Comments on: Of nails and coffins at the Dem. rules committee

By: DLS

DLS — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:11:34 +0000

They're more loosely "tied" than are the Electors.

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Why do a few want to avoid fussing and fighting? This should be settled at the convention. This convention is promising to be worth something, for once. The prospect of far-left agitators and opportunists in the streets makes this better still.

By: Tully

Tully — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:25:03 +0000

Democratic National Committee rules require that the two states lose at least half of their convention delegates for holding elections too early

No they don't. They mandate a 50% penalty for violating Rule 11.A, no more and no less. Yet that same rules committee earlier decided those rules didn't count and they would strip 100%, which is how we got to this point. And then decided not to enforce those same rules against the three out of four early states who themselves moved their primaries ahead of the dates allowed FOR THEM in Rule 11.A, thus ALSO violating Rule 11.A just as FL and MI did. Funny, ain't it? :-D

The Rules Committee will do as it wishes (I predict they'll go with the traditional 50% penalty as originally listed in the rules, now that their ruling won't affect who has the lead) but the idea that they're bound by the original rules is freakin' hilarious. If they were bound by the original rules and not by their own fluctuating and arbitrary decisions, we wouldn't be here. If they were TRULY bound by the original rules, IA, SC, and NH would ALSO be getting whacked for 50% of their delegations for violating Rule 11.A, and we'd be having a different discussion.

The idea that this is about "the rules" as originally published is just plain fall-down funny. It's about the internal politics of the DNC, and always has been.

As for the uncommitted delegates from MI, they will vote as they wish. Their votes may be influenced by the MI state party, but the bottom line is that there is NO legal requirement for ANY delegate, pledged or unpledged, to vote for any given candidate. They are bound ONLY by their word, and nothing else. That too is explicitly spelled out in the the 2008 DNC Delegate Selection Rules. Until the first round of voting occurs, it really IS still an open race.

By: janinedm

janinedm — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:35:33 +0000

People keep bringing up Kennedy in 1980 in defense of Hillary. You do know how that ended, right?

By: Balloon Juice

Balloon Juice — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:46:45 +0000

[...] her route to the nomination became more improbable, Jazz Shaw at the Moderate Voice says things are “not looking good” for the Clinton camp, and the Political Machine claims this is a “Clinton [...]

By: daveinboca

daveinboca — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:51:44 +0000

Actually, according to the same rules, there will be no “final answer” until the superdelegates vote on the Convention Floor in Denver, as their “trotting over to the Obama camp” is not an analogue to pledged delegates, who are legally bound to vote as they were actually elected directly by the people. I doubt if Hillary will take a hint from a bunch of lightweights and second raters. Having worked in two national Dem presidential campaigns, I know how fickle and excitable the Dems are, and Hillary might win the nomination in '12 if Obama loses this year.

The superdelegates were selected by ninnies like Howard Dean. Teddy Kennedy went to the convention floor for a vote in '80 while still 700 delegates behind. It ain't over til it's over.