Forida Delegates may regain full voting strength

By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - August 4, 2008

Senator Obama wrote the co-chairs of the Democratic National Convention Credentials Committee this month requesting restoration of Full-voting strength for Florida and Michigan delegates:

"I believe party unity calls for the delegates from Florida and Michigan to be able to participate fully alongside the delegates from the other states and territories."

Senator Obama advocates that the Credential Committee pass a resolution restoring each delegate to a full-vote (from the current half vote imposed by the Rules and By Laws Committee earlier this year). The next meeting of the Credentials Committee is Aug. 24th.

The letter was written months after the DNC Rules and By Laws Committee stripped Michgan and Florida of half of their delegates' voting strength. Senator Obama's campaign objected to granting full voting strenght to Florida when the Rules and By Laws Committee met.

Combined, Michigan and Florida have 368 delegates. Enough delegates are in play between the two states to determine the nomination for president. Despite the Obama campaign, the DNC and many media outlets, declaring Senator Obama the presumptous Democratic Nominee for president, restoration of both Michigan and Florida's full voting strength to their delegates significantly narrows the the margin between the pledged delegates of Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. Clinton is the only candidate who has not conceded the race or released her national national delegates.

The Obama campaign counted endorsement from Unpledged Super Delegates in their delegate count when declaring him the winner. However, superdelegates are unpledged. Endorsements from super delegates are non-binding. Super delegates, unlike other national delegates, vote in secret. Historically, the votes actually cast by Super Delegates at Democratic National Convention frequently do not parallel their presidential endorsements. Some Super Delegates change their minds, without making public the candidate who actually gets their vote.


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Declaration of Senator Obama the presumptous Nominee before the National Convention is criticized as disenfranchising the voters.

For a candidate to legitimately be the "presumptous nominee", the threahold of 2118 delegates should be reached from pledged delegates selected from the 60% of delegates who are elected from the State Conventions without inclusion of any of the 40% of unpledged Super Delegates in the total delegate count. Some Democratic activists believe the DNC, media and Obama campaign have misreperesented the nomination process to the public, causing many to believe that including unpledged delegates with the pledged delegate count gives a reliable indicator of the outcome of the election at the Convention. Despite many unity events and cooperation by Senator Hillary Clinton, belief that the Obama campaign and the DNC are resisting entrance of Senator Clinton's name into nomination at the convention, and conduction of a fair, democratic election for the Democratic Presidential Nominee where both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama's names appear on the ballot and there is a recorded roll call vote is believed by many to be contributing to Sen. Obama's favorable ratings remaining soft and reflections in the polls that he continues to be unable to energize Democrats who are not already his supporters.

Without leadership from the Clinton Campaign (which was suspended in June), a network of activist groups continues to lobby, demonstrate, and stage visibility events working toward restoration of the full voting strength of the Florida and Michigan delegates, and entrance of Sen. Clinton's name in nomination in Denver.

Prospects for the General Election:
In November, Michigan and Florida will be key battleground states. Numerous visits to Florida and Michigan have not "sealed" the election for either Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain in those states. In Florida this past week, the Quinnipiac poll released Thursday morning (July 31), lists Florida as "officially too close to call". Senator Obama's slight lead over Sen. John McCain is disappearing. In June, Obama led McCain in Florida by 47 to 43. This last poll shows that lead narrowed with Obama leading only 46 to 44 for Sen. McCain among likely General Election voters. This is within the margin of error. Obama's championing restoration of the delegates voting strength, even though it comes rather late, may help improve his ratings in Florida which is rich in Electoral Votes.

McCain beats Obama among white voters in Florida. In Florida, Obama's strength is with African American and Hispanic voters. He needs to make better inroads with progressive white voters. Read more in Central Florida 13 News.

Disgruntled Floridians who resent the DNC for having reduced the weight of their primary votes half could definitely determine the outcome of the General Election. Flordia may ultimately determine who is the next occupant of the White House.

Months after the DNC's decision by the Rules and By Laws Committee, the "Count Every Vote movement" continues to exert pressure, demanding that the DNC restores the delegates of Michigan and Florida and allows them to represent the voters.

Nationwide, in a syndicated story on NPR News August 2, 2008, "New polls show that the presidential race is looking close nationally and in swing states. Although Charles Cook of the Cook Political Report says it is too early to predict the outcome of the race, he says that the Electoral College vote will be closer than the popular vote.

Swing State Voters In Flordia and Michigan Seen as Crucial to Winning in November:

Florida has a total of 208 Delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Of these delegates, 182 are pledged and 26 are unpledged Super Delegates. If they are granted full voting strength, Senator Clinton has earned 105 of Florida's pledged delegates, Sen. Edwards, 12, and Sen. Obama, 65 pledged delegates. Even though Sen. Edwards has withdrawn and endorsed Senator Obama, his delegates are not obligated to vote for Senator Obama.

If the DNC restores full voting strength to Florida's delegates, Senator Clinton will gain 65 pledged delegates for a total of 1693 pledged delegates. Her pledged delegates will give her 80% of the delegates necessary for nomination. Senator Obama will gain 33 pledged delegates (total of 1793) giving him 84.7% of the pledged delegates necessary for nomination.

The nomination will be determined at the National Democratic Convention by the secret ballots of 825 UNPLEDGED Super Delegates. Super Delegates' endorsements of candidates are not reliable indicators of how they will actually vote at the Convention. Historically, some Super Delegates who declare for a candidate prior to the convention change their minds. Frequently they do not release who they voted for after the Convention. This year 14% to 20% of the delegates necessary for nominating a presidential candidate will come from the vote of unpledged Super Delegates who cast secret ballots at the National Convention.

Polls consistently show that Florida will be a pivotal swing state in this year's General Election. Senator Obama's hardline resistance to granting Florida delegates full voting status has not enabled him to poll significantly higher than Sen. McCain among likely voters in Florida. His numbers remain softer in other states than they should considering the high unfavorable ratings of many Republican incumbents and the George W. Bush administration. The DNC's violation of the principles of one person one vote in penalizing Florida and Michigan is a firestorm which has not died down among activists across the nation.

A fair, Democratic convention where Senator Clinton's name is entered into nomination, and appears on the ballot at the National Convention are demands which consistently are made by her supporters. Unless her supporters see that a fair election for Presidential Nominee is conducted at the National Democratic Convention, a significant number of the voters and donors necessary for a Democratic Nominee winning in November remain defiant and unconvinced. Senator Obama's letter to the DNC urging that they restore Michigan and Florida delegates full voting status at the Convention is a step toward real unification instead of empty rhetoric.

The Denver Group Speaking out for Democracy in the Democratic Party

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This is being posted here as a public service and is not paid political advertising. The ad has been placed by the Denver Group in the Chicago Tribune on July 11, 2008. For more information about the Denver Group.

CNN Hillary Supports Aren't Falling In Line for Obama

Deja Vote

Clinton backer challenges Texas delegates

By AMAN BATHEJ - Fort Worth Star Telegram - June 24, 2008A local Hillary Clinton supporter has filed a written challenge to 126 Texas delegates elected to attend the National Democratic Convention in Denver.

Fort Worth lawyer Jason Smith sent a credentials challenge to the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws committee last week charging that the makeup of the Texas delegation violated a DNC rule.

The Texas Democratic Party allocated its delegates in part by the results of the March 4 primary and partly by the results of precinct caucuses held around the state that evening.

That arrangement is counter to a DNC rule requiring that delegate selection "fairly reflects" the presidential preference of primary voters, Smith said.

Hillary Clinton won the primary vote in Texas but Barack Obama did better in the precinct caucuses. Texas delegates going to the national convention are split 99 for Obama and 94 for Clinton.

Texas Democratic Party spokesman Hector Nieto said the state's delegate allocation plan was approved by the DNC.

Smith said he's not filing the challenge in some last-ditch bid to boost Clinton. Rather, he wants to see an end to the so-called Texas Two-Step. He estimated that Clinton would gain six delegates if the state's delegation were altered to reflect the results of the Texas primary.

"This isn't anti-Obama," Smith said. "This is anti-caucus process."

Complaints about Texas' crowded and chaotic primary process have spurred the state party to launch a committee to recommend changes.

In April, Smith filed several challenges to the results of local Senate district conventions that elected delegates to the state convention in Austin.

DNC spokeswoman Natalie Wyeth declined to comment Monday on the number of challenges received regarding the upcoming convention.

Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram

DNC Decision on Seating MI and FL Delegates

Harold Ickes and Tina Flournoy of the Hillary Clinton Campaign made the following statement regarding the May 31, 2008 decision by the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee:

Today’s results are a victory for the people of Florida who will have a voice in selecting our Party’s nominee and will see its delegates seated at our party’s convention. The decision by the Rules and Bylaws Committee honors the votes that were cast by the people of Florida and allocates the delegates accordingly.

We strongly object to the Committee’s decision to undercut its own rules in seating Michigan’s delegates without reflecting the votes of the people of Michigan.

The Committee awarded to Senator Obama not only the delegates won by Uncommitted, but four of the delegates won by Senator Clinton. This decision violates the bedrock principles of our democracy and our Party.

We reserve the right to challenge this decision before the Credentials Committee and appeal for a fair allocation of Michigan’s delegates that actually reflect the votes as they were cast.

Democrats Meet Over Fla., Mich. in Late-Night Session

By Katharine Q. Seelye - New York Times - May 31, 2008
Outside the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting in Washington on Saturday. (Photo: Jason Reed/Reuters)
WASHINGTON — Democratic Party officials met privately for five and a half hours late Friday night to discuss the Michigan and Florida delegations to the party’s convention but did not resolve their differences.
The officials, who are members of the party’s rules committee, are to begin an all-day public session Saturday to try to settle one of the most contentious issues that has developed during the presidential primaries between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton — whether to seat the delegations from Michigan and Florida and if so, in what proportion.
During the private meeting, Harold Ickes, who is Mrs. Clinton’s chief delegate counter, repeatedly pressed the Clinton view that the full delegations from both states be seated, with full votes, committee members said. They also said that Allan Katz, a lawyer from Florida, emerged as the chief advocate for Mr. Obama, who has said he wants the delegates seated, but has not specified how or in what proportion.
“It was a full discussion, we’ll see what happens,” Mr. Ickes said afterward. “And I think there was some agreement on some issues and still some disagreement on others.”
Mr. Katz told reporters: “There’s a strong push from the Clinton campaign to try and make believe that those primaries were real primaries, that everyone competed in them like they did in everything else. And there’s a strong push back from the Obama campaigns that, well, the rules were that this is not how we were going to select the delegates.”

They took a few straw votes, but those votes were “so close as to be meaningless,” one committee member said.
One of the biggest points of dispute, committee members said, was over how to apportion the delegates from Michigan, where Mr. Obama’s name was not on the ballot.
The committee is also wrestling with how to bring voters from these two battleground states into the party fold while still upholding party rules and signaling to other states that they will be punished if they don’t abide by the calendar.

The private dinner, at a hotel here, stretched from 8 p.m. Friday to 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Of the 30 members of the committee, 28 attended the dinner, as did Howard Dean, the party chairman.

Some told reporters they expected to reconcile their differences during the public session on Saturday, but they offered little evidence of how they would do so.
“There are some really, really tough issues across the board,” said Martha Fuller Clark, a committee member who is a state senator from New Hampshire and backs Mr. Obama.

She said they discussed their options and the implications of them, adding, “there was no clear pathway at the end of this evening.”
The discussions left them bleary-eyed and somewhat bedraggled. After more than three hours, they took a break and a few of them could be seen hugging each other in a hallway.

Told later that the meeting lasted for five and a half hours, Thomas Hynes, a lawyer from Illinois who supports Mr. Obama, said, “It felt like five and a half weeks.”
He said that discussion ranged from barring the two states from seating any delegates to seating their delegations in full.

“A consensus has not been forged,” he said, but said he expected it would be on Saturday. The lengthy private session “gave us a chance to find out where everyone was,” he said.

James Roosevelt Jr., one of the co-chairmen, called the meeting “productive,” adding, “it was not unpleasant or heated.” He said it gave the committee members a chance to step back and examine the implications of the various options.
“I can’t predict that it will be unanimous,” he said of any decisions reached on Saturday, “but I can predict that it will be unifying for the party.”
At the Saturday session, representatives from Florida and Michigan will present their cases, as will the two campaigns, which had originally both agreed to the decision to strip the two states of their delegates. The committee then expects to break for lunch and begin its own discussions in the afternoon

DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee to Meet Saturday, May 31st

Press Release
For Immediate Release
May 21, 2008

***Media Advisory***

DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee to Meet Saturday, May 31st

WASHINGTON - The Democratic National Committee's Rules & Bylaws Committee will meet on Saturday May 31, 2008 in Washington, DC. The Rules and Bylaws Committee will consider the two challenges that have been filed pursuant to Rule 20.B of the 2008 Delegate Selection Rules and Regulation 3 of the Regulations of the Rules and Bylaws Committee concerning the seating of delegations from Florida and Michigan.

Pursuant to Section 3.4(N) of the Committee's Regulations, each challenger will be entitled to present an Oral Argument before the RBC prior to Committee consideration for a period of 15 minutes each. A representative from each state party and from each presidential campaign will also have an opportunity to address the committee
regarding each of the challenges. Oral arguments from the parties will be heard during the committee's morning session. Following a lunch break, committee members will consider and debate the challenges.

What: DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee Meeting
When: May 31, 2008 - 9:30 AM

* Morning Session: Oral Arguments
* Afternoon Session: Consideration and Debate

Where: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel - Salon I
2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, DC

A Note on Public Participation

This meeting is open to the public, however due to space constraints, guests are being asked to pre-register their attendance. Registration will open online at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, May 27. Members of the public wishing to register should fill out the form at the following link: http://www.democrat s.org/rbcmeeting . Those lacking Internet accesswho would like to pre-register can do so by calling 202-479-5137.

Guest credentials are limited to one per person. For those who register, a confirmation message will be sent to the e-mail address indicated on the registration form. Registrants must bring that confirmation e-mail, along with a photo ID, in order to pick up their guest credential.

Credentials must be picked up at registration tables located outside the meeting room between 8:00-9:30 AM on May 31st in order to guarantee a seat. If reserved credentials are not picked up by 9:30 AM, they will be released and given out to other members of the public.

Same Day Registration

If a member of the general public is unable to pre-register, limited same-day registration will be available. Same-day guest credentials will be distributed on a first-come first-serve basis and are limited to one per person. Individuals with a same day guest credential will be allowed into the meeting as space permits.

Additional Information

In order to maintain the decorum of the meeting, banners, posters, signs, handouts, and noisemakers of any kind are strictly prohibited. Also, please be advised that the agenda for the meeting does notinclude time for questions from the general public.

News Release Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee,
http://www.democrat s.org This communication is not authorized by any
candidate or candidate's committee.