Dean: Dems will seat FL, MI delegates

This isn't news. They've been saying for weeks now that they were going to be seated.

...

 

And the answer is by however much won't make a difference in the ultimate result.

The Clintons have, quite understandably, tried to play hardball on this but they don't have any leverage. Or, rather, the only leverage they have is to threaten and then try to make good on threats to divide the party at the convention. If they do that, they will push a new wave of super-delegates to make public their private support of Obama -- support grounded in party unity as much as anything else.

Everybody believes there need to be delegates from MI and FL at the convention. But nobody in a position of power with the Democratic Party -- short of the most extreme Hillary boosters -- believes results from renegade primaries in FL and MI (where Obama wasn't even on the ballot) should be a determining factor in selecting the nominee.

They will be seated. Maybe in equal numbers, maybe in numbers that favor Hillary. But not in numbers that deliver Hillary the nomination. As such, the question of how many is really a moot one.

 

I dislike this.

What is the point of rules if they can be altered so easily?

I don't like the precedent, I don't like the attitude, I don't like the appeasement it implies, and I most dislike the implied meddling by party officials.

 

I guess, but what's the point? If she's trying to make the argument that she got more popular votes and has to use votes from a state where every candidate but her took their name of the ballot in deference to party rules, how compelling is the argument?

Answer: not very.

 

The punishment for breaking the rules is that the votes in those states will not be relevant to the outcome. That's pretty much done. There's no point in refusing to seat delegations from these states into the bargain.

 

[star wars]Your overconfidence is your weakness[/star wars]


It perturbs me, that's all.

 

big win for team Clinton

 

How this is a “big Win” for Hillary in Bigtexxx world is anyone’s guess.

Everyone knows that MI and FL will be seated at the convention once the nominee is set. There really isn’t any argument about that from anyone.

 

This seals it. It's official. You are a loon.

How the hell did this meeting that is basically a NON event lead to any conclusion, much less a WIN for anybody?

WASHINGTON -- Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Wednesday the party is committed to seating Florida's delegates at this summer's convention as long as any agreement is supported by the party's two presidential contenders.

Dean met with Florida lawmakers to discuss ways of allocating delegates among Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton and prepare for the fall campaign in the battleground state.

The party stripped Florida and Michigan of their delegates to the national convention in Denver because they ignored party rules and moved their primaries to January.

"We are committed to making sure that we do everything in our power to seat a delegation from Florida," Dean said. "We believe we will seat a delegation from Florida."

But the party chairman said it was critical that Obama and Clinton were "comfortable with the compromises that have to be worked out." The two campaigns did not have representatives at the hourlong meeting.

"It's our hope that the candidates will join us in this effort and without them an agreement is not possible," said Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla.

Dean and Florida Democratic chair Karen Thurman released a joint statement after the meeting underscoring their intention to find a solution.

Dean also said discussions were continuing over Michigan and he was "optimistic" that the state's delegates would also be seated.

The lawmakers declined to elaborate on the types of options that were discussed for seating the delegates. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Fla., said they spoke about "multiple solutions and formulas that I think are all reasonable."

Michigan and Florida have been unable to reach agreements to redo their primaries. Any alternative vote would have to be completed by June 10 to be counted under DNC rules.

Florida had its 210 delegates stripped for voting in January and a proposal for a mail-in vote in the state collapsed because it lacked support from the party's congressional delegation. The fate of Michigan's 156 national convention delegates remain in limbo after a proposed do-over primary failed to generate enough support in the state legislature.

Dean has said previously that Michigan and Florida have two options: Either submit a new plan for choosing their convention delegates or appeal to the Convention Credentials Committee, which resolves issues about the seating of delegates.

The Republican Party also penalized the two states for early primaries by cutting their delegate totals in half.

Several Democrats have already floated proposals for seating Florida and Michigan delegates.

Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan congressman proposed Monday in a letter to Dean that the state's delegates be awarded based partly on Michigan's primary results and partly on the popular vote in all the nation's presidential primaries.

Stupak endorsed former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards in the primary and has remained neutral since Edwards dropped out of the race in January.

In Florida, Sen. Bill Nelson, who backs Clinton, has suggested seating all Florida delegates already chosen but only giving them half a vote each. Based on the Jan. 29 results in Florida, Clinton would have won 105, Obama 67 and John Edwards 13. Instead they would get half those delegate votes.

 

If you read to the bottom of the full press release, you will find that they are being seated at a Denny's across town from the actual convention.

 

Bart Stupak.

That name's always made me chuckle.

 

Once a compromise is reached to seat FL and MI it will be a net positive for Obama in the big picture. Hillary needs uncertainty to keep her campaign going. When those two states are seated, and she still doesn't have a popular vote total or delegate total lead, she will have one of her big complaints removed. Having FL and MI hover in uncertainty is a plus for her, it makes her seem less behind than she is. Once they are seated and the asterisk is removed from the delegate and popular vote totals, it's another nail in the coffin for her campaign.


By the way, if FL and MI aren't appropriately punished for breaking the rules, what is to stop other states from moving their primaries up in the future? And other states moving their primaries up in response?

 

I hope this becomes more of a crisis and eventually serves as the impetus for reforming the entire primary system. Unfortunately, I think Obama's just too far ahead on all fronts for that to happen.

 

I don't that's a realistic hope at all. If Bush v. Gore isn't enough to affect the electoral college process, its hard to think that a few hiccups in the primaries will even be remembered once Obama becomes the presumptive nominee.

 

Good point, but I think there's a subtle difference in the two cases. In Bush v. Gore (the contest, not the Supreme Court case), the outcome proceeded from the predetermined rule set. In Obama v. Clinton, MI and FL bucked the party rules by holding early primaries. If their delegates get sat anyways, other states may try following suit on the next go around. Having a single, national primary might be a plausible solution.

 

CNN Breaking News: Michigan Democrats officially have declared they won't hold a do-over presidential primary.

Whoopsy....

 

I blame Obama! This is all his fault!

Cheater!

 

sounds like the nomination is going to have legitimacy concerns