Ralph Dawson

DENVER—Bill Perkins, one of the first New York elected officials to endorse Barack Obama, jumped out of his seat and let out an ear-piercing whistle as Hillary Clinton addressed party unity in a speech to the New York delegation this morning.

“I think she hit a home run,” he said when I asked him about the speech later; he also called it “a transformational expression of support.” Perkins went on, “If that enthusiasm continues, then it’s done and she gets credit for moving [her supporters] into the victory column.”

Representative Charlie Rangel, who gave a fist-bump to Chuck Schumer after giving his own address, called Clinton’s speech “fantastic.  read more »

Two uncommitted superdelegates outlined what they see as their role the Democratic nomination and made a plea for an fast end to the contest at a panel in midtown last night.

Put on by DL21C and moderated by NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd, the event hosted Ralph Dawson, a lawyer from New York, and D.N.C. Treasurer Andrew Tobias, who's from Florida.

Both seemed to see the role of superdelegates in terms closer to the position of the Clinton campaign--which believes that superdelegates should use judgment--than the position of the Obama campaign, which believes superdelegates should vote for the candidate elected in their district, or the candidate who wins the popular vote. Dawson said if superdelegates have to play a decisive role in selecting the Democratic nominee, there’s a few criteria they should look at, like electability and the policies the candidates would pursue once in office.

Perhaps more importantly that who, however, is when.  read more »

Not surprisingly, Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat of Manhattan, who is also Hillary Clinton delegate, wants to see Florida delegates seated at the national convention.

“If I was a Florida voter, I would feel pretty upset,” he told me just now. “And I would find it egregious that the party is telling me that my vote doesn’t count.“

He went on, “There has to be a solution. I would walk into court if I was a voter and try to get some relief there."

Espillate knows he's biased, but swears there's more to his position.

"Some people may say, ‘Well, you know, you’re a Hillary delegate. Obviously she won there,’" he told me. "But I think Florida, which is a big state and an emerging state with regards to their delegate count, is a growing state, cannot be left out of a convention. And voters in Florida must have an ability to feel that their vote counts. And if the party doesn’t do that, I think that’s a black eye for the party.”

More after the jump.  read more »

You may not know Ralph Dawson. But he could be a pivotal player in the Democratic presidential primary. He’s an uncommitted superdelegate from New York—which is rare, since this is Hillary Clinton’s home state.

Dawson, a partner at the law firm, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., is also the Democratic National Committee member who introduced the resolution to strip Florida of its delegates for holding its presidential primary ahead of the February 5 date recommended by the D.N.C.

Dawson said for him, it’s not a question of choosing a president he prefers—he likes them both—but rather, seeing which one is more electable in November  read more »

Last fall, Gifford put a lot of energy into harnessing the Howard Dean mojo, something he's clearly hoping will pay off on this campaign.

But the remaining Deaniacs also seem pretty excited about Miller's sometime rival in the Council, Bill Perkins, and his campaign for Manhattan Borough President.

In April, Perkins received the maximum $3,850 contribution from the Democracy for America PAC.

And tonight, he's being introduced by Dean's college roommate, Ralph Dawson, at a Democracy for NYC Meetup in the East Village.  read more »

UPDATE: And how could we forget the great Gore-Perkins Dean endorsement photo?