The Future of MrSuper.org

I put this blog up as a project in March, something to give the public insight into the process of the Democratic nomination for President and especially to debunk myths about Superdelegates.  But we're at the end of that process now.

Dare I say "Mission Accomplished."

The blog started off with a strict adherence to the issue of Superdelegates, though the subject matter has begun to stray of late only because that issue is pretty much moot at this point.  I don't write breaking news stories (I've had several news tips that I've sent to other sites) as much as I try to stay true to providing insight on things that are being talked about.  The page has evolved into one which provides "inside perspective for an outside readership" which appears to fill a void out there, and in fact I've taken some criticism for it.

I hate the domain name, but I knew that if the messages on this page were going to get out, that there would need to be a retail element to the branding.  If things do move forward, the name will definitely change!

As to what happens next, who knows?  I had planned on taking the blog down next Friday - which marks three months of writing.  Though the readership and traffic are still good - nearly a quarter million over three months - and I do appreciate everyone's feedback.  As of this writing, there have been 174 posts with 2,439 comments made.  But I have to be honest - putting up a quality blog is more work than I had bargained for!

So we'll see where it goes.  There are plenty of things to cover still, the VP race, the conventions, the general elections, the polls, etc.  If you have thoughts or ideas of where the blog should go next, please drop me a note at MrSuper2008 -at- yahoo dot com.

But as for now, the 7-day countdown clock is still ticking...

(Three in a series of three "The Future Of..." posts this week).

Comments

[Manawanui]

Mr. Super's job isn't over until the delegates have met and voted in Denver. Just over 100 Pledged Delegates separate Clinton and Obama.

So it is pretty much up to the will of the Supers. They must make the trip to Denver, and they still follow through on the vote the have declared. In the past many Supers still skipped out on the convention.

Or who knows, maybe they want to change their vote at the convention.

So I would prefer that you keep on for the next 2-3 months if you still have the time.

[Blame]

Mr Super please leave us that long.

There is still the joining of the DNC with the Obama campaign to come.

I have no idea how that is done, but I am sure the Supers are involved.

[Cranky Kate]

Mr. Super,

If I recall, you'd talked about making it into a group blog of sorts. I'd recommend leaving it up for now, even if you don't update frequently. That way, if you decide to take it in a different direction (and/or if the convention proves more interesting than we anticipate), those of us who read by RSS will automatically know that YOU'RE BACK! If you do decide to take a permanent hiatus, please know that you've done us a great service. Keep pushing the party for the kind of transparency you've represented here, and we'll be in great shape. Thanks Mr. Super!! -Kate

[OlderVoter]

I hope you will keep the blog going. For all the comments made, there are probably many more readers such as myself who do not post comments frequently, or at all. You have provided such a service, especially to us who are not so well-versed in the political arena. But whatever you choose to do, thanks for all of your efforts.

[Kasturba]

Dear Mr. Super,

Please do keep it up. I will speak for myself: being able to ask you questions has made me feel truly engaged in politics.

Why can't I ask the same questions to my local political representative? They aren't plugged in at a national level. They want me to vote for them (and again are more into local issues), and so they are not as useful for the questions I want answered. I have a demanding career and family life, so I can't really show up for town halls or rallies. Being able to ask political questions at 3am after the work is done and the kids are asleep is really amazing.

The media is not very helpful in answering questions about the "inside" view either.

Thanks for running the site. Please do keep it up if you can. It is greatly appreciated.

[Reid]

Mr. Super,

I think you should keep the blog going. I think it's a mistake to assume that your only interesting focus is superdelegates: rather, I think you provide unique and very interesting insights into the democratic (small and large D) process and superdelegates are just one facet of that.

So, I hope you'll continue. If it's more work than you can budget, then perhaps you could take a hiatus, or post less frequently, rather than shuttering the blog completely.

[Au]

As an Australian trying to follow the elections through the Internet, I cast my vote for Mr Super continuing indefinitely - or at least until the end of the year. It is the insights and informed opinions I come for, not the breaking news, and I'd be sad to lose that.

[Henry]

Stop writing if you want to, sure - but don't take the blog down! This is living history. Hopefully in 50 years kids studying the greatest president there ever was, Barack Obama, can look at this website and see how he came to gain the nomination of the democratic party. We're the ones making history, and we should be documenting it.

[Joe]

Yeah, I'd be sad to see it go. Instead, you could occasionally comment on the latest political insider gossip or something :)

[Kevin Perlow]

Mr Super,

I think you should keep blogging. Getting speculation from somebody who is actually somewhat inside the process and knows a thing or two is far more interesting than from other sites. Your posts have become lengthy and content filled rather than short and speculative, and that's pretty rare. Even if you can only update a few days a week, the fact that the updates are worth reading is an accomplishment in its own right.

[Sabutai]

Please stay through the convention. If you're looking for another focus, I've long held the understanding that meetings and debates dealing with the charter and platform are handled at the convention, but I've never seen a whit of coverage about that. I'd love to hear a little bit of what happens at the DNC other than speechmaking.

And this despite the fact that I spent a lot of time poking around Boston back in '04.

[Blame]

Mr Super

Before you dump us out into the cold of cyberspace, there is something I have been wondering about.

Will McCain have firm contol of the Republican machine?

I know finances are tight over there, and there are rather a lot of Republican Senators looking nervous. Who gets to decide how much money goes to electing McCain, and how much to Senators?

[Jen]

Mr. Super:

I found this blog to be very helpful and entertaining. I also appreciated the moderation of the commenters. I would like you to keep it up, even if you only post occasionally until the General Election. Either way, I would like to thank you for a fantastic blog.

[Regina]

Keep the blog, please. If you are busy to keep it going during the months leading to the convention, perhaps you can have some friends guest blog. It might be fun to hear a Clinton superdelegates perspective. Or a pledged delegate for any candidate.