Tip of the Iceberg?

By Rick Moran

Debra Bartoshevich is a delegate pledged to support Hillary Clinton at the Democratic convention in August.

She is also, as of earlier this week, an announced supporter of John McCain:

As an avid supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries, Debra Bartoshevich is not alone in her frustration over Clinton's defeat.

She's not alone in refusing to support Barack Obama.

And she's not entirely alone in saying she'll vote this fall for Republican John McCain instead.

But what makes her unusual is that she holds these views as an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer.

"I'm sure people are going to be upset with me," said Bartoshevich, a 41-year-old emergency room nurse from Waterford in Racine County, and convention delegate pledged to Clinton.

Joe Wineke, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, reacted with disbelief when first told Friday afternoon that one of his state party delegates is now a McCain supporter.

"Not a delegate? To the national convention?" said Wineke, who was getting ready for the start of the Wisconsin state party convention Friday in Stevens Point.

"We have a Clinton national (convention) delegate who says she's voting for John McCain?" Wineke repeated, for clarification. "I've never heard of such a thing."

Wineke said "almost everybody I know who was for Hillary" is solidly behind Obama now. As for Bartoshevich, he said, "my suspicion is she doesn't know what she's getting into" because "the delegates to this convention will be very upset."

Asked if publicly supporting the other party's presidential nominee could affect a delegate's convention status, Wineke said, "I never thought I'd ever get a question like this."

Democrats better get used to the question because the number of party members who supported Hillary Clinton's candidacy but refuse to support Obama may be the difference in the presidential race.

There are legions of Hillary supporters - polls say up to 18% of the total - who say they will vote for John McCain before voting for Barack Obama. While most experts think that number is too high, even 5-7% would be a huge boost to McCain. For that reason, Wisconsin Democrats at their state convention voted to prevent Bartoshevich from attending the national convention.

A harbinger of things to come. We'll see.