Clinton, Obama split on Florida delegates

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The representatives for the campaigns of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama each demanded this morning that Florida delegates be seated in some fashion at the Democratic National Convention, but remained divided on just how this be done.

Speaking shortly before the noon hour at the Democratic Party's rules committee meeting here, the camps split on whether all or half of the delegates be seated. The Sunshine State has 185 pledged delegates and 23 superdelegates, but all of twere stripped from having a vote at the party's convention last year because the state held its primary earlier than party rules allowed.

Florida Rep. Robert Wexler asked that 50 percent of the pledged delegates be seated, and that Florida's superdelegates be allowed to attend, but with only half a vote.

"Senator Obama should be commended be agreeing to offer this extraordinary concession," Wexler said to cheers and hisses before the crowd was gaveled to order.

The Clinton representative, Florida state Sen. Arthena Joyner, asked for a full seating of the state's delegates and superdelegates.

The co-chairs of the committee meeting signaled in their opening remarks that they would "reconsider" their "discretion" in slapping Florida and Michigan with the maximum penalty.

"The fundamental job today is to revisit (our) discretion to impose the sanction," co-chair Alexis Herman said, to a smattering of applause from the large audience.

Herman and Jim Roosevelt each talked about the panel's discretion in taking the zero-delegate route, saying that at the time of the ruling, they wanted to send a clear message to several other states that were then considering moving up their primaries.

Without the maximum penalty, the co-chairs argued, the process could have slipped into chaos of early primaries that hopelessly "front-loaded" the primary season.

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 the states.

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.

Party Chair Howard Dean hoped to set the tone for the meeting in opening remarks that criticized "the media" for the long primary season's "ugly" moments, and stressed that he believed the party would unite for the general election.

"The person we nominate will become the next president of the United States of America," Dean said to cheers.

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