Rules Commitee makes its Ruling

by: Daniel De Groot

Sat May 31, 2008 at 19:59


From MCC in the Quick Hits:


Florida's delegates are to be seated at 1/2 vote each. Michigan's pledged delegates are to be reassasigned 69 Clinton-59 Obama and all delegates then seated at 1/2 vote each. New totals: Obama 2053; Clinton 1876.5; magic number to win: 2117. Obama now needs 64 delegates to clench the nomination.

I don't have a strong opinion on what should have happened here, but I will say the 1/2 strength compromise does mirror the punishment the RNC meted out to Florida and Michigan so that should cut down on their ability to yammer about the Democratic party not living up to its name.

Discuss, but first, read Paul's brilliant appeal for unity in my hopefully not naive desire to keep the discussion positive.  

Daniel De Groot :: Rules Commitee makes its Ruling

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Rules Commitee makes its Ruling | 23 comments
Bloggers can sometime get lost in the passions of the moment (4.00 / 4)
I just thought about it. Does anyone seriously believe there won't be unity? Beyond a few fringe Clinton supporters I am willi ng to make a prediction right now- in a month this will not only be over, but most of her supporters will be with Obama against McCain. I don't mean the loud ones you see online or at the activist events. I mean those you find in the general public.
I don't know (0.00 / 0)
I hope you're right, but there's a difference between merely showing up to vote for Obama, and being willing to volunteer, give money etc.  So even if just the level of enthusiasm for him takes a hit, this matters.

Also, Hillary's actions after the last primary will play a role in how her supporters respond.

[ Parent ]
He's right... (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
Depends on Clinton (0.00 / 0)
I believe Senator Clinton may very well encourage the Credentials Committee to submit a minority report, allowing her to take to the fight to the convention. If she keeps up her attacks on Obama's electability all the way to Denver, there won't be unity.
[ Parent ]
A couple of months ago I would have disagreed (4.00 / 1)
Now, I m not so sure. She's lost a lot of good will with people like me. I never disliked her, but I thought Edwards was the better choice. I still don't lik eher, but I can't say I trust her to do the right thing in the long run either. That's sad.
[ Parent ]
Oh- and one long term thing that I hope comes out of this (4.00 / 4)
is reforming the process and trying to make is not only more Democratic, but thinking ways to make money less necessary in the primary process. The fact is that it cost either Clinton or Obama as much as it has is crazy. The fact that the rules are SO different is crazy. It allows for too much b.s.
I hope they do change the rules, but it will be hard (0.00 / 0)
I would think a good change would be to get rid of superdelegates, but half the party disagrees. In fact on any single issue, based on who's benefited from it this year, half the party disagrees with the other half. I wonder if everyone will be able to step back and look at the big picture.
[ Parent ]
Let me explain my view of this (4.00 / 2)
I am not a politician so this is going to be harsh. I think clinton didn't have a leg to stand on today. I thinkt he rules suck, but she didn't come to this with clean hands. She manipulated the rules to get what she wanted. I remember full well her agreeing to the deal for MI and FL. I remember full well her manipulations prior with regard to her people in MI and FL. Don't get me wrong- Obama isn't Mr Saint either. It was Edwards who first came out to take a principled stand. BUT, when you talk about "half of the party" first- that half of the party needs to take a long look in the mirror (which I know ain't going to happen in modern America by anyone) to ask themselves- did they come to this honest? The answer to that is no. But they still need to ask and ansswer that themselves.  I am saying this as someone who doesn' see much difference between Clinton and Obama, and only came to Obama when I decided there was no practical arguments left for Clinton. I m going to support Obama nd donate money and do what I can because I lived through the last 8 years. Apparently some of you were in a bubble reality in which supporters get to have tantrums like this. If McCain wins it will be on that half's concious.  
[ Parent ]
I should have taken you out (0.00 / 0)
I meant in regards to the half that is making issue out of this as if its something personal.
[ Parent ]
This is a project (4.00 / 2)
After 1968, they reformed the process to try and take away the mayhem. Another such reform is needed, to cut out money, to consider whether caucuses should continue to be included, to try to give everybody a say and to try to get to get a conclusive nominee early.

Most of the uproar has come from support of a candidate rather than from philosophical objections to the rules. Nevertheless, if anything good is going to come out of this it'll be a crashing of the gates of the DNC and a rewriting of the primary rules to make the system work better. November 6th, this campaign should start.

Forgotten Countries - a foreign policy-focused blog

[ Parent ]
I did not watch the committee hearing, but I hear.... (4.00 / 5)
...that Obama supporters lived up to their cultish image and were behaving immaturely, as was expected of them. I hear some of them confused the hearing with college football and were constantly booing and hissing. No surprise really, that's what Obama supporters are all about.

[/snark]

yeah I suppose if you mean you just came over from (0.00 / 0)
talkleft or some such similar "unbiased" reporting. By the way, as a previous Edwards supporter who was fairly neutral until recently, I got to say for a long while I accused Obama supporters of being cultish, and I still stand behind that. But, I see a lot of that same behavior emanating from many of you Clinton supporters. Indeed, you are worse because you seem to think you are better than the Obama supporters.
[ Parent ]
Geez, recognize the snark tag at the end? (4.00 / 1)
My unbiased source was C-SPAN
[ Parent ]
Sorry I've been reading spin all day while writing. (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
Maybe I'm slow today (0.00 / 0)
or just tired of the crap on both sides...

But I didn't get the joke behind the snark, and in my watching of C-Span, I found myself terribly disappointed with everyone in the audience.  

QT

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[ Parent ]
How is that? (4.00 / 2)
Obama supporters, likely because of the implicit and explicit directions from the top (just like Clinton supporters) did not do any protests outside the hotel. At the hearing, they merely cheered and clapped when something supportive of Obama or "unity" was said, sometimes in approval and sometimes to drown out the boos and hissing. They did not boo or hiss the many Clinton supporters despite their often strong hyperbole. The same was not true of the other side... this is not subjective, it's available on tape for anyone to verify and was reported by some in the media and blogs as well.
[ Parent ]
Meanwhile - back to bomb bomb bombing McCain (4.00 / 4)
Are you doing your part?

I posted here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/...

and here:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008...

and at my own site, tapping into the Cuban music fan base:

http://www.timba.com/artists/n...

Help click McCain back to the Stone Age!

November (4.00 / 3)
Let's hope we can now all remember who the real opponent is.
Republicans posturing as Clinton Supporters (0.00 / 0)
I think a lot of these alledgedly irate "Clinton" supporters are actually just Republicans trying to raise dissent in the ranks.  

I've been spending a lot of time reading comments, such as the ones on NYTimes.com:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes...

There are so many people threatening to defect to McCain.  I just don't buy it.  Hillary's supporters are better than that.  Defecting to McCain on the grounds that your favored candidate didn't get absolutely 100% of what she asked for in a very difficult decision for the DNC? It's too short-sighted.  It's too vindictive.  It's too convenient for McCain.

I'm ready to give the real Hillary supporters the benefit of the doubt.

MI/FL Voters (4.00 / 4)
The thing that struck me was that everyone yelling about "Count my vote!" seemed to turn out, when asked, to be from somewhere besides MI and FL.  IOW, their vote had been counted, and the hearing was irrelevant to them personally as far as that went.  I don't remember seeing a single one of those protesters actually claiming to be from either of the states in question.

Half-votes being "Worse than slavery" just cracked me up, and it was echoed repeatedly.  Yeah, having the weight of your vote reduced in the primary is worse than slavery....

[ Parent ]
I applaud your optimism (0.00 / 0)
...and suggest you don't read this if you are easily rattled or want to keep your good mood!
[ Parent ]
MI compromise dumbest ever (4.00 / 1)
the reassignment of 4 clinton delegates to Obama is completely meaningless in terms of the outcome of this primary, but having done so now allows the clintons to claim an injustice has been done. a completely pointless compromise that can only fan the flames of discontent. I think Ickes was right when he said this is a strange way to create unity.

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
MI compromise (0.00 / 0)
I agree.  There was no point to even going through such an allocation.  Wasn't it clear that Obama was getting most, if not all, of the uncommitted in any event?  For a net total of 2 delegate votes, it just seems to make no sense to give the Clinton campaign another argument to "carry on" for the sake of the MI voters.  The DNC has been so stupid in its approach to the punishment since the beginning, and this is yet another poorly thought out decision that does very little to bring the closure I was hoping for.  
[ Parent ]
Rules Commitee makes its Ruling | 23 comments
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