Delegates get split decision

Democratic Party officials yesterday restored Florida and Michigan’s disputed delegates but gave them only a half-vote each, reaching a compromise they said would send a signal of unity in the final days of their long presidential primary season.

Portions of the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee decision were met with loud and angry protests from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s supporters in the room, some of whom shouted that they would not vote for front-runner Sen. Barack Obama in the fall.

The compromise also prompted harsh words of objection from Mrs. Clinton’s top advocate on the panel making the ruling, who hinted the candidate would appeal the Michigan delegate allocation at the August convention in Denver.

The panel voted 19-8 - over the protests of Clinton senior adviser Harold Ickes - to give Mr. Obama delegates based on the Michigan results, even though his name did not appear on the ballot.

“Uncommitted” won 40 percent there, and the Clinton camp had wanted the delegates to go to the convention with that allocation. But the ruling was to give Mrs. Clinton 69 and Mr. Obama 59 delegates, each with a half vote.

Mr. Ickes said he was “stunned” by the “gall” of the Michigan decision.

“This body of 30 individuals has decided that they are going to substitute their judgment for 600,000 voters,” he complained, adding sarcastically: “Now that’s what I call democracy.”

Panel member and Obama supporter Everett Ward accused Mr. Ickes of “political posturing” and of exercising “selective amnesia” in part because he voted for stripping the delegates from both states last fall.

Other panel members who back Mrs. Clinton said the Michigan compromise was the only way to unify the party in November.

“I submit to you that hijacking four delegates, not withstanding the flawed aspect of this, is not the good way to start down the path of party unity,” Mr. Ickes said.

He was greeted with a sustained standing ovation when announcing: “Mrs. Clinton has instructed me to reserve her rights to take this to the credentials committee.”

The Obama campaign called the decision a “fair solution” that will allow both states to participate in the convention.

The panel effectively voted twice to restore Michigan and Florida’s full delegations to the Democratic National Convention, reversing its decision from last fall to strip 100 percent of the delegates because the states broke party rules and held their contests too early. Mrs. Clinton won both contests after none of the candidates campaigned there, which party officials from the rogue states said was punishment enough.

The panel yesterday voted unanimously to restore the full Florida delegation, with half-votes. The allocation, based on the Jan. 29 primary, gave Mrs. Clinton 105 pledged delegates to 67 for Mr. Obama - an effective split of 52 1/2 to 33 1/2.

The rulings - which happened after nearly 10 hours of testimony, private and public deliberation and protests - changed the number needed to earn the Democratic presidential nomination from 2,026 to 2,118.

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