FL/MI: Getting them seated

Posted: Friday, May 09, 2008 9:20 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: 2008, Michigan, Florida

The Boston Globe: “Florida state Democratic Party spokesman Mark Bubriski told The Associated Press [yesterday] that Florida officials have been talking with campaign representatives of Obama and Hillary Clinton about recognizing all or some of Florida's 211 delegates.

“In Michigan, Democratic leaders have settled on a plan to give Clinton 69 delegates and Obama 59 as a way to get the state's delegates seated at the national convention. Clinton won the Jan. 15 Michigan primary and was to get 73 pledged delegates under state party rules, while Obama was to get 55.”

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Comments

ABC has called the superdelegate vote a win for Obama, they have him passing her!! GO OBAMA!

LB, Virginia (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:24 AM)

I don't agree with it, as a stickler for (good) rules, but a compromise was reached, as I would expect from Senator Obama.

Most importantly, We can put his stomach ulcer in the making to rest.

donna (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:25 AM)

Hillary better take the deal. Obama has her dead to center and she will have no choice but to take it.

jerry/corpus christi texas (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:26 AM)

Didn't she reject the Michigan split??

Crystal, TN (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:27 AM)

I think that this will happen. The Democratic party would be remiss to disenfranchise so many voters.

That said, we must all keep in mind that it is not the DNC's fault on this one. This is the fault of the Michigan and Florida State Legislatures. They are the ones who have screwed the proverbial pooch on this subject.

http://thepajamapundit.com/

the Pajama Pundit (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:27 AM)

i would hope that the obama campaign will turn this offer down, as a matter of principle. rather, he'd ask for a 50-50 across the board in both states. let us all remember that the voters in these states are not being disenfranchised by obama. they brought it upon themselves, or their party officials made the decision for their constituents to break the rules.

Truth Be Told (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:28 AM)

I'm at least glad to see the Dem. leadership in those States coming up with a recommendation. While I continue to feel that this ALL should have been decided before the primary season, I understand full well that its in the party's interest to move forward in some way on this issue.

I am curious to know if the Florida delegate allocation is entirely consistent with how the voting went there when they had their "primary that wasn't supposed to count". I feel sorry for the Obama AND Clinton voters in both states who didn't vote because they were told the primary wouldn't count.

Lisa, New Britain, CT...decisively for Obama (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:29 AM)

old news....YAWN...again
no matter what split..It puts Obama
closer to the majority number needed..
50/50 split accelerates the end of this contest.
The DNC must be the final judge..
not obama and not clinton...don't stoke the flames
it does no one any good

BJ, CA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:29 AM)

The Michigan deal is completely fair. Obama wasn't even on the ballot, nor was any other viable canidate at the time, and Clinton still lost 40% of the vote there. They should only seat 50% of FL as punishment for moving up their vote, plus Obama didn't campaign there. States should be dissuaded from pulling this kind of thing in the future, plus if CLinton didn't campaign in Indiana she probably would have lost that race.

Dave, NY, NY (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:29 AM)

Hold a vote first! Why in the world do the Democrats keep ignoring the voters? They just don't trust common people to do the right thing. It's an elitist attitude that the Dems just cannot shake. These do called Democratic leaders are nothing but party hacks that couldn't care less what the people think.

Justin Beaver, Alcorn, MS (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:30 AM)

that will be great if it happens but the floridians
will always remember that it was obama whom wanted it
not to happen and now is trying to get on our good grace
as the italians say forget about it.the voters of florida will vote big against obama

.

brian gomez miami fl (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:34 AM)

As far as the Florida delegates there should be no tampering by the party on those delegates. The Democratic party has to treat Florida with some amount of respect. The party needs the people of Florida to come out in November to support the ticket. Right now Howard Dean has done everything to make people want to leave our party. What a mess.

The delegates should be apportioned as per the vote. There should be no other outcome. The people in Florida voted and their voices should be heard and not tampered with.

I am worried about these goofy rules in the Democratic party. The party needs to do away with these ridiculous Caucuses. We should have everything decided by vote. I want to see raw numbers and breakdowns of area votes -- not some outdated selection process. We also need to send Howard Dean packing -- he is an embarrassment.

Get on with Florida (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:35 AM)

I don't get it .... why sould Hillary get more delegates when she was "playing out of bounds". One of the books written about Bill discussed his golf game and what Bill decided was going to be considered as strokes or not. There are rules to the game. If Hillary can't play by the rules she should take her ball and go home. If Senator Obama goes along with giving her more delegates than he were to receive I certainly commend his presidential posture in helping Hillary "save face" with the full knowledge that she would turn around and use this against him.

garyd, amherst, nh (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:36 AM)

There was an open discussion on Morning Joe today about Hillary's 'hard working, uneducated, white voter base, being more coveted in the GE than other voting blocks argument'.

From Barber, to Buchanan everyone gave their opinion, without tempers rageing.

We need this. Just like the patient that dreads opening up to a pscychiatrist, at first, the healing that follows is worth it, if discussing painful emotional issues is what it takes to overcome them.

Senator Obama's speech has been the catalyst for this much needed revisit of our first original sin. At this stage in our nation's development, the demographic innocent of racism, (if there ever was one), has assimalated into what they once hated in others.

But it is going to be alright, as long as we continue our discourse, with civility.

mom (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:41 AM)

Its funny how Clinton has championed herself as the defender of democracy, yet the only way she can win is if the supers overtuurn Obama's legitimate victory (which can be claimed by virtually every metric).

Dave, NY, NY (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:42 AM)

Sounds fair to me-now can they finally stop complaining about it already?? How petty and stupid this all is.

Pam OC,CA (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:45 AM)

He wasn't on the ballot. She has really fallen off her rocker if she actually believes she deserves all 73 pledged delegates. It should be a 50/50 split. As for FL, he was able to campaign and alot of her votes were due to name recognition and many didn't vote because they didn't think there vote would count. I am one of those people.

Carter, Jacksonville, FL (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:45 AM)

It is vital to deal with this problem as soon as possible. Given that the candidates were told (and agreed to) not campaign in either state, let the state party clear it up and propose an option. I believe that in most cases, Obama will still come up on top with the FL & MI delegates added.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:55 AM)

Michigan broke the rules. Either a 50/50 split of delegates or maintain a no count for Michigan. Hillary was for not counting Michigan until she started losing, now she wants them counted. 50/50 split is the only way a compromise would be a fair compromise or not count them at all.

Sharon Sarver, Marietta, MS (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 9:58 AM)

I heard that Hilaly Clinton torpedoed the plan and refused to accept it. It was a cvvery fair plan that actually benefited her more than Obama, yet she is the one who shot it down. It seems to me that she is more interested in keeping it an issue than she is actually seating the delegates. I remember her saying at the beginning that the delegates in MI and FL would not be counted because they broke the rules.

David Suttle, Paducah, KY (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 10:09 AM)

Good, I hope the issue is closed and Clinton is not allowed to keep arguing for more at the convention. At some point party leaders have got to tell her, the dialogue is finished.
By the way, that Wolfsen character made a complete spectacle of himself on Hardball last night. It's plain Hillary has gone over the edge, have all her servants also been swept into her swirling vortex of insanity?

Bonnie (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 10:21 AM)

NO! Rules and points of order need to stand. If the common voter is pissed-off about not being seated, let them go after the party. They decided to break the established and agreeded upon rules.

Pacheck, Huntington Beach, Ca. (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 10:27 AM)

The DNC’s ‘Rules Committee’ offers Hillary a significant advantage --- 13 of its members have openly endorsed her, and just 8 are declared Obama backers.

EXAMPLE: (A Committee Chairman is Alexis Herman, Labor secretary under President Clinton; another is Harold Ickes, the top advisor to Hillary’s campaign who is in-charge of stealing superdelegates and, another is a member of the Michigan DNC.)

The ‘Rules Committee’ has wide latitude concerning Florida and Michigan. It could uphold the rules and punishment it and both candidates agreed to initially, or it could --- seat the entire delegation from each state, split the delegations in half, or even seat all of the super delegates but only some of the elected delegates.

This is the REAL REASON Hillary is staying in the race. Hillary fully expects that the ‘Rules Committee’ with its almost 2-to-1 ratio of declared Hillary-to-Obama supporters will go along with whatever she wants regarding Florida & Michigan delegates. She believes, and probably rightly so, that the ‘Rules Committee’ will seat as many of the delegates from Florida & Michigan as Hillary needs to obtain the 2025 delegates needed to win the nomination.

IT WILL BE GRAND THEFT BY MANIPULATION OF THE RULES COMMITTEE. --- A CLINTON DIRTY TRICK.
_________________________________________________________________

GRAND THEFT BY MANIPULATION OF THE RULES ...... (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 10:29 AM)

Clinton only cares that these states are seated if it benefits her. Again she only cares when it helps her, if it is not to her benefit than you can go to h-e-l-l. She has refused this offer to seat the delegates. So that they count in November.

A New America (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 10:32 AM)

In Michigan, the Democratic "leaders" have settled on a plan? How nice. Why not, you know, have a vote or something so the people can settle on a plan?

This is why the Democrats will lose this fall. They run their party like the old Soviet Union ran theirs. And just like the old SU, the Democratic party will soon be ancient history.

Dr. Howard Dean - Tear down this wall!!

No More Walls (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 10:42 AM)

uncommited received 40% of the vote---why should he get 59%?He should have agreed to a revote.

NObama-MI (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 10:44 AM)

HILLARY IS GETTING THE BIGOTS LINED UP. THATS WHY SHE MADE THE 'WHITE AMERICAN" STATEMENT.

BARRY READING, PA. (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 10:55 AM)

Obama's back-ground: Come from black and white broken family, Christian and Muslim; And once a drug addict, a cunning intellectual polititian, carefully groomed by white (American)-haters ‘groups’: Adios!!! Under his leadership it is The beginning of the end of America as supper power.

Asham, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 11:17 AM)

I understand Clinton rejected this latest proposal.

Sure looks like its LESS about getting them seated and MORE about getting the lion's share.

Yep, she's really interested in fairness.

Shel, SLC UT (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 11:28 AM)

Good Lord!!! If it were OBAMA playing these games of hers to steal the nomination away from HER, this would NOT even be an issue! FL & MI would NOT even be discussed after THEY broke the rules of the DNP! There would NEVER be discussion over condoning bad behavior with positive rewards, as is happening in princess Hillary Republican Clinton's case!

The Clinton camp would be screaming "unfair politics! Ths DNC is GIVING Obama the nomination!" And the saddest thing of all of this mess is that while she's crying "let their voices be heard", she's DELIBERATELY & DIRECTLY muting mine & millions of other voices like mine!!!

Go ahead, DNC, go ahead & reward her her delegates for cheating in those 2 primaries! BUT, Split them 50/50: The OTHER 48 states FOLLOWED the rules of the DNC, & the people in them want THEIR voices & votes to be heard AND counted!!!

Be FAIR to ALL 50 states & their voters, and NOT JUST to keep the Clinton hyenas off of your back, but because it would be CLOSER to the right thing to do!!!

I don't pray, but THIS week, I am...God, help us & SAVE US before we destroy this Nation AND ourselves!!!

Jan, Elyria, OH (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 11:42 AM)

Hillary should not get a larger share than 50% because she was the only choice for Democrats. In fact she was told by the National Democratic committee to withdraw her name as well. Many democrats in Michigan crossed over to vote Republican since it was the only meaningful party vote. Additionally, many democrats registered Democrat did not vote at all because of a meaningless vote.

Brian Forgette 591 Lickman Rd Carney, MI (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 12:05 PM)

Hey,Asham from Ethiopia, breaking news flash for you: 1) Obama is NOT perfect, neither am I nor ANY OTHER LIVING SOUL for that matter! But, He's the best choice AMERICA, not Ethiopia (no offense meant to you or any other person/nation) has TODAY!

2) Thanks to the Anti-Christ's Bush & Cheney, America stopped being a "super-power" when they took us into a war with a country that harbored Saddam Hussein - whom Bush needed to finish off to honor his Daddy!!! By the way, Bush & Cheney have proven to be the EXTREMIST poster children of the "cunning intelluctual politician" to AMERICAN'S

Please, RESEARCH & get your FACTS straight BEFORE you condemn a person, OK?! And please stop insulting American's: We don't criticize you.

Thanks for your opinion anyway!

Jan, Elyria, OH (Sent Friday, May 09, 2008 1:00 PM)

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