Mich. Dems settle on delegate-seating plan to bring to DNC

[cal04]

Source: Associated Press

Michigan Democratic leaders on Wednesday settled on a plan to give presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton 69 delegates and Barack 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. The state also has 29 superdelegates.

The state party's executive committee voted Wednesday to ask the national party's Rules and Bylaws Committee to approve the 69-59 delegate split when it meets May 31. The plan would allow the state's 157 delegates and superdelegates to be seated at the convention.

A separate plan submitted to the rules committee by Democratic National Committee members Joel Ferguson of Michigan and Jon Ausman of Florida, both superdelegates, apparently will be withdrawn now that the Michigan executive committee has settled on the 69-59 plan. Under their proposal, delegates would have been allocated based on the primary election results, but have had only half a vote each. The superdelegates would have had full voting rights.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080508/ap_on_el_pr/primary_scramble

[napi21]

1. I don't really care what they do. Just settle this BS! I think Fl & MI are

both being pansies in this whole thing! I lived for 44 years of my primary vote not counting because our primary was too late in the year to make any damn difference, and these cry babies are just pissing me off! Get over it already!!!!!!!!!!!

[GetTheRightVote]

2. I hope the Obama campaign see this as the ugly option that it is, forget it Obama.

They are attempting a steal from you.

[lark]

33. Oh yeah, that's a great solution

Let's just keep 10,000,000 voters pissed off at the Dem party - now that's a great plan for winning the GE - right? Obama couldn't be a healer could he? Nah, let him be as petty and spiteful as possible and present a great image for our candidate?

Smart - NOT!

[madfloridian]

3. It ain't over until Floridians with lawsuits say it is over.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/2074

And they ain't done yet.

[cal04]

4. thanks for the link madfloridian

:hi:

[madfloridian]

5. Keep an eye on those two....this is the 3rd time they have filed.

And this lawsuit accuses the DNC of prejudice. I hate this kind of stuff, and they have been joking about their own lawsuit. They do not even take it seriously.

[RBInMaine]

6. Sounds about right to me. Relatively FAIR, and won't change the Obama win outcome.

[hokies4ever]

7. FL and MI will be seated

but I like Obama's strategy. Force Hillary's campaign to spend a lot of energy worrying about FL and MI instead of just campaigning in remaining states on the issues important to THOSE voters. Do you think WV residents care if MI and FL is seated? Maybe a little, but not much. They care about things like the economy, foreign policy, Iraq War, health care, home foreclosures, etc. Hillary will look like a fool repeatedly telling the WV media that it's important that the Dem Party seat FL and MI instead of focusing on the voters in WV. Brilliant strategy by the Obama campaign.

[hokies4ever]

8. Howard Dean doing great job with FL & MI situation

Everybody knows that FL and MI will be seated. However, Dean is making the legislators in those states sweat a little bit because of their decision to move their primaries up. I bet they have constituents calling and e-mailing them everyday complaining. Sounds like the proper punishment to me. Punish the legislators in MI and FL now and when the Convention comes along roll out the red carpet for the FL and MI delegates and tell them how they are so important and give them special treatment at the Convention.

[lark]

34. I know I've called my state (FL) party

and given them hell for the stupid decisions they made, although in truth, they were basically blackmailed by the Repugs.

[comtec]

9. They broke the rules and their punishmnt should stand

however splitting the vote - when nationally it's closer to 50/50 overall - in Michigan will probably end this stupidity faster.
That's good, I just hate the idea of them 'getting away with it' and becoming more important than they are!
Where is the real punishment for these rogue states?

[berni_mccoy]

10. Mich. Dems settle on delegate-seating plan to bring to DNC

Source: Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan Democratic leaders on Wednesday settled on a plan to give presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton 69 delegates and Barack 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. The state also has 29 superdelegates.

The state party's executive committee voted Wednesday to ask the national party's Rules and Bylaws Committee to approve the 69-59 delegate split when it meets May 31. The plan would allow the state's 157 delegates and superdelegates to be seated at the convention.

A separate plan submitted to the rules committee by Democratic National Committee members Joel Ferguson of Michigan and Jon Ausman of Florida, both superdelegates, apparently will be withdrawn now that the Michigan executive committee has settled on the 69-59 plan. Under their proposal, delegates would have been allocated based on the primary election results, but have had only half a vote each. The superdelegates would have had full voting rights.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080508/ap_on_el_pr/primary_scramble;_ylt=AoRPcxZIzXk3L5t94ELRnvSs0NUE

---

Looks like Clinton's Nuclear option is being shut down.

[Truth2Tell]

11. It's still Bullshit.

Obama wasn't on the friggin ballot. Split em 50/50 or stay home and shut up.

[cyclezealot]

17. Recent poll shows McCain ahead in Michigan

We need a little problem solving here along with a little magnanimity. . Obama will have to work with Michigan Democrats if he wants Michigan's 17 electoral votes. Without those 17 votes , Obama is sunk come November.

[noonwitch]

26. That will change. Polls in Michigan are easy to stack.

The red and blue areas are pretty clearly defined, the election really comes down to Macomb and Oakland Counties. Wayne, Washtenaw, Ingham are all blue counties. Kent, Ottawa, Livingston and most of the rural counties are red.

Kent may have a lot of blue voters, especially in the city proper of Grand Rapids. Macomb and Oakland, which are the immediate Detroit suburbs, are swing counties. Oakland has money-fiscal conservatives who are social liberals. Macomb is blue-collar, with a lot of fundies in the northern parts. Grand Traverse is a growing county, with lots of both liberals and conservatives living there. Milliken is from there-he's the last liberal republican!

[Truth2Tell]

31. Most actual GE voters

don't give a rat's ass about the inside baseball of Democratic Party politics or about how many convention delegates are seated. The only reason this is even on the media radar is because of the scorched earth Clinton machine. After the Clinton delusion ends this will all fade away.

[lark]

35. This isn't about "most" GE voters

It's about voters in 2 states, and I'll tell you for sure, some of us FL Dems are mad as hell about this. I didn't vote for Clinton, so it's not about her, it's about doing the right thing. Sorry you can't understand that.

[Truth2Tell]

37. Since when is "the right thing"

counting races in which all of the campaigns agreed not to participate and all but one kept that promise? Obama wasn't even on the freakin' ballot in Michigan ferchissakes!

"the right thing" :rofl: Yer killing me!

Edit to add: When I refer to GE voters, I mean GE voters in Fl and MI. Really. Most of them couldn't give a shit about this inside-the-Party baloney. And once the Shillary campaign has stopped blowing the phony "disenfranchisement" horn about this it will fade away into nothing.

[madfloridian]

12. Why would Ausman drop his submitted plan.

Makes no sense.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. Tough

you (and Florida) broke the rules and knew of the consequences. And both Obama and Clinton agreed with those consequences (at least until the last 1 1/2 months).

[harmonicon]

14. NO FUCKING WAY

I'm a Michigan voter and I didn't vote in this primary because it was a total bullshit sham. No fucking way should any delegates be awarded from that load of crap. Mark Brewer and Jennifer Granholm should be be out on their asses, for all the good they do. The smart voters knew that there was no Democracy here and either didn't vote, or voted for the Republican that they felt was least objectionable. Awarded any Democratic delegates from Michigan is a slap in the face of Democracy.

[cyclezealot]

18. We can vote in Michigan also

We did not bother to vote in the Michigan primary becasue NH eliminated our only desirable choices and we did not find those candidates left worth the cost of the postage.

[JDPriestly]

15. Michigan and Florida did not play by the rules. Their delegates

should not be allowed to vote for the presidential nominee. We here in California waited our turn. We are just as important, if not more so, as Michigan or Florida. If you want to be in the club, you follow the club's rules. That is something every fourth grader knows.

[indimuse]

23. roolz!

All of the above, PLUS… The purpose of the ROOLZ was to ensure Iowa and New Hampshire went first. They did go first (and with no penalty even though they moved up their dates).

So what’s the problem? Why a penalty if the reason for the ROOLZ was obviated? Answer me that, DNC!

[lark]

36. They are all acting like stupid spoiled brats

and I'm still mad as hell. Never in history has any state had it's delegates excluded, or not fully counted - no matter how much the state broke the national party rules. Why now?? What harm has been done by not holding to the ever changing rules - really?

[LiberalFighter]

16. I'm a Hillary supporter and don't agree with this plan.

Why the hell should regular delegates get only 1/2 a vote?


I've been proposing that MI and FL regular delegates be seated and given full votes. Maybe go so far as only allowing 50% of the original delegates.

I've also been proposing that the so called super-delegates NOT be seated with voting rights.

Punish the super-delegates that are the Senators, Representatives, and State Party leaders that didn't make a concerted effort to stop the early primaries.

[cyclezealot]

19. This primary selection process is so

divisive. So lacking in substance. So long. So much a horse race dependent upon money instead of ideas. So unenlightening. It encourages the media to choose our candidates. I am proud of what Michigan did. We need more rebellion, not less. I think the way we select our Democratic nominees is in part why we've chosen so many loosers in the past 40 plus years.

[Benhurst]

21. Amen!

First order of business after the general election, win or lose, reform the primary system.

[cyclezealot]

28. and I think this go around is about as bad as it gets.

We stopped being involved back at Super Tuesday. Lately it has turned from boring to nauseating.

[LiberalFighter]

32. One of the reforms needed in our primary is...

only allow party regulars and activists to participate.

Allowing Republicans or Independents to vote in our primary is so wrong.

Only the following should be permitted to vote in our primary:
All elected and previously elected Democrats that have not removed from office.
All Democratic candidates that have not publicly switched to another party.
All elected and previously elected precinct, county, district and state Democratic organizations.
All appointed or previously appointed precinct, county, district and state Democratic organizations.
All current and previous Democratic county, state and national convention delegates.
All those that register voters with the intent to register Democrats.
All those that attend state Jefferson Jackson Dinners or their equivalent.
All those involved in grassroots campaigns for the Democratic Party.

There may be some others but all I can think of for now.

It should apply to Presidential Preferential Primaries. It probably should not apply to any of the other elections only because the Presidential Preferential Primaries requirements are determined by their respective parties. While the other elections are determined strictly by state or federal law.

[Up2Late]

20. GOOD! They should count the Florida AND the Michigan Elections and here's why...

(I posted this about 6 weeks ago, and it's worth repeating now, check my Journal if you don't believe me)

Both of the states legislatures where controlled by Republicans, Florida fully controlled by the Republic Party and the Michigan Senate basically moved it on it's own while the Democrats in the house were squabbling over whether to have a Primary or a Caucus.

So here's what should happen, count both elections. Hillary gets 55% of the Michigan delegates and then all the 40% "Uncommitted" delegates and the delegates of the other candidates that have already dropped out (the other 5%) can decide who to support at the convention. It's just that simple.

As we all know, a difference of 5 to 10% isn't that big of a deal as far as the count goes, so what if Hillary picks up a net of 25 votes, Obama is still ahead, so what's the big deal Obama Fans?

Here's why: The purpose of DNC's order NOT to campaign in those states was what? It was to PUNISH the STATE, NOT the PEOPLE!

What does that mean, punish the State, not the people? It means NO Millions of Dollars in T.V. and Newspaper Ads, No Millions in Hotel revenues, etc. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Now let's NOT punish the average person of Michigan and Florida who had NOTHING to do with and NO say in the breaking of the DNC rules!

Get it?

Hillary Wins Florida and Michigan, but is that a really big deal? NO.

Maybe a net gain of 25 to 40 delegates, RIGHT? So what's the big DEAL! :shrug: :rant:

This is not the perfect solution for either candidate, which is how it should be, it's called compromise.

[lakeguy]

27. the problem with that is that the percentages

were decided in an election where only HRC's name was on the ballot out of the two left. you want to seat the delegates based on that? what would have happened if only edward's name was on the ballot?

in addition, some people did not vote because they thought the results would not matter in the end anyway.

split them 50-50 and be done with it. it's the only fair way unless there is a revote.

[noonwitch]

29. As a Michigan voter, I agree

It's not my fault that the Michigan democrats can't get things together. I'm just an average voter.

[mcgindydem]

30. as a michigan voter

I am not understanding why you feel it is not your fault.. did someone else have a hand in electing your "state elected" officials. My take on the whole thing is that the super-delegates should not be seated since they were the reason why the primaries were moved up. a compromise needs to be worked out on the pledged delegates 50/50 seams most equitable because it accomplishes the purpose of making them count in the overall picture while also sending the message that going against party rules has definite consequences.

[Juche]

22. Good enough

As long as it gets Obama closer to winning the primary and doesn't piss off all the Mi & Fl voters.

[indimuse]

24. 2025.

yes.

[bluebellbaby]

25. This is great, it's about time that every vote gets counted!