Yeah, I know, superdelegate Maria Chappelle-Nadal, by waiting till today to announce for Obama, has assured that she will just be lost in the stampede of everybody else who waited till the end. Reportedly 35 Congressmen will announce their decisions today. That’s fine with Maria because the decision isn’t about her. She waited partly because she was torn about which candidate to support but also because she wanted every voter to have a say in the matter–even in Puerto Rico.

State Representative Chappelle-Nadal is half Puerto Rican.  Well aware as she is of what a poverty stricken territory that is, she wanted the people there, for once, to have their say and be noticed.

At her press conference today, she told us that, because she waited, she had gotten calls from Senator McCaskill and from the Clintons, though not from Obama. But she stressed that she had wanted to make the decision like any ordinary American rather than from information based on insider knowledge or from any pressure. In fact, she even asked McCaskill, for that reason, to refrain from calling–a request Claire was happy to honor.

Naturally, reporters asked Chappelle-Nadal how she had arrived at her decision. She noted that, as a woman, she had a great deal of sympathy for Hillary’s cause and that she agreed with many women who have complained about the media’s gender bias. But those factors were not enough to sway her.

In the end, she based her choice not so much on any policy differences as on her feeling that Obama offered more hope and inspiration. She cited the high primary voter turnout in her district: 8,000 for Obama; 2,000 for Clinton and said that she knows her district’s voting patterns and was impressed that even in usually low turnout precincts, the turnout had been high.

But if there was a single defining moment in her decision it came when she revisited the “Yes, We Can” video. It struck an emotional chord with her, and she feels that this year Democrats have that emotional impetus that perhaps they lacked in 2000 and 2004 to change the disastrous direction of this country.

Now that Chappelle-Nadal has revealed who she’ll vote for, the press did what it’s supposed to do: pressed. One media person asked her whom she’d like to see in the vice presidential slot–and got the boilerplate response of “whatever it takes to win”. But when pressed by another reporter, she came clean: “I do feel that there’s a place in this party for Hillary Clinton, and I do believe that the popular vote should not be ignored. I do think that is a dream team ticket.”

Once the present and the future had been discussed, I asked Maria for some history, asked how she came to be a superdelegate. It’s a story that Dean fans will appreciate:

I was in a plane on my way to Australia, and a message was left on my phone from Governor Dean. He said–and you know how this is because you’re familiar with Dean–he said, “Congratulations, Maria, I’ve appointed you to the DNC. Talk to you later. See you soon.”

That was the gist of the message that he left. So I said OK, and I called back the DNC and talked to a man who’s the executive director of the DNC … and I said, “What does it mean to be a DNC member?” And he said, “You just vote, right? And you get to go to the presidential convention.”

I thought, “Hey, cool, I’ve always wanted to go to a presidential convention.” And that’s all I thought it was … until this year.

This year has definitely been different for her. And as a testament to how seriously she thought about her decision, you might want to look at the speech she made and at the nod to Clinton that it contains:

A college graduate once gave a commencement speech about our political process, saying, “Ours is a unique American experience. It’s such a great adventure. If the experiment in human living doesn’t work in this country, in this age, it’s not going to work anywhere.”…  That graduate was passionate about our political process and I can relate.  It was in high school that I fell in love with American politics – with the great experiment in human living.  It was the teachers in this District who first ignited my passion for public service and in my own attempt to repay that debt, I am here today to engage these students in our political process.  

What an exciting time to be a Democrat!  We have two exceptionally qualified candidates competing for the Democratic Presidential nomination! They have been running neck and neck for over a year, which is why the votes of super-delegates will count as they never have before.  As a super delegate I have been in the tough situation of having to determine which one of these two outstanding candidates should get my vote.  Those of you who know me, know that I make well informed decisions.  I do my research and try to learn everything I can before making a decision. There have been several enthusiastic, well-intentioned Democrats who have wanted me to rush my choice, but selecting who I believe should be the next president of the United States, is not a task that I take lightly.  

People have advised me that I should vote for Hillary Clinton because she is a woman.   People have counseled me that I should vote for Barack Obama because he is black.  Many people have advised me that because my district is Democratic, I should vote as their representative. The choice of this district is already well represented by Missouri’s electoral delegates. Race, gender and direction of turnout in my district are not compelling enough reasons to determine my vote for the next president of the United States.  

So what is compelling? Issues? Character? Experience?  On the issues, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are so close that their differences are imperceptible. In terms of character: both candidates are tough, intelligent, disciplined individuals who have the best interest of America at heart.   Experience?  I would venture to say that the process of this campaign has tested the metal of both candidates ~ they will both be better, stronger, more experienced leaders because they have been through this trial by fire.  They have made each other stronger and better candidates because the Democratic Party has allowed and even encouraged this full commitment to the Democratic process.  I am proud of my party for that.  

So what is the one compelling thing that one candidate brings to the table?  Inspiration and involvement.  Not since John Kennedy was nominated in 1960 have so many people been involved in the democratic process.  Not since 1960 have we seen such a record turn out of voters.  New voters!   Democracy works best when more people are involved and informed and excited.  It has been almost 50 years since we have had an involved, informed and excited electorate that included so many new voters – and that is far too long.  Barack Obama’s charisma has inspired this sea-change from apathy to action. That is the compelling reason for this super delegate to pledge her vote to Barack Obama to become the next president of these United States.    

It is my hope that this election – this uniquely American experience – will inspire these newly involved voters to become permanently involved in the democratic process – so that one day it won’t matter what color or gender a candidate is. I hope this election will inspire the students in this building to become
a permanent part of our Democratic Process.  Remember that college graduate’s passion for our political process I quoted earlier?  She made political involvement a permanent part of her life. As Hillary Clinton said in her graduation address from Wellesley, “America, is such a great adventure. If the experiment in human living doesn’t work in this country, in this age, it’s not going to work anywhere.”!  And so I say to you in closing – It is up to all of us to make it work.