After contentious discussion, frequently interrupted by protests from the crowd, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted Saturday to restore half of Michigan and Florida's delegate votes.

    The decision increases the number of delegates needed to claim the nomination. Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) leads Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) by about 185 delegates, with only three primaries remaining.
Obama needs approximately 50 more delegates to become the Democratic nominee. There is a growing consensus among news analysts that Clinton will not be able to overcome the mathematical hurdle, despite the inclusion of Michigan and Florida.

    "Cynics will look at today's proceedings and look only for conflict," DNC Chairman Howard Dean noted, "[but] we are strong enough to struggle, and disagree, be angry, disappointed and still come together at the end of the day and be united."

    The DNC sought a delicate balance that would uphold its prior ruling while not excluding the two states from the national convention to be held in Denver, Colorado, in late August.

    The delegates were originally stripped from Florida and Michigan after the two states moved the dates of their presidential primaries up to before the allowed time. The initial decision to revoke the delegates was meant to send a firm signal to other states that violations of the DNC's timing rule would not be tolerated.

    Saturday's ruling, which also applies to unpledged superdelegates, left Senator Clinton with a net gain of 19 pledged delegates in Florida and five pledged delegates in Michigan.

    The Florida agreement passed unanimously 27-0, and the Michigan motion passed 19-8.

    The decision brought a fierce response from the audience at the meeting as Clinton supporters booed and chanted "Denver," voicing their desire for the nomination battle to continue to the National Convention.

    While the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee erupted with protests by Saturday evening, the meeting had started in a much calmer, more conciliatory manner.

    Chairman Dean opened the Rules Committee meeting with a tone of unity, emphasizing the candidates' commonalities and contributions to the party. "Young voters have tripled and in some cases quadrupled previous turnout," he said. "Over 35 million people have come out to support our candidates all across our country," he added.

    "This is not about our candidates; this is about our country," Dean said. He then outlined his hopes for a compromise, balancing a respect for the voters of Florida and Michigan, the two candidates, and the 48 states that did not violate the rules.

    After Dean's remarks, Jon Ausman, a DNC member from Florida, proposed a compromise to restore 50 percent of Florida's pledged delegates. He also criticized the DNC's move to exclude Florida's superdelegates from the convention. His argument explored rhetorical ambiguities within the DNC rules and charter.

    "I have great respect [for the committee], and I will accept whatever decision it makes. I want this to be a healing process that brings us together," Ausman said.

    The technical challenges Ausman brought forth eventually won over the committee and were adopted without any votes of opposition.

    The mood of the meeting quickly shifted, however, as Clinton supporter Senator Bill Nelson presented his arguments to the committee. Nelson pressed for full seating and voting rights for Florida's delegates. Unlike Ausman, though, Nelson's pleas extended primarily from anecdotal appeals that failed to gather much support when the motion was later called by the committee. Toward the end of his statement, Nelson drew a comparison of the delegate dispute to "the disenfranchisement" of Florida voters back in the 2000 general election between Al Gore and George W. Bush.

    A similar sentiment was raised later by DNC member and Clinton supporter Harold Ickes during his remarks of disapproval of the Michigan agreement. Ickes called the motion inexplicable and said that Clinton stated she "reserves the right to take this to the Credentials Committee."

    It was at this point during the vote that the audience became especially rowdy, frequently heckling DNC members who were speaking.

    James Roosevelt, DNC co-chairman, said during one period of interjections: "You are dishonoring your candidate when you interrupt the speakers."

    Clinton supporter Alice Huffman, attempting a tone of greater unity, stated, "The world is not perfect ... and we must compromise."

    The Clinton campaign released a statement praising the Florida agreement, but had this to say about the Michigan compromise: "We reserve the right to challenge this decision before the Credentials Committee and appeal for a fair allocation of Michigan's delegates that actually reflect[s] the votes as they were cast."

    Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said in a statement: "We're extremely gratified that the commission agreed on a fair solution that will allow Michigan and Florida to participate in the convention."