Florida and Michigan

I continue to think that even now, this late in the process, they should get no delegates at all. That was the original sanction, and anything other than that shows that the rules are meant to be flaunted and mean nothing.

Obama Asks That Florida and Michigan Delegations Get Full Votes
(M.S. Bellows, Jr., Huffington Post, 3 Aug 2008)

The Obama campaign just issued a press release containing a letter to the DNC Credentials Committee asking that the Democratic National Convention delegations from Florida and Michigan be seated with full, rather than half, votes. That request brings the contentious “early primary” dispute over those two states full-circle: Hillary Clinton’s supporters previously had suggested that she might appeal to the same Credentials Committee to have those delegations seated in full despite the fact that those states violated party rules by holding their primaries too soon, with the intention that those votes could throw the nomination to Clinton. Obama’s letter today displays the degree of finality and inevitability his nomination has garnered since Clinton conceded, and is an effort to mend fences with Michigan and Florida voters and Clinton supporters.

Of course, the final vote at the convention may also look very different than the final delegate tally from before Clinton’s concession as well, as there is a move (supported by Clinton herself) to not even have Clinton placed into nomination, but instead to nominate Obama essentially by acclimation. As anybody who has read or listened to anything I’ve had to say this year knows, I am no fan of Hillary Clinton. But I still think this is bullshit. Ideally, the role call vote at the convention should reflect the results of all the various primaries and caucuses. This should mean that Hillary (and the others who earned delegates) should indeed get their chance to have those delegates counted.

Of course, as I repeatedly pointed out through the whole primary season, delegates are not ACTUALLY bound my anything, even those pledged delegates. They can do whatever they want. So I guess it is OK if Hillary delegates choose to vote for Obama. I just wish they would stick to their guns and vote for the candidate they truly supported. The winner would remain the same, but the result would be more “true”. And THEN they can all rally behind the nominee or whatnot.

Oh well. It doesn’t look like that is what will happen.

(Please keep in mind, this is from the same person that believes it is a travesty in baseball when they don’t play the second half of the ninth inning if the team up to bat in that second half is already ahead, because yes, the winner has already been determined, but not what the final score SHOULD be.)