Obama Camp May Approve Michigan Delegate Deal - 69/59 Delegate Split

[jefferson_dem]

Obama Camp May Approve Michigan Delegate Deal
by dawnt
Thu May 08, 2008 at 03:54:13 AM PDT

Yesterday (Wednesday), the Michigan Democratic Party Executive Committee voted to propose a compromise to the DNC rules committee for seating Michigan delegates (the rules committee meets May 31). They are proposing to award 69 pledged delegates to Clinton and 59 pledged delegates to Obama.

There are several indicators that this compromise may have the approval of the Obama campaign, including the Obama campaign making positive statements about the delegate deal itself, and Axelrod and other Obama advisors saying that Obama will wrap up the nomination May 20th.

Yesterday, the state's Democratic Party Executive Committee had a conference call, and two plans were presented by the Gang of Four. The 80-member committee voted for the 69-59 option. The alternative that was voted down was 73-55, which was based on the proportion of the January 15 results. The 69-59 proposal is considered a compromise to make up for Obama not being on the ballot.

Both proposals were developed and presented by the Gang of Four, a group put together by the governor of Michigan to help broker a deal to get the Michigan delegates seated at the convention. The Gang of Four are:

Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Ron Gettelfinger, President of UAW
Sen. Carl Levin (MI)
Debbie Dingell (the dem party official who pushed the hardest to move up the primary in the first place, also happens to be wife of Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) according to Yahoo News)

Although all sources agree that there is no guarantee that the DNC Rules Committee will accept this proposal (or any proposal), there are quite a few hints that this plan has been approved, at least somewhat, by the Obama campaign. At the very least, the Obama campaign has been involved in talks with the Gang of Four regarding the proposal that was accepted by the Michigan Democratic Party Executive Committee. David Plouffe and two Obama campaign spokespersons have also made positive comments about this proposal.

Several media outlets have noted that Plouffe has had positive remarks about this proposal. Detroit News went as far as to say that Plouffe "had his kindest words yet for the plan."

<SNIP>

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/8/21827/08460/25/511536

[tekisui]

1. Good! I am sick of hearing about it.

Hillary has turned it into a wedge issue.

[baldguy]

2. Clinton won't accept.

She needs MI & FL seated as is to have any theoretical chance of winning.

But she hasn't been very good at math lately, has she?

[Zachstar]

4. She will look desperate if she does not accept it.

Which will hurt her campaign in upcoming states.

[baldguy]

10. She started to look desperate after it became obvious she couldn't win.

Her pride is more important to her than the party & the country.

[my3boyz]

12. ANd will show she does not give a damn about the voters..she just wants to get closer

so she can convince super delegates to give her the nomination.

[tekisui]

5. It's not about that even.

If FL and MI were seated as is, she still wouldn't overtake Obama's lead in delegates or the popular vote. I think it her wedge issue. She is trying to pin Obama as in favor of voter disenfranchisement, and herself as a hero.

But, were was she months ago when she agreed to the rules and the sanctions? And why did she refuse the deal to re-caucus MI?

[Buzz Clik]

25. Darn tootin' she won't accept! She needs something to whine about.

"Look at me! Look at me! I'm upset about Michigan!!!!!111"

[Zachstar]

3. Now if only FL will propose a reasonable solution.

[tekisui]

6. I say seat FL, by half, no Superdelegates.

[Missouri Girl]

27. I agree with that too.

So long as those Superdelegates don't get to reap the benefit of their position and for their part in this mess.

[ZinZen]

33. I agree, both parties broke the rules

split the delegates in half.

[BeyondGeography]

7. It's a fair deal

and, if it gets done, Obama should head straight to Michigan for a rally.

[jazzjunkysue]

8. If I were a Michigan voter, I don't know how I would feel about this:

Because I still didn't get to have my say.

I know it's something to say my delegates will attend the convention. Obviously. That goes without saying.

It's just that as a voter, I was still rail-roaded. It doesn't really matter all that much to me who rail-roaded me or why.

I still didn't vote.

I have no idea what the solution should be, so, don't scream at me.
Let's hear from some Michigan constituants.

As a bystander, I think we'd all like this argument behind us.

[PassingFair]

15. I'm a Michigan Democrat and I really don't give a crap whether the ...

delegates are seated or not.

As long as Hillary is not our nominee,
I
DON'T
CARE.

Every one I've talked to, with the
exception of a couple of posters on
this board, will have no problem voting
for Obama in the General...

I AM furious at Granholm, Dingell, Levin and
my state reps for creating this situation.

[SaveAmerica]

17. For the love of all that's red, white, and blue, please make that post it's own thread!!

[TahitiNut]

20. I'm also a Michigan voter and there's NOTHING that can undo that FUBAR.

It makes very little difference how the VULTURES carve up the carcass of the Michigan FUBAR ... because it's CERTAIN that the voters get absolutely no respect.

• No campaign spending in the economy with the HIGHEST unemployment and highest foreclosure rates in the country!
• They're talking about warm bodies subordinate to the politicians but no actual "delegation" of the interests of Michigan voters.
• Neither Obama nor Clinton have faced the PEOPLE of the State of Michigan - no town hall meetings, no pancake breakfasts, no swilling of a shot-and-a-beer with VFW clubs in Michigan, no pickup basketball with Detroit high school kids, nothing!

McCain was here for the Primary. McCain was here at a town hall meeting just this week. But the DNC apparently STILL prohibits the Democratic candidates from campaigning here! You want to talk about "under the bus"? Hell, that's looking like POSH compared to the shit we're swimming in.
:grr: :grr:

[PassingFair]

28. I have no doubt that Obama will campaign his ASS off here...

in the GE.

Did you go to your delegate selection meeting?

It's not like we're sending skilled negotiators
to Colorado....

:hi:

[jazzjunkysue]

41. Wow! Interesting. Thanks.

[wileedog]

39. What if the alternative is nothing?

Because I think a revote now is out of the question.

[Coexist]

9. thank goodness for common sense

[rucky]

11. Horse Trading.

But as solutions go, let's just do it and move on, I suppose. But before I do:

Fuck the Michigan legislature.

[Clovis Sangrail]

13. stupid

Seating Mi of Fl isn't fair to the rest of us.
They thumbed their noses at the primary process even after being told what the consequence would be.

If Hillary would get out of the race the issue would be solved...
at the convention, once there is only 1 candidate left, and they no longer actually matter, both Fl and Mi would have their delegates seated.
That way everybody's generally appeased; the delegates get seated and the states are punished.

I think that's what Dean was hoping for from the beginning and the protracted primary just made things more difficult.

[Bucky]

16. If you don't cut deals in politics, you're not a player.

This is a good enough deal. It ain't perfect, but then politics ain't philosophy.

[Clovis Sangrail]

38. well... the hope is that Obama isn't a 'player'

in the same sense of all of our other politicians.
I realize that this isn't true, but I'm going to keep telling myself it is at least until after the GE.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

14. Sounds like a fine plan

It avoids a "re-do" which would be an expensive hassle, with dinnertime robo-calls and traffic-jamming motorcades. It seats the delegates so we'll see Michigan signs waving around on the floor. The split doesn't affect the outcome of the nomination.

I thought all the reservations for MI delegates' hotel rooms were canceled. They'll have to hustle to make arrangements.

Personally, I don't think they should be seated, but if it accomplishes a "STFU" peace, go for it.

:hi:

[pompano]

18. I doubt....

She'll accept anything that doesn't put her over the top and out of reach for Obama. Looks like she gets to seat MI, and people have a voice and she nets 10 (?) delegates against a candidate thats name wasn't even on the ballot. Sweet deal. See if she takes it. We all know this was about the peoples voice, disinfranchisement, and never, not once, not for a second, about her selfishness. :eyes:

Then she can tell the other SDs she can carry MI in Nov. if McCains name isn't on the ballot and some entity pulls a rabbit out of their ass.

[TahitiNut]

22. Yeah... nevermind the millions it already cost the PEOPLE of Michigan ...

... without a single dime of Democratic campaign spending in the state. Fuck the PEOPLE ... they're just the carcass over which the VULTURES are discussing dinner.

:grr: :grr:

[Heather MC]

19. I sure hope MI and FL and the DNC, never do something this stoopid again!!

[Jersey Devil]

21. Obama should not support this until all primaries are over

Anything whatsoever that gives the (false) impression that there is still a horse race or that it is getting closer and still possible for Hillary should be avoided. Last night I was watching CNN and they kept asking the question, over and over again, "Is it still possible for Hillary to win", giving the impression that while a longshot, yes, it might be doable. Giving Hillary a gain of even 10 delegates before the final primaries would only add fuel to that fire.

So certainly make this deal, but not now.

[Bread and Circus]

23. As an Obama supporter, that means my vote would count 6/7th's of a Hillary supporter's.

Not allowing me to actually vote for my candidate of choice yet allowing others would actually disenfranchise me. However, in the spirit of getting this over and getting Obama on his road to challenging McCain I can live with it. So I say, go for it.

[MaineDem]

24. But there still has to be a penalty

It's unfair to those states that followed the rules.

I suggest disallowing the superdelegate votes.

[nyccitizen]

32. There IS a penalty...

Instead of being counted first, as they wanted, they will be counted last. Any State that tries to move their primaries from now on will remember how MI/FL were essentially stripped of their voice until the nominee was all but decided. It won't happen again.

[annie1]

26. ohhh, now that oholy obama is safe he may consider the people's votes. lovely....

florida's next. seat them NOW.

[stillcool]

30. This isn't about people's votes...

and it never was. It's about the "Democratic Party Rules", and extortion by rogue states.

[ekwhite]

29. Great! Let's hope that the Clinton campaign accepts the deal also N/T

[Hope And Change]

31. Yep.I think it`s a good compromise.I hope that Hillary will accept it.

[crankychatter]

34. Clinton wants Obama to get NO delegates from MI

the minute any proposed agreement doesn't give her a decisive advantage... those voters voices will be meaningless to her

[DemsUnited]

35. I think the split is fair in Michigan and FL should be seated in proportion

to the votes.

BUT the two states need to be punished. I vote for

1) seating all the pledged delegates as a full delegatation in the proportions described above and
2) stripping the two states of all their supers.

From what I read, it was the leadership that created this mess, so why punish the regular voter? For the most part, Super Delegates represent the state's party leaders.

So give the voters their full voice through the the pledged delegates and kick the supers to the curb.

Maybe next time, leadership will do the right thing and follow the rules.

[endarkenment]

36. Good, one more death knell for the Clinton zombie campaign. nt.

[Occam Bandage]

37. That would be fine.

[BenDavid]

40. give hrc her entire vote because if was obama that took his name

off.....give her all of the florida vote.....now you have a story