Hillary reserves the right to take her Michigan case to Credentials Committee

[Lincoln Republican]

At the DNC Rules Committee meeting today,the committee has passed a resolution to seat all the Michigan delegation, but with only 1/2 vote each, as follows

Clinton 69 delegates, casting 34.5 votes
Obama 59 delegates, casting 29.5 votes
All unpledged delegates casting 1/2 vote each

Clinton supporter Harold Ickes has been instructed by Hillary Clinton to advise the DNC that she has reserved the right to take her case for Michigan to the DNC Credentials Committee, thereby, if carried through on, dragging on this spectacle much further beyond today.  Clinton, of course, wants the whole Michigan delegation seated reflecting the voting in the Michigan primary, wherein Obama was not even on the ballot.

What are the implications of this threat by Clinton if carried through on?

Please discuss.

[Alcon]

Candidates always "reserve rights" until they sleep on it.  This doesn't tell us anything, other than that the Clinton campaign is tenacious and she won't immediately be dropping out.  In other words, it tells us nothing.

[Reluctant Republican]

This is likely a really stupid question, so forgive me for my ignorance here, but why is Clinton challenging the Michigan ruling but not the Florida one? Is it because Obama’s name was not on the ballot in Michigan, so therefore, under her argument, he’s not entitiled to any delegates?

[True Democrat]

This is likely a really stupid question, so forgive me for my ignorance here, but why is Clinton challenging the Michigan ruling but not the Florida one? Is it because Obama’s name was not on the ballot in Michigan, so therefore, under her argument, he’s not entitiled to any delegates?

Obama is getting more delegates than the "uncommitted" votes would have gotten by itself.  IIRC, four delegates are being taken away from Clinton and being given to Obama, arbitrarily (in my opinion).

[The Mikado]

This is likely a really stupid question, so forgive me for my ignorance here, but why is Clinton challenging the Michigan ruling but not the Florida one? Is it because Obama’s name was not on the ballot in Michigan, so therefore, under her argument, he’s not entitiled to any delegates?

Obama is getting more delegates than the "uncommitted" votes would have gotten by itself.  IIRC, four delegates are being taken away from Clinton and being given to Obama, arbitrarily (in my opinion).

Remember, there are three principles at stake here: making sure the delegates get seated (check), making sure the decision is fair to the candidates (both states are almost dead even, check), and making sure the other 48 states are satisfied (the rulebreaking renegades will have almost no impact on the final result: check).  I think the transfer of delegates from Clinton to Obama falls under principle three: keeping the net gain for either candidate out of these unauthorized, unofficial contests as small as possible.  Good decision on all three levels.

[Reluctant Republican]

Ah, thanks for the information guys.

[7,052,770]

Clinton will drop out by the end of the week.  I'm sure of it.

[Flying Dog]

This is it. What does Hillary expect to get if she takes it to the convention? Obama will be campaigning for the general for 3 months then and stock-piling money for the general-election. A vast majority of Hillary supporters would have deserted her. The Credentials Committee would vote against the appeal by a huge margin.

[Meeker]

Clinton will drop out by the end of the week.  I'm sure of it.

[Mr. Morden]

Even if Clinton got everything she wants from the CC re: Michigan, she'll still lose the nomination because Obama will already have enough supers to put him over the top.  The number of supers is greater than the number of Michigan delegates, so any decision on Michigan can be "overruled" by the supers.

[Mr. Morden]

Statement released by Camp Clinton:

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/clinton_campaign_statement_on.php

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[Alcon]

Tina Flournoy is part of Clinton's campaign?  No wonder.

[8 out of 11 is not deserved]

Clinton could never, ever compromise.

She threw another temper tantrum.

What's new.

Shut up the potential critics and pick Gov of Kansas as his running mate.

Obama supporters aren't anti-feminists they are anti-scum.

Bye, Bye Clintons we don't need want or care what you have to say.  You just lost control of the party and it's well deserved

[Flying Dog]

It's good to know that some of Clinton's supporters aren't delusional hacks. It's clear that Ickes and the Clinton Campaign were against the Michigan motion. However, four or five ended up abandoning her in the end. Makes me happy and hopeful.

[Angel of Death]

Hillary is walking a tightrope right now maximizing her chances for next time by hurting Obama's electability, but still just to the extent Democrats won't hold it against her too much in four years.

[8 out of 11 is not deserved]

MSNBC reports that Obama had the votes for a 50/50 split but it was a narrow win by 1 or 2 votes.

For his compromise, he got crap from Ickes and her reserving the right to go to the Credentials committee.  Clinton sucks...it her way or a temper tantrum.



"From NBC's Chuck Todd
Per multiple sources inside the closed Rules and Bylaws Committee lunch, Obama actually had the votes to get a 50-50 delegate split out of Michigan -- but by just a vote or two.

However, it was decided to go with the 69-59 split to win a larger majority. That measure passed 19-8.

*** UPDATE *** Also, according to those with knowledge of the Michigan agreement, it is fair to claim Clinton the winner of Michigan. But they caution against counting her popular vote in the state."

[The Dowager Mod]

Good old Democratic party screwing itself yet again.

[Flying Dog]

The end may be near:

Sen. Hillary Clinton's aides "said she seemed to have come to terms over the last week with the near certainty that she will not win the nomination, even as she continues to assert, with what one associate described as subdued resignation, that the Democrats are making a mistake in sending Mr. Obama up against Sen. John McCain," the New York Times reports.

"Clinton has kept her counsel about what she might do to draw her campaign to a close and when she might do it. Her associates said the most likely outcome was that she would end her bid with a speech, probably back home in New York, in which she would endorse Mr. Obama. Mrs. Clinton herself suggested on Friday that the contest would end sometime next week."