I think he’s showing … leadership.”
Devine said he agrees with Bredesen that Democrats will be better served if they can decide on a nominee before August.
“Right now we’ve got a circular firing squad on our side,” Devine said. “If we move that circle to a line and start firing at the other side, we’ll be in much better shape.”
Bredesen said Monday that his next step is to start calling superdelegates to gauge their interest in his plan. He said he will keep pushing his proposal “as long as it [has] got some legs.”
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