[Darla_G]

The interesting thing this year about the primary race is every state was falling all over each other trying to be first. I think secretly everyone resented the fact that Iowa and New Hampshire got all the attention.

So there was a mad scramble to move every thing up because in years past these things were wrapped up by Super Tuesday.

This is not most years!

The close race especially between Obama and Clinton has a potential showdown written all over it coming into the Nominating Convention. Obama may have the edge at the moment, but what about the delegates from Florida and Michigan? For those that are not aware right now those delegates (from two pretty major states) cannot be assigned. This is because of Democratic National Committee rules that said the primaries needed to fall within a particular timeframe.

What's at stake? 336 delegates and as it stands right now Hillary won both states but I don't know how those delegate counts would be assigned. Obama didn't even bother getting his name on the ballot there. Florida had considered a revote, but two problems there first there is no money for another vote and the predominantly republican legislature is in no mood to help the democrats. (to be fair about it when the whole thing was originally being brought up democrats were all for it too well because it was all tied up as part of an election reform bill -- and we all know how Florida elections need to be reformed!)
So how will this whole thing play out? too early to tell, but it will be interesting to see. I know one thing the current Obama lead is not safe and Pennsylvania is coming up.

Hillary had one minor loss too with the whole Gov Spitzer debacle. She lost 1 super delegate in New York (which she won) with Spitzer's resignation and cannot be transferred. (The Lt Gov was a super delegate too so that vote is still intact)

[StereoXGirl]

If we do a re-vote in Florida, I'm pretty sure Hillary would win again...and this time it would actually count.

So of course she's all for it! lol!

[Darla_G]

Originally Posted by StereoXGirl

If we do a re-vote in Florida, I'm pretty sure Hillary would win again...and this time it would actually count.

So of course she's all for it! lol!

so are you up in the air or decided?

[jessiej78]

Well, I'll vote for Obama regardless of who wins the nomination- I'll write him in, because I refuse to vote for Hillary OR McCain.

[Tony(admin)]

Democrats can thank their crazy party leader, Howard Dean for disenfranchising...LMAO at these videos

[bia910]

im from florida, and i also think if we re-vote hillary would win again.

[StereoXGirl]

Originally Posted by Darla_G

so are you up in the air or decided?

As far as my personal vote? I'm a registered Republican. lol. I'm for McCain.

[yourleoqueen]

Wow, so Hillary new her name shouldn't have been on those ballots to begin with, and she knew those delegates wouldn't be counted, yet now that the flames are singing her arse and she desperately needs the delegates, she wants the rules changed and the votes counted? So the rules of the DNC are just suggestions really, much like traffic lights and stop signs. Hillary need to go sit down somewhere!

[Darla_G]

Ok as I promised this would come back to haunt them the latest in this saga is happening today! (May 31)
source

It's decision day for Democrats

• Story Highlights
• Hearing Saturday to decide how delegates to be apportioned
• All-night meeting fails to come up with resolution
• Rules committee searching for plan to count Michigan, Florida delegates
• Both states' delegations invalidated for violating party rules

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic activists began a potentially explosive hearing Saturday on how to seat the Michigan and Florida delegations.
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Members of the Democrats' rules committee discuss the delegate issue Saturday.

Supporters of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama disagree over how best to address the situation of both states, which were penalized for holding their primaries early.

The Democratic National Committee excluded them from representation when the party nominates a candidate at the August convention.

But the Democratic presidential hopefuls have both said they want the Florida and Michigan delegates to attend the convention. CNN.com/Live is carrying the meeting in its entirety.

Clinton's campaign is calling for the results of the states' primaries to be honored and the delegates awarded based on the results. That approach would help her chip away at Obama's lead in pledged delegates because she handily won both states and would be awarded a greater share of the delegates.

Obama's campaign disagrees, saying he followed the rules, took his name off of the Michigan ballot and did not campaign in either state. Video See what the fuss is all about »

Dozens of sign-toting, chanting protesters gathered outside the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, the site of Saturday's events, to have their say on what the decision should be.

Some of the signs read, "Count our Florida votes" and "Rules, what rules?"

The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws panel met behind closed doors for five hours Friday night, emerging at 1:30 a.m. Saturday without an agreement.

"It was a full discussion," said Harold Ickes, a DNC rules committee member from the District of Columbia who supports Clinton. "I think there was some agreement on some issues and still some disagreements on others."

With no Michigan or Florida delegates included, Obama leads Clinton by 202 delegates. He needs 42 more to clinch the nomination.

"Right now what we have to do is to figure our way through all of this, and I believe we will," said Allan Katz, a DNC rules member from Florida who supports Obama. "And I believe we will come up with something [Saturday]. There will probably be a little sort of tussling but we are Democrats." Follow a timeline of the dispute »

The rules committee will address two main issues at the hearing Saturday morning: how many delegates each state is allowed and how those delegates will be allocated between the two candidates. Video Watch who will really decide the nomination »

"How do you recognize the people who didn't vote and how do you recognize the people that did vote and how do we at the same time maintain the integrity of the process?" said Martha Fuller Clark, a DNC Rules Committee member from New Hampshire and Obama supporter. "And there are no easy answers."

James Roosevelt Jr., the DNC Rules committee co-chair from Massachusetts, described the overnight meeting as "spirited because people on this committee have a strong feeling about the rules and about the importance of them." But he added, "It was not unpleasant or heated."

Roosevelt also predicted a resolution will be reached, but said there would be dissenting votes.

"I can't predict that it will be unanimous," he said. "I do think that it will be unifying for the party."

In a letter addressed to the co-chairs of the rules committee, Clinton lawyer Lyn Utrecht said Friday the panel is compelled to seat both delegations from Florida and Michigan fully and not award Obama any delegates from Michigan.

"It is a bedrock principle of our party that every vote must be counted, and thereby every elected delegate should be seated," Utrecht wrote.

The letter said party rules do not allow "arbitrary reallocation of uncommitted delegates to a candidate or arbitrary reallocation of delegates from one candidate to another." Read the full letter (pdf)

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told The Associated Press that receiving no pledged delegates from Michigan is not acceptable and "I don't think is a position that people find terribly reasonable."

Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod said his campaign wants "a resolution that allows Florida and Michigan to come to the convention, participate in the convention and do it within the rules of the party."

But Axelrod took issue with the Clinton campaign's approach to the issue.

"Everybody agreed that these contests would not be valid," he said, adding that Clinton reconsidered "when the race began to turn and her situation changed."
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Florida Democrats voted 50 percent for Clinton and 33 percent for Obama. In Michigan, Clinton got 55 percent of the vote, and 40 percent of Democrats voted for an uncommitted slate.

"Some would take the position that perhaps ... their [Michigan voters] intention was to vote for Sen. Obama ... some would take the position that you can't know what the intentions of those voters were," DNC Communications Director Karen Finney said Thursday.

[StereoXGirl]

Thanks for the update, Darla! I wonder what they're going to end up doing?

[Darla_G]

its a big no-win for the Democratic party. If they give the states the full representation that the voters deserve it will encourage to schedule primaries early. But.... maybe not so fast if we have another close election look how much attention is paid to those smaller states that were later in the game.

Hilary will probably gains some from all of this. she won both of those, i know i know about the Obama gripes. go tell it to someone who cares.

[Ashley]

I think Obama's campaign is willing to concede to half-votes for the delegates, right?

I think this is extremely pathetic of Hillary.

[Darla_G]

I think from what i was hearing is that both campaigns were willing to seat both delegations at full votes.

I like what they are proposing to happen in Michigan. Their position is right in the middle of Obama (lets split the delegates at 64 each of the 128) to Clinton's position that gave her the greater majority 73 i think. The Michigan Democratic party is in the middle which is the fair way to do it.

I dunno maybe no one else is watching it, its raining here so the tv is on although i'm doing other stuff.