Monday, August 25, 2008

Clinton vs. Obama, Pt. 2   [Byron York]

The next Clinton-Obama issue is the roll-call vote, now set for Wednesday.  Nobody I have talked to knows precisely how it is going to work, because, I think, it is still the subject of some negotiation between the two sides. People around Clinton are pointing out that the fact that she has released her delegates does not obligate them to vote for Obama, or anybody, for that matter.  A person I talked to this afternoon, someone allied with Clinton, told me it would not be surprising to see "a few hundred" delegates vote for Clinton in a roll call.

One scenario being kicked around would have the roll call continue until it reaches New York.  At that point, the leader of the delegation — some speculate it could be Hillary Clinton herself — would move that the vote be dispensed with and that Obama be declared the nominee by acclamation.  If Clinton does it herself, it would be viewed as a big gesture, and undo a little of the damage.  Both sides acknowledge that there's nothing to prevent some delegate from making noise on the floor, if that's what they want to do.  But they expect it to go smoothly, once it starts going.

But the fact remains that the Democratic race was amazingly close; Clinton's 18 million votes and 1,896 delegates are just not going to disappear as if they never happened.  I don't believe there's ever been a modern-day candidate who has claimed the nomination after losing New York and California and Ohio and Pennsylvania and New Jersey and Florida and Texas and California and Massachusetts and Tennessee and…you get the picture. That's why this is still a problem.

08/25 07:37 PMShare