Clinton campaign won't budge on FL, MI

One day after Democrat Barack Obama's campaign said it would be "willing to go more than half way'' to reach a compromise on Florida and Michigan delegates, rival Hillary Clinton's campaign dug in its heels.

The Democratic National Committee, which voided the delegates after the states scheduled unauthorized early primaries, is slated to reconsider its decision on May 31.

Harold Ickes, a senior advisor to the Clinton campaign and a member of the DNC's rules committee, made it clear in a call with reporters that the campaign will not settle for anything less than the states sending their full delegations (even though the states willfully flouted the rules). He said the delegates should be pledged to Clinton in accordance with the results of the Florida and Michigan primaries, even though Obama was not on the ballot in Michigan.

"We're not negotiating along those lines,'' Ickes said. "Our view is the full delegation with a full vote each.''

Ickes said he voted as a member of the rules committee last August to punish Florida and Michigan because the party needed to "send a very strong signal to other states'' not to rush to the front of the line.

"We think that signal was received and listened to, since no other state broke the window,'' he said, "and it is now time as practical political people with very much at stake in winning the general election and winning the White House, we now turn our attention to that.''

Clinton continues to use the dispute to appeal for money in Florida and Michigan. An e-mail today says  "And while we wait to hear (the DNC) ruling, you and I must keep fighting together to win every last vote in the final three races. Let's fight to the finish  make a contribution today.''

Comments

[Bob]

She's not going to give up. She is going to stay in the race all that way until November, even if it means running as an Independent.