The most elegant solution to the Florida and Michigan delegate dilemma:

[Stinky The Clown]

Clinton should drop out of the race.

As background, please see this thread. Well, just the OP, really. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5193627

If Clinton were drop out, and to endorse Obama, she would end the issue of the unseated delegates. Once she drops, the delegates can be seated. They can then vote as they see fit ..... and most likely for Obama.

The entire episode would, presumably, leave them as chastened as the party enforcers who decided to sanction them want them to feel. Lesson learned.

Its all really very simple.

Clinton may have a technical chance of winning, but as a practical matter, she's done. As noted in the linked thread, Richardson sent her a VERY clear message today. I think other party luminaries will (should!) start to do the same.

No, I am NOT an Obama supporter. No, I am NOT a Clinton basher. I'd like to think I'm a realist.

[rock]

1. An excellent plan, but not as excellent as mine

Obama should drop out etc.

[MichiganVote]

2. Oh wow....delegates from Michigan to be seated and "most likely" vote for O.

Uh...who the hell else would there be to vote for? Let's see, O supporters bitch about Clinton being the only discredited but credible name on the ballot in Michigan and that makes votes in Michigan "illegal", "illegitimate", "suspect", "Unethicaal" to name a few of the nicer names for this debacle.

But if Obama is the only candidate left standing at convention time, somehow he is entitled to the discredited Michigan delegates. Huh?

Ok so here's the way the thinking is going in Michigan-

-In 2000 the Supreme Court GAVE the election to Bush- so much for that vote

-In 2004, there was widespread trickery by the Bush campaign, no matter, he got in, so much for that vote

-In 2008, my own frickin' party on ALL sides disenfranchizes an entire state's votes

Screw it, might as well stay home as vote in this election.

[XemaSab]

3. My thought earlier today is that they should be allowed to send delegates to Denver

as "uncommitted" delegates.

Then if there is no candidate selected on the first ballot, let them vote on the second ballot.

Or something to that effect.

[PATRICK]

4. A simple solution either way

is for the delegates to be irrelevant until Obama has the lock/Hillary concedes. They are becoming more irrelevant now, hence the push to have a redo by the Clinton campaign. No matter the villains in this piece it appears now the elegant solution is coming to be seating the delegates as is because Obama won't need them. Those in the awkward spot are now the superdelegates. Let's see them use their privilege of position to frame their own elegant solution rather than used and (state)party abused Michigan voters and Florida voters who were told upfront their votes wouldn't net seated delegates..

[Sparkly]

5. Damn clowns.

Actually (as I just went in Stinky's office and said), I can see the Clinton camp's side of it, too. If Michigan and Florida had had real primaries and if Clinton had won them, everything would be different; and if they somehow had their voices heard now and they went her way, everything would be different. So the idea of losing based on disenfranchisement of two major states is a very tough thing to accept. It could be seen, understandably, as an unfair and undemocratic result, from that point of view.

The whole thing has just become a mess. I honestly wanted a real primary process, so all of this brings home the old adage "Be careful what you wish for."

I do think the time has passed for the Clinton camp to hope for Obama to falter in some huge way, and thus send superdelegates their way. That's a bad wish now in a couple of ways. First, as a party, we have to hope the candidate who ends up with the popular vote gets the delegate count, as well, and I think it'd be disastrous if the superdelegates tipped it for either of them against the popular vote. Second, if that leads to ever-increasing negative campaigning against Obama, that too is bad for the party, no matter which way things end up. It would hurt him OR hurt her against McCain.

I think Clinton's hope is in some kind of process for Michigan and Florida that might give her more delegates. Beyond that, if she stays in I think she should give up the focus on negative campaigning.

And we, meanwhile, need to give up the negative "campaigning," too -- on both sides of this!! It's helping nothing.

[babylonsister]

12. LOL! nt

[KansasVoter]

6. I hope she drops out!

[tkmorris]

7. That's the worst logic I ever heard from you

That surprises me frankly because, while I have disagreed with you before, you have always made a rational case for your point of view.

I have no dog in this hunt. I think they are both rather poor candidates, but infinitely better than McCain. However, to say that in order for the voters in two major states to have their voices heard one candidate (the one who quite likely is most favored in those states) must drop out, well, that's just plain silly.

Do you really think that a Hillary voter in Florida is going to feel like their vote counted under such a scenario? It's absurd.

[MichiganVote]

8. Michigan either.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. You may have missed my point ... admittedly, it might be a fine one .....

First of all, I could not agree more with this statement of yours: "I have no dog in this hunt. I think they are both rather poor candidates, but infinitely better than McCain."

My point was that her dropping out **because it is clear now that she can't win** would give some semblance of franchise back to Michigan and Florida.

I guess its a matter of em-PHA-sis vs EM-pha-sis.

[InsultComicDog]

10. Dave Barry suggests a texting primary nt

[JVS]

11. Great idea!

[krkaufman]

13. Yep, that'd pretty much do it.

But I think I'll look for the sun to rise in the West, first.