[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/POLITICS/05/29/democrats.challenge/art.michiganflorida.gi.jpg caption="Protesters voice their concerns outside the DNC headquarters on Capitol Hill in April."]
DENVER, Colorado (CNN) - In another bid to restore party unity, the Democratic National Committee voted unanimously Sunday to restore full convention voting rights to Florida and Michigan delegates.
The move, which had been sought by former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton since shortly after the primary season began, was endorsed by presumptive nominee Barack Obama last month.
Florida and Michigan Democrats had been penalized by the DNC Rules Committee for holding their primaries in January, in violation of party rules. Under the initial penalty, Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates, and barred from attending the convention.
Clinton and Obama agreed not to campaign in either state and Obama’s name did not appear on the Michigan ballot. Clinton won both primaries in January, and - locked in a tight battle to win the nomination - urged for full delegations from both states to be seated. Her effort failed, and she conceded to Obama shortly after the primary season ended.
In June, the Rules and Bylaws Committee had voted to allow both states’ delegations to be seated at the convention, with each delegate awarded half a vote divided between the candidates based on a formula devised by party officials.
The number of delegates required to claim the Democratic nomination will rise as a result of Sunday’s decision.
Obama/Not Clinton '08
🙁
"Griff August 24th, 2008 2:53 pm ET
Yes I too can make Mistake's, with listening to This Garbage!!! THey Cheated like nobody could cheat…… A Hot-Favorite is Destroyed, Just like "Ayala", (THe Thoroughbred)… Just so insurance could be collected!!! This time by the Democrats… But you wont live long enough, to claim; Pelosi and other Democrats… This year 2008, Will Be always known as…. Hate! Hate! Hate! For the Dem's;
You'r Party as Folded, You just don't know it yet… Sucker's!"
Griff, it's time for your medication.
Sally...you need your medication. You must be a republican to think Dubya looks good compared to Barack. Or you my dear are nearing a time to be admitted to the closest psych ward for the mentally deranged.
Now they restore all the votes??? Are the dems purposely trying to self destruct? All this "change" is sounding like the same old political song and dance.
OBAMA IS SUCH AN ELITIST.
He did not call Clinton personally but had an aide tell one of her aides.
Compare that to what he did with Bayh.
He absolutely snubbed her and will not get my vote!!
Obama just gives them full rights because he already won. He was absolutely against it while Hillary was still winning. He is such a sham! Same old politician!
This is NOT the general election, it is a primary election and they have their own rules. Get over it. But if these republicans are going to try to make inflamatory comments maybe if you used a little more common sense it might work out a little better. This comment from Griff is so silling it's sad.
Well, how convenient – – now that Barry's totaled up and bagged. Discard the competition, and clean up the mess. Oh, but I'm just another pro-Hillary whiner....
So where does that land the official delegate count? How many superdelegates?
Well, with both of Michigan and Florida being restored to their FULL vote count, it should make things interesting seeing that neither candidate has won the primary outright and that inclusion of these 2 states will make the contest VERY close. All that it will take is some defecting super delegates.
Hillary might walk away with the nomination after all.
I still laugh when I think of that comedian I think his name was Black, when he said he wanted to congratulate the democrats when the nominated Kerry. They picked the only man on the planet who could not beat Bush. Are they now planing another foot to shoot?
OF COURSE !!!! NOW THAT OBAMA HAD THE NOMINATION WITHOUT THE NEED FOR THE MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA DELEGATES AND HILLARY NO LONGER IN THE RUNNING.
THE OBAMA CAMP NOW OPPORTUNISTICALLY PLACATES THOSE DELEGATIONS IN ORDER TO WIN THOSE STATES IN THE GENERAL ELECTION.. GREAT STRATEGY . BUT WHO IS FOOLING WHOM. ? ARE THOSE DELEGATES FOOLS ?, NOT TO SEE THRU
WHAT OBAMA'S CAMP DID TO THEM?
BHO was against it before, now is for it. That is kind of change of BHO.
People Senator Clinton agreed along with the other individuals competing to be the Dem candidate not to allow Michigan and Florida votes to be counted. SO would you please take the time to study the issues before you start blaming Senator Obama for Clinton's mistake.
I think that Senator Clinton realizes that she ran an ill advised campaign – that she hired individuals that were not very knowledgable about the Dem procedures – like Penn thinking that if she won California she would earn all the delgates (NOT) they had to be shared – and that these individuals were not looking out for her best interest.
Is this garbage supposed to be relevant news? Who cares after the fact what happened. They don't matter now!! Obama and Clinton are a couple of lunatics. I'll hold my nose and vote for McCain! The DNC and Dean are a bunch of spineless morons.
They have blown it again. They had a work horse and selected a donkey! Count all the votes when it's in the Democratic Party's favor! The Democratic Party is now the Chicago Party and I want no part of it.
Mr obama is showing his true colors , sad to say i will be voting for Mcain this general election
Miami Florida.
The DNC masterminds another job to get BHO in and Hillary out. Good job Dean.
Can we get over with this and vote for progress?
I regret being dumb in last 2 elections......
I AM NOT DUMB ANYMORE..............
Vote Progress.... Vote Democrats..............
Hillary people. Shut up and stop your whining. Go ahead and vote for McBush. Then kiss your rights good-bye. Kiss abortions good-bye. Kiss equal rights good-bye. And be ready to spend billions on another war, because that is all McCains knows about.
This is redicules that this committee would now decide to restore the full vote count for Florida and Michigan. I find it interesting the Obama would only now push for this to occur. These two states in question should have never wasted the tax payers money in the first place if the votes were never going to count. I hope Hillary Clinton receives the nomination after all.
I find it very funny that McCain and Obama are so close in the polls. This should tell the Democratic Party something.
For those of you PUMAS who nurture the delusion of HRC in 2012, and therefore hope McCain is elected in 2008, just remember that there will be whole lot more than 18 million of us who will know who
gave the election to the Republicans
We will remember who's responsible for expanding the Republican Plutocracy while our healthcare erodes to third-world status, why we're in four more unending wars,why Detroit's big three were sold to the Chinese, why 20% of the Florida coastline is under water, and why Rowe v. Wade was finally overturned by a few more Scalitos and Thomases on the Supreme court.
It won't be pretty.
Sen. Joe Biden thinks he's running with Barack America.
This really is an Obamanation. 🙁
The political leadership of Florida and Michigan knew the consequences of breaking the primary rules and chose to break them anyway, betting that the DNC wouldn't have the backbone to enforce these rules. Instead of accepting responsibility for their actions, the politicians in these two states successfully conned their constituents into thinking that the resulting disenfranchisement was the DNC's fault. How pathetic it is to watch the DNC cave-in to this pressure (liberalism at its worst). How sad it is to realize how easily the people in these two states were conned.
Do we care?