Share

Obama Asks DNC to Let Florida Delegates Cast Full Votes at Denver Convention

Sunday 03 August 2008

by: Beth Reinhard  |  The Miami Herald

photo
Barack Obama has asked the DNC to seat the Florida delegation with full voting rights. (Photo: Doug Mills / The New York Times)

    Seeking closure of the bitter dispute that rocked Florida's Democratic primary, presumptive nominee Barack Obama asked the national party Sunday to let the state's delegates cast full votes at the convention in Denver.

    Practically speaking, whether Florida delegates have full or half votes won't matter because Obama won enough delegates in the primaries to claim the nomination. Still, Democratic leaders welcomed the gesture.

    "Today is a proud day for all of us who fought so hard to ensure Floridians' votes are fully counted," said Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman in a statement.

    Last year, the DNC ruled that Florida and Michigan could not attend the convention because their early primaries broke party rules. Upon the urging of four states entititled to hold the earliest contests, Obama and other candidates boycotted the two states, shutting Democrats in Florida and Michigan out of a historic primary season.

    Shortly before Obama cinched the nomination, the DNC said Florida and Michigan could send delegates to the convention but cast only a half vote.

    In a letter to the DNC released Sunday, Obama wrote, ``I believe party unity calls for the delegates from Florida and Michigan to be able to participate fully alongside the delegates from the other states and territories."

    The DNC responded that it would consider Obama's request at its Aug. 24 meeting, one day before the convention begins.

    Florida Republicans are also seeking full representation when John McCain is nominated. The Republican National Committee said last year that only half of the delegation could attend.

  

»

Comments

This is a moderated forum.  It may take a little while for comments to go live. Be civil and on-topic, don't threaten or advocate violence, please keep it under 300 words. Thanks for participating.

How nice. The patrician

 Tue, 08/12/2008 - 17:10 — Anonymous (not verified)
How nice. The patrician retards will now allow us to be heard, now that they've effectively stifled our say in the debate. Notice that there will be NO discussion of protectionist trade policies abroad and how to level the playing field for American workers. There will be NO discussion of rebuilding our industries, and NO discussion of single-payer health care. The candidates might have been forced to confront these issues if they had been forced to really campaign in Michigan, first thing in the season. Once again, the national agenda to be debated was set by mostly rural middle-class white people in Iowa and New Hampshire. Oh, joy. There's some "change" for you. Well, the DNC is apparently not quite finished bitch-slapping Florida and Michigan for daring to step out of line. "We'll let you know if you get to vote for our hand-picked candidates, but you have to wait until the last bloody instant." Joseph Stalin would be proud, Chairman Dean. I may yet vote Communist, since I think they're much more in favor of Democracy than both major parties.