Dear Dr. Democrat:
I’m not sure I want Florida’s delegation to get seated. How would you do it? And how would you seat Michigan? Would you really think it’s fair to have those delegates count when Clinton’s was the only name on the ballot? I am really stymied here.
Really Stymied
Dear R.S.:
In terms of the actual proceedings of the convention, the “who gets seated” issue goes away when Obama reaches the magic number on May 20. There will not be a floor fight, which makes it irrelevant (or at least trivial) how many delegates Clinton got. The nomination will be settled with the first roll call.
The convention will be even more harmonious if Clinton is the VP nominee, which looks more likely today than it has, but is by no means certain. Etiquette requires Obama to offer it to her first, a la John Kennedy offering his VP spot to Lyndon Johnson, his bitterest rival. Like LBJ in 1960, HRC might just take the 2008 nominee up on his offer.
The new dynamic about seating delegates after Obama becomes the nominee is that the ultimate decision about how to keep Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida and Michigan happy no longer rests with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, but with Obama. I’m predicting he will seat Florida and Michigan, and then seek some permanent solution to the “me first” early primary controversy — a rotating list of states that can vote in January with Iowa and New Hampshire over the next century or so, a single permanent Super Tuesday for all states or rotating regional Super Tuesdays (the West votes first in 2012, the South in 2016, etc.), etc.
This year will the last we’ll have super delegates, that’s for sure.
Dr. D
god forbid he offers the vp spot to her. that will pave the way to his assassination and we’ll be stuck with four more years of neocon bullshit
“Etiquette requires Obama to offer it to her first, a la John Kennedy offering his VP spot to Lyndon Johnson, his bitterest rival. Like LBJ in 1960, HRC might just take the 2008 nominee up on his offer.”
Yeah, and what happened to JFK?
Shillary is a power mad, blood-thirsty crazy who will do ANYTHING to get the presidency.