Supporters of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign do not want to engage those protesting on behalf of Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Committee’s Saturday meeting to determine how delegates from Michigan and Florida will be counted.
A poster on the liberal blog DailyKos, by the name of SteamPunkX, copied an email from the Obama campaign asking their supporters not to protest the meeting. It says: “I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but under direction from Chicago HQ we are being asked NOT to hold any events like this. For several political and media reasons, I have been asked to relay the message that only those Obama supporters who obtained tickets to sit inside the meeting should attend. No outside protests/rallies/gatherings, no matter how peaceful/positive/well-intentioned.If you would like to be involved in the counter-event (voter registration in Northern VA) please let me know.”
This plea comes after the New York Times published a story on Tuesday titled “Protest Planned for Rules Committee Meeting.” It said Clinton supporters were organizing a march and bussing protesters in for the event.
Clinton has hinged her presidential prospects on the Michigan and Florida delegates, who if seated will give her a slight edge in the popular vote. Those states lost their delegates when they violated DNC rules by moving up their primary dates without the party’s consent. 13 Clinton supporters are on the 30-member committee and among them is longtime Clinton strategist Harold Ickes who will make a hard case to seat all of the delegates.
Democratic strategists expect the committee to agree to seat half the delegates, not enough to help Clinton’s cause.
Obama’s campaign has played down the importance of the committee meeting and said they expect to gain the nomination outright by June 3, the final day of the Democratic primaries.
The meeting is public, but seating space was limited. To determine who could enter the meeting the DNC held an online registration Tuesday morning. The tickets, several hundred in number, were snapped up within minutes.
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