Michigan creating problems for rules committee

The 30 members of the Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) seem genuinely perplexed about what to do about seating Michigan's delegates.

While Florida looks increasingly like a reached compromise, Michigan remains up in the air. Presenter after presenter on behalf of Michigan and both Democratic campaigns could do little but throw up their hands when asked by the committee how the delegates should be counted considering Democratic frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) was not on the ballot.

{mosads}Obama's campaign, having conceded a loss in Florida and embracing the state party's appeal earlier in the day, dug in its heels on Michigan and repeated the campaign's call to seat the delegation but split the delegates 50-50 between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.).

The Clinton campaign also gave no ground, calling for all the delegates to be seated and awarded based on the state's Jan. 15 primary.

The problem there is what to award Obama since he was n not on the ballot, and the Clinton campaign is arguing against awarding him the delegates won by "uncommitted."

Michigan's party leaders essentially asked for mercy, but they continued to exhibit anger toward the party for continuing to allow Iowa and New Hampshire to go first in the process.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), acknowledging the messy math and sticky predicament, pushed the state party's plan to award the delegates 69-59, advantage Clinton, based on exit polling all while he railed against the committee for failing to produce what he sees as a more fair nominating calendar.

Levin made a plea with the committee to seat all of Michigan's delegates out of fairness, noting that splitting the delegates 69-59 in favor of Clinton was the only solution state Democratic leaders and supporters of both candidates could agree on.

"The Michigan Democratic Party has achieved unity," Levin said of the state party's proposal. "We're asking you to preserve it."

Levin acknowledged that using exit poll data to arrive on a result for Obama is not a "scientific" method, but he said it is fair and reasonable.

"It was a flawed primary, folks. Believe me, we know it," Levin said.

Levin's call for unity added to the chorus of speakers asking for a unified party. That chorus, however, was repeatedly drowned out by the boos and cheers of Obama and Clinton supporters in the room.

Unity might well be at the top of committee members' minds as they head into a late afternoon session to debate a solution.