Democrats hash out Florida and Michigan

With about 500 protesters outside chanting, "Count my vote," in the morning humidity, the Democratic Party's 30 members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee has gathered inside the Marriott Wardman in Woodley Park in hopes of figuring out what to do about Michigan and Florida.

The Democrats stripped the two battleground states of all their pledged delegates and all their superdelegates last year because the states broke party rules and moved up their primaries.

All attempts to resolve the issue so far have failed, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, behind in the race for the party's presidential nomination hopes to make its case for seating the states' delegations. The campaign argues it's the best thing for the party.

Seating the delegates as the states voted in their primaries also would benefit Clinton, as she won handily in both states, though rival Barack Obama removed his name from the ballot in Michigan and neither actively campaigned in the contests.

Today's meeting is critical for the party, many insiders, experts and analysts say. If the matter isn't resolved this weekend, the matter goes to the party's credentials committee in July, which will make rulings that would have to go to the floor of the Democratic National Convention on the opening day to be voted on by the delegates.

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