Saturday, May 31, 2008

We have resolution of the peninsula-state problem

The problem of what to do with the Democratic delegates from Michigan and Florida has been resolved.


The committee agreed on a compromise offered by the Michigan Democratic Party that would split the difference, allowing Clinton to take 69 delegates and Obama 59. Each delegate would get half a vote at the convention in Denver this summer, according to the deal.

They also agreed to seat the Florida delegation based on the outcome of the January primary, with 105 pledged delegates for Clinton and 67 for Obama, but with each delegate getting half a vote as a penalty.

The resolution increased the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination to 2,118, leaving Obama 66 delegates short but still within striking distance after the three final primaries are held in the next three days.

So this should be wrapped up by Wednesday at the latest.

The problem for the Hillary campaign is that they were trying to win this by argument, but this is not something that can really be won by argument. This is not a court of law. Each side signed the same contract, and agreed to play by the rules. People in just about every state have voted. The team with the better strategy and more money won. The team that started out with every possible advantage - more money at the start, more superdelegates for most of the campaign, a former President intimately involved - lost. The contest was fair. On to the general election.

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