Michigan couldn’t get its act together and schedule a new primary. So, as it stands now, Michigan will have no delegates at the convention. Obama has no incentive to cede a single delegate to Clinton, and she rejected an offer to split them evenly. In Florida they are floating a plan that would favor Clinton.
Some Florida state Democratic lawmakers put out a new proposal to seat Florida’s delegates. “The plan offered by the lawmakers would provide for 100% seating of Florida’s delegates. The compromise solution calls for 50% of the delegates to be awarded based upon the results of the January 29th Florida Presidential Primary vote. The other 50% of delegates could be allocated according to any of several formulas, including but not limited to:
— an even 50/50 split,
— a proportional share based on the total popular votes received nationally excluding Michigan and Florida,
— a proportional share based on the total delegate counts nationally excluding Michigan and Florida.The one thing to keep in mind when you hear about various proposals to split the delegates: Even if the campaigns agree to something, the plan has to be approved by the credentials committee, so nothing becomes final until then.
This plan would reward Clinton for winning a contest that Obama was not allowed to compete in. Obama has no incentive to cede a single delegate from Florida to Clinton. While it would be nice to come to some kind of solution on the Michigan and Florida delegates, there is no rationale for Obama to give away delegates.
Clinton cannot win the pledged delegate contest. She cannot win the popular vote (she trails by 813,000 votes). She has already lost (badly) the contest over states won. She has no argument to be the nominee, and Pennsylvania isn’t going to change that. She will get no help from Michigan and Florida. And the superdelegates would be insane to nominate her over Obama, given what that would do to the youth and black vote.
This contest should be halted now, before the party suffers permanent brain damage, or death.
