Hillary Clinton has now resorted to the only path left for her hopes of nomination: using political blackmail to force the Rules Committee on May 31 to reverse the rules of this nomination contest and to seat the Michigan and Florida delegates as if there was nothing wrong with their primaries.
We are now hearing talk of "negotiation" on this issue from the Obama camp and Hillary is actively ginning up "outrage" in Florida in an attempt to take her case to the convention if she doesn't get exactly what she wants.
Mr. Obama, if you wish to be an effective President, start now, DO NOT APPEASE HILLARY CLINTON.
Take a look at DemConWatch.com where the five options for the seating of Michigan and Florida. In four of the five scenarios Barack Obama has already clinched the delegate count and has no less than a 155 delegate margin to clinch the nomination.
In only one scenario does Hillary Clinton still have a chance. She is only 69 delegates behind with 236 total she would need to get. Obama would need 167 to clinch the nomination.
DO NOT NEGOTIATE. A deal was already cut early on and everyone signed onto it. Renegotiating the deal at this point only enables her delusions that if she can't win by this new metric the next tactic is to campaign all summer to convince pledged delegates that they aren't pledged after all and can vote their conscience (i.e. for HER). The bleeding continues.
Don't give her any ground. She made a deal, and she needs to be held to that deal. After all the accusations of "appeasement" lobbed by the right in recent weeks, it is important to act presidential now and to give nothing in negotiations on May 31. If Hillary's only tactic is to fight on to the convention be assured she will do that even if she gets the Michigan/Florida deal she wants. Make her stake out an extremist position that flies in the face of her commitments. Make her flail and look foolish.
But use the metric of the most extreme position on Michigan Florida as your margin of safety. Meet that metric so by June 15 you can cut the legs out of any argument.
To give up your power in negotiations only invites attacks in the Fall and serves to weaken you even in the eyes of supporters. This campaign is essentially over. Don't agree to terms that allow her to crawl back into the game.
Another thing. Until she has proven she will actually be good for her word on any deal you DO cut, stop complementing her on the stump. She is the Republican Lite candidate for President and should be treated as such.