Michigan Dem leader have come up with a plan to seat Michigan’s delegates; split the delegates 69-59 in favor of Clinton. No word yet on what the candidates think, but the proposal has been submitted to the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee for the May 31st meeting.
Really, this is the best solution I’ve seen thus far. Holding another MI primary is logistically impossible at this point, and seeing as Obama’s name wasn’t on the original ticket it wouldn’t be fair to allocate delegates based on those results. At any rate, the delegate payout on the original results would have been 73-55 Clinton, so it’s not like the 69-59 is a huge compromise. This proposal would also put the 29 MI superdelegates back in play. It would be wise for Clinton and Obama to agree to it, especially if they want a chance at winning MI in November.
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May 8, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Another reason why it’s a smart move to approve it is it was decided on by those whom the people of Michigan voted for directly. So it’s hard for either camp to say it’s not in their best interests.
Clinton said that she probably won’t bite, though she hasn’t closed the door yet, because it doesn’t honor the original vote (which would presumably leave Obama with no delegates). In my opinion, Clinton shouldn’t take such a hard line on Michigan. Nobody is going to buy the argument that she deserves all the delegates, but even if they do she’s out of reach of the delegate count, anyway. Since her best shot is to get the superdelegates to look at popular vote, I think it would be an easier sell to include Michigan if the delegates counted. Letting Obama get the additional delegates would probably end up being in her best interest ultimately.