Meet Puerto Rico's State Senate President Kenneth McClintock

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One of the best things the DCW team has been able to do during primary season is actually talk to some of the superdelegates. Senate President Kenneth McClintock has been a huge help to us in sorting out the news coming from Puerto Rico this year.

Senator McClintock has been the Senate President since 2005 and before that was the minority leader from 2001-2004. He announced his support of Hillary Clinton in January.

We're also very proud to know that Senator McClintock is an avid reader of our site. He was kind enough to answer some questions for us last month.

How long have you been a member of the DNC? How were you first elected?
I've been a member since 2000, elected by our State Convention.

How do you feel about the existence of superdelegates and what do you say to our readers who think that the process is undemocratic.

I believe superdelegates have a place in the process. As you've mentioned, they're the ones who remain committed full-time to the party throughout a four-year term, have the institutional memory and truly have the party's interests at heart.

Do you have plans to do any sightseeing outside of Denver while you're here?

I may stay a couple of days later and take the interstate up to the mountains. During the convention, no way, since it requires 18-hour-a-day commitment.

Can you tell me a few words about why you chose to endorse Hillary Clinton?

The main reason is because, while Barack Obama left the door open in his statement on Puerto Rico to take away individual PR voters chance to directly vote on political status options, Hillary Clinton is committed to federal legislation that will allow each voter to choose among the options. Remember, political status is by far the main issue for over 90% of Puerto Rican voters.

Have you been to a convention before? If so, do you have any good stories we can pass on to our readers?

I've only attended eight conventions, and expect to attend my tenth in 2012. Stories? I could write a book!

When did you first start visiting 2008 Democratic Convention Watch and how did you first find it?

Late December while doing a Google search and I now check it at least once a day and have recommended it to all my friends, including journalists, as the best, most reliable and up-to-date source.

Thanks Senator McClintock! We look forward to meeting you in August.

Convince a superdelegate

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OK, folks, here's your chance: Over at The Field (a great blog I just ran across recently), DNC member Debra Kozikowski (MA), has put up an invitation:

“Here’s your challenge. Think about me wearing my super duper hat reading your posts. Convince me why I should deliver my superdelegate vote to Senator Obama or for the minority here who support Senator Clinton — you too can rise to the ocassion with civility and grace.”

Good luck!

RNC Rules Committee approves rotating primaries for 2012 election

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Hi, this is a cross-post from my blog The Foghorn. Please feel free to leave comments on either site (or both!)

--charlie

Who says good ideas can't come from the Republican party?

I'm not sure if the motivation is a.) watching the Democratic party tear itself apart over a protracted primary season or b.) sour grapes from the Republican establishment over the selection of Sen. John McCain as their nominee, but the RNC Rules Committee has approved the "Ohio Plan" for consideration by the full RNC for creating a rotating primary between 4 "pods" of the country for the next presidential election season.

CQPolitics.com has the full details, and the proposal is a long way from formal adoption. Due to the way the Republican party rules stipulate how the election calendar can be amended, the proposal has to be ready in time for this year's Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul, where McCain will receive the Republican party nomination.

The proposal as adopted takes on many of the characteristics of similar plans that have been gaining credibility over the past several months as the regret of the front-loaded primary season this year has resulted in a very compressed schedule, and unexpectedly gave a lot more weight to states that didn't move their primaries up.

As proposed, no primaries could occur until the first week of February. Iowa and New Hampshire would retain the right to go first, and cherry-picking an idea from the Democrats, South Carolina and Nevada would be next in line after New Hampshire. After those states went, the remaining states would be split into 4 "pods", with 17 small states and territories always going first. The remaining 3 pods would be randomly assigned an order for the 2012 election, and then rotated through subsequent elections, with the middle pod in 2012 going first in 2016, the first pod last, etc.

States could go later than their assigned pod date, but not earlier. Sanctions would be to strip states of delegates, as happened this year in both parties.

The next steps would be to have the proposal reviewed and approved by the full RNC at their meeting immediately prior to the convention, and then approved by the Convention Rules Committee. Assuming it passes those hurdles, it would then have to be approved by the full Republican Convention, with all 2,000+ delegates. Apparently a similar proposal, called the "Delaware Plan", made it past the RNC in 2000, but was torpedoed by the Bush campaign as they were worried about upsetting the agenda for Bush's nomination at the convention (once again, style over substance in the Bush administration).

The Democratic Party has looser rules for determining their primary calendar, and so they do not need to have a proposal ready for their national convention.

Even assuming the DNC and RNC both approve the general plan, the individual states would have to agree and many states would presumably have to pass legislation to move their primary or caucus dates. It's not sure how that will play out given the mess of the delegates in the Democratic process this year, we'll have to wait and see.

Overall, this is a positive first step and I'm glad to see the Republican party realizing they need to do something now to hopefully have a workable solution in 2012.

In surprise move, DNC says MI and FL will be seated on standing committees

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Surprising a number of folks, the DNC announced that Florida and Michigan's representatives to the standing Credentials Committee will be seated, regardless of whether their delegates are ultimately seated at the convention.

Why is this important? Because the Credentials Committee will be the one that ultimately decides whether the state delegations are seated at the convention, especially if the situation remains unresolved going all the way up to August. While each state will be barred from voting on the seating of their own delegates, they can vote on each other's, creating some interesting opportunities for horse-trading votes.

The article at Politico quotes a number of folks as being confused as to how MI and FL can be included in the standing committee if their delegates cannot be seated:
Allan Katz, the lone member of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee to vote against sanctioning Florida in August 2007, said the DNC’s current position “strikes me as odd.”

Katz, a Florida superdelegate who supports Obama, added that, “it doesn’t make any sense to presume that a full cadre of representatives from Florida and Michigan could serve on these committees absent there being a delegation.”

Katz, like all those interviewed, was also quick to offer the benefit of the doubt to DNC leadership. But, he said, “there is a lack of structural sense to this. I think people are confused.”

Marc Ambinder over at The Atlantic agrees with the DNC, stating that any sanctions that affect a state's membership on the standing committee's is a separate sanction that has to be adopted independently, and this was not done for either Florida or Michigan.

My own analysis of the Democratic Party's National Call to Convention also supports the DNC view.

Rule 7.A.1 and 3 states that:

Base: A base of 161 members, casting 158 votes, allocated to the states and territories in accordance with the same distribution formula used to allocate
delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

3. Delegate Status: Members of the standing committees need not be delegates or alternates to the Democratic National Convention.

What may cause some difficulty is that the allocation of each state's delegation to the standing committees must match the results of that state's presidential preferences (Rule 7.C.1) . How this would work in Michigan, where Obama wasn't even on the ballot, is currently unknown.

According to the Politico article, neither Obama nor Clinton have a majority of votes on the Credentials Committee to sway it either way should a challenge reach them. It is believed that by including Florida and Michigan on the committee, it would benefit Clinton as the states will have the ability to press their state's case and vote on the other's status. Combined the two states have 14 votes (8 for Florida and 6 for Michigan - Appendix D of the Call to Convention).

Assuming that the issue still doesn't get resolved at the Credentials Committee, Clinton's last hope would be for a "Minority Report" from the Credentials Committee to be adopted and passed to the full convention delegates. When the proposal to adopt the Credentials Committee report is introduced, Clinton can hope that a majority of delegates vote to reject the report without Florida and Michigan added, forcing the Committee to re-convene and bring up a new proposal for adoption. The Convention would then be stuck until a final Credentials Report could be adopted (Rule 7.C.1). Only a 20% vote would be required to include a Minority Report to the full convention.

But that's getting way ahead of ourselves. For now, it increases the drama and pressure for a solution prior to the convention in August.

Update from Matt: The Michigan Primary is still dead:

A re-vote in Michigan is likely dead on arrival after Michigan Democratic Party leaders conceded "it is not practical to conduct" a primary or caucus re-vote. The Obama campaign has now called for a 50-50 split of the Michigan delegates. The Clinton campaign, however, says Michigan "votes cannot be ignored" and is circulating a petition to still count votes and delegates from Michigan and Florida

DC Add-ons named

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The District of Columbia named its two add-ons tonight. They are:

DC City Council members Yvette Alexander and Harry Thomas Jr . We've been told both are Obama supporters, and we'll add them to the list as soon as we get appropriate sources. Alexander is an Obama supporter, while Thomas is a former Clinton supporter who is now on the fence, given his ward voted 83% for Obama. We're still looking for a quote from Alexander before we can add her.

4 more add-ons to come this weekend.

Update: While Mike Panetta did not get one of the add-on spots, he writes:

"I should get my ticket punched in May..I bowed out for bigger fish and horse traders tonight"

May 1 is when the 3 at-large delegates (2 Obama, 1 Clinton) get selected.

Friday AM update: from Mike Panetta in the comments:

I know you want something in writing for Alexander, but 100% sure she is for Obama. I'll see if I can get something to you later.

One of Harry's staffers told me that the councilmember "heard from his constituents" and now supports Obama...but we'll need to make sure that remains the case in Denver.

4/16 Update: Thomas has announced his endorsement of Obama, and he has been added to the endorsement list.

Six add-ons to be picked

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As we move into April, we're about to pick up the pace of the selection of the add-on superdelegates. Here's what's coming up:

• April 3 - DC - 2 add-ons - Selected by the DC Democratic State Committee

DC add-on superdelegates named.

• April 5 - DE - 1 add-on - Selected during the State Convention by a committee of district-level delegates
• April 5 - MO - 2 add-ons - Selected by the Democratic State Committee

MO, DE and FL add-on superdelegates named.

• April 6 - ND - 1 add-on - Selected at the State Convention by a vote of all the caucuses

North Dakota add-on superdelegate named.

We've posted before about the DC add-ons. We expect DC's Statehood Representative, Mike Panetta, and an Obama supporter, to be named one of the add-ons, but the other one is unknown.

If the add-ons all go the way their states did, Obama would pick up all 6 add-ons. But given that MO was essentially a split decision (both candidates picked up 36 delegates), those add-ons could easily split, and we've seen that some uncommitted add-ons also get picked, so we'll have to see.

In addition to these six add-ons, Florida is also picking their three add-ons this weekend - Selected by the Florida Democratic Party State Executive Committee. Of course, as of now, Florida's add-ons do not count.

We'll post on each add-on as they are announced.

Update 4/6: Obama picked up 1 add-on in each state. Clinton picked up the other add-on in DC, and the other add-on in MO is uncommitted.

Florida and Michigan inch closer... maybe

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The entire liberal/Democratic blogosphere has lit up in the past day with the comments from DNC Chairman Howard Dean on the possible solutions for seating the delegations from Michigan and Florida. Dean has stated he is "committed" to seating the Florida delegation and is "optimistic" that another compromise can be worked out for Michigan.

"We are committed to making sure that we do everything in our power to seat a delegation from Florida," Dean said. "We believe we will seat a delegation from Florida."

But the party chairman said it was critical that Obama and Clinton were "comfortable with the compromises that have to be worked out."

However, Dean has also stated that any solution would have to be agreed upon by both candidates' campaigns in order to be workable.

Dean's low-key style during this delegate dispute is starting to attract some criticism from across the Beltway establishment. According to The New York Times, Dean has never been comfortable with the D.C. political mainstream, spending his weeks travelling the country and his weekends at home in Vermont. When in D.C., he stays at a hotel rather than taking a residence. His "50 state strategy" approach has put him at odds with Rep. Rahm Emanuel and others who want to focus on maintaining immediate majorities, but Dean remains immensely popular with state chairmen for his investments across the country in building ground level infrastructure to build a "bench" of candidates.

How would a compromise work? Both states have tried and failed to plan a re-vote. If another vote proposal were to come up, it would have to be completed by June 10th to meet DNC rules.

In Florida, some proposals are to seat the Florida delegation based on their primary results, as both candidates were listed on the ballot (although both pledged to not campaign in the state). Another compromise is to use the primary results but penalize Florida by removing 1/2 of their delegates. This solution would net Clinton 38 delegates (Clinton 105, Obama 67, and Edwards 13) Clinton 19 delegates (Clinton 52.5, Obama 33.5, and Edwards 6.5).

In Michigan, the options are tougher since Obama was not on the ballot. Some kind of formulaic allocation based on the Michigan primary results and the overall national results seems to be the favored proposal currently.

In the end, though, any change in the delegate allocation strategy will still need to be approved by both Obama and Clinton, as well as either the DNC Rules Committee or the DNC Convention Credentials Committee.

Update from Oreo: I have to jump in on Charlie's great post for this special announcement. Dean said that there are in fact hotel rooms reserved for Florida. Long timers at DCW will remember that that's all we posted about before this whole superdelegate thing ;)

Update from Matt: Marc Ambinder provides some more detail:

Here's what's happening.

Remember the Ausman challenge? Well, there are actually two Ausman challenges -- one regarding Florida's superdelegates, and one regarding the ability of the party's rules and bylaws committee to penalize an entire delegation.

Sources close to the DNC's rules and bylaws committee say that the Ausman challenges WILL be heard -- and that if the votes are there, some Florida delegates could be seated -- temporarily -- by the end of April. (The seating would likely be appealed to the credentials committee, but we'll cross that suspension bridge when we pay the toll for it.)

We wrote about Ausman's challenges here (pledged delegates) and here (superdelegates). The superdelegate challenge, seems, on the face of it, easier to get through, and might be the first breakthrough in this stalemate.

Maryland Special Election Update

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This could put Donna Edwards in office before the convention.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) will ask the state legislature to pass emergency legislation that would allow the state to hold a special general election to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D) without first holding a primary.

O'Malley said he will ask the General Assembly to make the change before the legislative session ends Monday. It would allow the winner to serve out the remainder of Wynn's term and achieve seniority over other congressional freshmen.

Prince George's attorney Donna F. Edwards, who ended Wynn's pursuit of a ninth term by defeating him in a Democratic primary in February, is widely expected to run in any special election in the overwhelmingly Democratic district that includes parts of Prince George's and Montgomery counties. Edwards will face Republican Peter James in the November election.

...

"I have a hard time accepting the notion that it's not important to fill that seat when you have a congressional seat vacant," O'Malley told reporters. "For them not to be represented in Congress is not right." - Washington Post

Should Edwards be sworn in before the convention she would become a superdelegate. Like Al Wynn she has endorsed Barack Obama.

Deadline For Democratic National Convention Youth Essay Contest Fast Approaching

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We told you about the Write to Lead Youth Essay Contest in February. We're just over 2 weeks away from the deadline to submit an essay. If you can't get in as a delegate or volunteer this may be an alternative.

The Democratic National Convention Committee, Post-News Educational Services and Qwest are issuing a last call for students across Colorado to enter the "WRITE TO LEAD" essay contest -- a unique opportunity for Colorado youth to voice their thoughts on leadership and the future of our country and to engage in the 2008 Democratic National Convention experience. Finalists will have the opportunity to serve as ambassadors to state delegations from across the country, and two Presidential Winners will attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Throughout history, political party conventions have played a key role in determining our nation's leaders. Essay contest organizers know young people in Colorado have big ideas about what makes a good leader and where our country is headed -- and with the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver fast approaching, there's no better time to give voice to those big ideas.

The "WRITE TO LEAD" contest invites Colorado students in grades 6-11 to submit an original essay answering one of two questions:
Grades 6-8: What qualities make a great leader? How could one exhibit those traits in everyday life?
Grades 9-11: Looking to the future, what do you see for our country? What qualities does a leader need to take our country forward?

**All entries, parental consent forms and waivers must be submitted and postmarked by Friday, April 18, 2008.**

Do you want to "WRITE TO LEAD?" Go to www.demconvention.com or call 720-362-2147 for details. - DNCC Press Release

Open Thread

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What is McCain's latest "senior moment", what does Obama need to do to win in November or whatever else is on your mind.

And please be excellent to one another. We do not accept name calling or any attacks on our commenters. Any objectionable comments will be deleted. Try to be civil.

We're going to start using our new commenting system with this one.

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Open Thread - August

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What is McCain's latest "senior moment", what does Obama need to do to win in November or whatever else is on your mind.

And please be excellent to one another. We do not accept name calling or any attacks on our commenters. Any objectionable comments will be deleted. Try to be civil.

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Open Thread

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What is McCain's latest "senior moment", what does Obama need to do to win in November or whatever else is on your mind.

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Bloggers to be seated with their delegations

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As we get closer to the convention we're starting to get more and more evidence that the DNCC really does plan on including bloggers. We've reported on state blogger credentials before and if you applied for credentials you'll be happy to know you that won't be in the nosebleed seats.

Demonstrating a commitment to unprecedented access for bloggers at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today announced that bloggers credentialed as part of the DemConvention State Blogger Corps will be seated with their respective delegations in the Pepsi Center during the historic four-day event. The move guarantees bloggers with a focus on state politics a unique vantage point to provide localized coverage of the Convention, to be held from August 25-28 in Denver.

"The Internet is the most significant tool for building democracy since the invention of the printing press," said Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean. "New local, national and global communities are being formed which demand two-way communication between people and their leaders and the DemConvention State Blogger Corps will be on the frontlines at the 2008 convention to help facilitate this critical dialogue."

In November, the DNCC announced its blogger credentialing process for 2008, including an expansion of the credentialed blogger pool from prior cycles and the addition of a state blogger credentialing program. Under the DemConvention State Blogger Corps, which is designed for those covering state and local politics, the DNCC is offering the opportunity for one blogger to be credentialed from each of the states and territories. The program, recognizing the growth of more localized blogs and in line with Governor Dean's 50-state strategy, has been open for applications since December.

"Time and again, we talk about our commitment to bring down the walls of the Pepsi Center and engage more people in the Convention experience using new technology and other creative means," said Leah D. Daughtry, CEO of the DNCC. "Granting unprecedented access to our state bloggers shows we are serious about making this an inclusive, accessible event. When our nominee for President of the United States takes the stage, members of the DemConvention State Blogger Corps will witness this historic moment from the best seats in the house - and in turn, be able to offer their dedicated readers back home a first-hand account from the center of that state's action."

To qualify as a state blogger, the applicant's blog must have been in existence six months prior to requesting credentials and have at least 120 politically related blog posts. Bloggers must submit their daily audience and list their authority based on Technorati statistics. Bloggers may also provide examples of posts that make their blog stand out as an effective online organizing tool and/or agent of change.

In addition to the DemConvention State Blogger Corps, the DNCC will also credential a general blogger pool, to include local, state and national political bloggers, as well as niche and video bloggers from across the country.

Applications for blogger credentials will be accepted until April 15, 2008. Individuals selected for either the DemConvention State Blogger Corps or the general blogger pool will be notified in May.

Bloggers interested in applying can find additional information at http://www.demconvention.com/blogger-credentialing-process/ . - DNCC Press Release

Open Thread

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What is McCain's latest "senior moment", what does Obama need to do to win in November or whatever else is on your mind.

And please be excellent to one another. We do not accept name calling or any attacks on our commenters. Any objectionable comments will be deleted. Try to be civil.

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New Open Thread here
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Open Thread

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Who's going to win, who has a better chance against McCain, or whatever else is on your mind.

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Open Thread

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Who's going to win, who has a better chance against McCain, or whatever else is on your mind.

We have decided to stop allowing anonymous comments. Not because we don't like reading what people have to say but because Blogger has introduced a new "feature" that makes you go to a second page when the number of comments go over 200.

It's very easy to set up a Google account so that you can continue commenting.

And please be excellent to one another. We do not accept name calling or any attacks on our commenters. Any objectionable comments will be deleted. Try to be civil.

Thanks!

Previous Open Thread here
New Open Thread here

Open Thread

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Who's going to win, who has a better chance against McCain, or whatever else is on your mind.

We have decided to stop allowing anonymous comments. Not because we don't like reading what people have to say but because Blogger has introduced a new "feature" that makes you go to a second page when the number of comments go over 200.

It's very easy to set up a Google account so that you can continue commenting.

And please be excellent to one another. We do not accept name calling or any attacks on our commenters. Any objectionable comments will be deleted. Try to be civil.

Thanks!

New Open Thread here
Previous Open Thread here

Open Thread

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Who's going to win, who has a better chance against McCain, or whatever else is on your mind.

We have decided to stop allowing anonymous comments. Not because we don't like reading what people have to say but because Blogger has introduced a new "feature" that makes you go to a second page when the number of comments go over 200.

It's very easy to set up a Google account so that you can continue commenting.

And please be excellent to one another. We do not accept name calling or any attacks on our commenters. Any objectionable comments will be deleted. Try to be civil.

Thanks!

Previous Open Thread here

New Open Thread here
Comments now locked in this one.

Open Thread

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Who's going to win, who has a better chance against McCain, or whatever else is on your mind.

We have decided to stop allowing anonymous comments. Not because we don't like reading what people have to say but because Blogger has introduced a new "feature" that makes you go to a second page when the number of comments go over 200.

It's very easy to set up a Google account so that you can continue commenting.

And please be excellent to one another. We do not accept name calling or any attacks on our commenters. Any objectionable comments will be deleted. Try to be civil.

Thanks!

Previous Open Thread here
New Open Thread here

Open Thread

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

Who's going to win, who has a better chance against McCain, or whatever else is on your mind.

Update: We have decided to stop allowing anonymous comments. Not because we don't like reading what people have to say but because Blogger has introduced a new "feature" that makes you go to a second page when the number of comments go over 200.

It's very easy to set up a Google account so that you can continue commenting.

Thanks!

Previous Open Thread here