I know a lot has been written about finding a solution to the Florida and Michigan dilemmas. I've searched around and haven't found any diary that suggests what I've come up with, and I'd really like to hear what people here think about it.
First, I think Rachel Maddow is right. Obama needs to publicly start arguing his case. I know the press has (finally) woken up and smelled the delegate math. But a lot of Clinton supporters haven't. They're still taking everything that Hillary says at face value. Sadly, this group includes my mom. I think she'll vote for Obama in the fall, but right now, she's buying what Hillary's selling.
Florida's easy. I agree that, in an ideal world, there should be punishment for breaking the rules. But this is clearly not an ideal world. I think Obama should agree to seat Florida pledged delegates in full, but with no supers. The supers caused the problem, they should pay for it. More below the fold...
Michigan is different. Right now, Hillary's getting away with making some ridiculous claims. She's claiming that she should get her delegates from Michigan, and that the remainder of the slate should remain "uncommitted."
This is absurd for many reasons, and I think most reasonable people can see that. But some of the voters who are heavily invested in the Clinton camp are NOT seeing it, and that is a problem Obama needs to address. So what do I think he should do?
I think he should challenge Hillary to a televised debate. In Michigan. Make her, in public, in front of a crowd that includes Obama supporters as well as Clinton supporters, defend her proposed disenfranchisement of Obama's Michigan supporters. She may decline. But if she does, Obama should do a town-hall anyway, and pay for the air time himself.
Another idea I had is that Obama could find a Michigan family that's divided. I already mentioned that my mother supports Hillary. But I guarantee that if she and I lived in Michigan, she'd be appalled at the idea that HER vote would count, but MINE wouldn't. Finding a family like that would be lethal to Clinton; and I'll bet the Obama campaign can do it. And barring a debate or town hall, a national television commercial featuring that family might just shame Clinton into admitting that it's not reasonable or fair to expect Obama to get zero delegates out of Michigan.
At which point Obama can propose a generous solution to Clinton -- basically the same as the Florida proposal. She will get the pledged delegates she won in Michigan. The undecided delegates will be Obama delegates. And, like Florida, the supers will be stripped of their votes since they are the ones who caused this mess in the first place.
Thoughts?