With the Edward endorsement of Obama, it seems like the whole problem of what to do about Florida and Michigan has become a great deal less problematic.
I would like to propose a simple solution that would seem to be reasonably fair to both sides:
- As "punishment" for breaking the DNC calendar rules, the DNC should (a) cut the number of pledged delegates from each state in half; and(b) eliminate all superdelegates from both states. This would bring the total delegates at stake down from the current 368 (313 pledged and 55 supers) to 157 -- 93 pledged from Florida and 64 pledged for Michigan.
- Allocate the 93 pledged delegates for Florida in accordance with the primary results there, with Obama receiving both the Obama and the Edwards share. Clinton won 50% of the Florida vote, while Obama and Edwards combined took 47%, so the 93 Florida delegates would be split 48 for Clinton and 45 for Obama.
- Allocate the 64 pledged Michigan delegates in accordance with the primary vote there, allocating all the "Uncommitted" votes to Obama. Given the results of the Florida primary that took place on the same day, it's not at all unreasonable to assume that the vast majority of the uncommitted votes were either for Obama or Edwards. 58% of those who participated in the Michigan primary voted for Clinton, so she would receive 37 delegates from Michigan; the remaining 27 would go to Obama.
The net result of this proposal would be 85 pledged delegates for Clinton and 73 for Obama. With the addition of these delegates, the total pledged delegate count would rise to the current 3,253 to 3,410 and the total for all delegates goes from the current 4,049 to 4,206. The "magic number" to clinch the nomination would rise to 2,104, with 1,706 the number of pledged delegates required to win an absolute majority there.
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