Where do we go from here?

By Libby

Like BJ, I didn't care about the Rules hearing today either, as much I'm concerned about the fallout. Marc Ambinder is reporting that it's over, the delegations have been seated and Clinton gained 24 delegates. I don't even want to begin to speculate on what it all means, but judging from the initial reactions I'm seeing, I have a bad feeling that they won't be delivering my unity pony tonight.

Comments

[Michael]

She could ask the credentials committee to give her four more delegates out of Michigan, and make a reasonable case, but no possible appeal is going to give her enough to win the nomination. Technically, she could try to convince delegates not to vote for Barack Obama including those who have already committed to him, but it wouldn't look good. A graceful concession on July 3 is best.

[Michael]

Erm, I meant June 3. Oops.

[Libby]

Hey Michael. I don't understand why Obama didn't give her the extra four freaking delegates. It would make no difference overall and it would have damped down the bickering a little. This solution only contributes to the dissatisfaction and the disorder.

[Michael]

Libby, I think it was procedural. They took a vote on splitting the delegates down the middle, that won by a close margin but the Obama supporters withdrew it, and then the next thing was the Michigan party proposal with the strange allocation. This passed by a larger margin so they took it.

If the Clinton supporters would have offered to accept an allocation with four more delegates and the fifty percent penalty, it would have undoubtedly passed, but they were demanding more, I think.

[Michael]

I think the Clinton people could not concede and cannot concede until June 3. And this does give a face saving way to go forward and ask for Hillary Clintons additional delegates to be seated, as a matter of principle, and because it will matter at the convention in terms of platform negotiations, etc. Also, the fifty percent penalty will almost certainly not be maintained throughout the convention, just in the initial seating when the nominee is selected.

[Libby]

I'm just tired of it all Michael. We need a better system but for this round, we just have to work with the metrics everyone agreed on at the beginning so we can get on to bigger issues.