Q. & A. on Democrats and Disputed Delegates

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Q. & A. on Democrats and Disputed Delegates
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: May 31, 2008


Picketers urging the inclusion of Florida and Michigan delegates last month outside the Democrats’ Washington offices. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

....Here are questions and answers about the meeting this weekend. Some are based on reader submissions.

Q. Will the meeting have an influence on the outcome of the nominating fight?

A. Yes, since by adding any delegates from these two states, the committee would essentially be raising the number of delegates needed to win the nomination. Right now, Mr. Obama needs nearly 40 more delegates to win. If half the delegates from the two states are seated, that would increase the gap and he would have to coax perhaps as many as two dozen additional superdelegates to his side. It would also raise the number of delegates Mrs. Clinton would need, but she is already behind Mr. Obama in pledged delegates and even under the best-case scenario has virtually no chance of catching him on that score.

Q. Is the membership of the committee weighted toward Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama?

A. Not clear. Among the 30 panel members, 13 have declared support for Mrs. Clinton and 8 for Mr. Obama. Seven others are neutral or have not declared, although some of their fellow members perceive at least four as leaning toward Mr. Obama. Even so, panel members’ preference for a candidate may not necessarily determine how they vote on the rules. The co-chairmen have not endorsed anyone.

Q. Mrs. Clinton may have “won” Michigan, but Mr. Obama’s name was not even on the ballot. How can the committee divide up those delegates?

A. That is a can of worms. One compromise proposal would give Mr. Obama about 40 percent of the delegates because that’s how many voted for “uncommitted,” and his supporters were campaigning for voters to cast their ballots for “uncommitted.” But Harold Ickes, Mrs. Clinton’s chief delegate counter, said on Friday that Mr. Obama should get none of them. “It’s impossible to discern the mind of each of the 238,000 people who voted for ‘uncommitted,’ ” Mr. Ickes said....

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Q. If a compromise is reached this weekend, will that end this battle?

A. Not necessarily. Mrs. Clinton is expected to do well in Puerto Rico’s contest on Sunday. And she is competing in the primaries in Montana and South Dakota on Tuesday. After that, she is likely to reassess the fate of her candidacy.

Q. What are the chances that the battle over the two delegations will drag on beyond the weekend?

A. The committee is expected to decide the issue by Sunday. But should the Clinton campaign not like the outcome, it could appeal to the Democratic Party’s credentials committee, which might meet in July, or it could appeal to the full convention in August. That is considered the so-called nuclear option, since it would prolong the nominating fight, and, some believe, irreparably divide the party.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/us/politics/31delegates.html