By Big Tent Democrat

As expected:

Michigan Democrats agreed Friday to push a do-over primary in early June to give them a say in the close presidential race between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

Amid talks with the two campaigns, the four Michigan Democrats said in a statement they were "focusing on the possibility of a state-run primary in early June which would not use any state funding." Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, one of the Democratic participants, said a likely date is June 3.

Update (TL): The Michigan Democrats agreed but the campaigns still need to approve. [More...]

By Big Tent Democrat

Good news:

On this presidential rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton can agree: They sometimes disagree with their trash-talking supporters and will try to cool it. Advisers to the Democratic candidates shed some light Friday on the private chat the two candidates had Thursday on the Senate floor. The talk lasted three or four minutes in full view of reporters watching on the balcony above who could see them talking, but not hear what they said.

More...

I have long been opposed to any re-write of FISA granting additional powers to conduct electronic surveillance. FISA's not broke, it doesn't need fixing and it certainly doesn't need weakening at the expense of the Fourth Amendment.

This is a bill, as the Washington Post says, that "would update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to expand the powers of intelligence agencies and keep pace with ever-changing communications technologies."

The good news, as I see it, is this:

The House's action ensures that Bush will not receive surveillance legislation for several weeks. But some lawmakers from both parties said the impasse is now so deep that the issue may not be resolved until a new president takes office next year.

Bush and Republican lawmakers have shown no desire to move further toward the House Democratic leaders' position, and the Democrats are showing no sign of buckling under the mounting political pressure.

Maybe we won't get a FISA re-write after all.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

The estimable Mark Schmitt (Ezra Klein endorses Schmitt's faulty thinking) questions my argument that Hillary Clinton's candidacy for the nomination requires revotes in Florida and Michigan. While Mark wrongly identifies me as a Clinton supporter (see this for my reasons for supporting Obama), Mark makes an interesting but flawed argument:

Yesterday's Rasmussen poll shows Hillary Clinton leading Barack Obama 51% to 38%.

Clinton now leads by twenty-five percentage points among women and is essentially even among men. She attracts votes from 69% of white women while also leading among voters over 40 and those with incomes under $75,000 a year. Obama leads 79% to 13% among African-American voters.

Also yesterday, Rasmussen did a PA poll that showed McCain ahead by a statistically insignificant margin against both Obama and Hillary. But,

In Pennsylvania, McCain leads both Democrats by double digits among men and trails both by double digits among women. The gap is wider if Clinton is the Democratic nominee.

McCain is viewed favorably by 55% of voters in the state, Obama by 53%, and Clinton by 45%. For Obama, that figure reflects a ten-point decline from last month. In that previous poll, conducted at the height of Obamamania, the Senator from Illinois had a ten-point lead over McCain.

More...

Update: Change of DNC email contact address. I just got an email from the DNC. They are getting the e-mails, particularly from TalkLeft readers. They ask if you want to register your opinion, please use this email address. The address is delegates-at-dnc.org. The DNC says the other email box is overwhelmed by emails, and this will allow better coordination and filtering. The emails will also be accessible to more DNC staffers and constitutent services.

Greg Sergeant at TPM writes an agreement for a re-do primary is imminent in Michigan. No mail-in voting primary, no 50/50.

I also hear the 50/50 won't be accepted and a redo primary is more likely.

Big Tent Democrat will be very happy. And if it's a firehouse primary, he was right weeks ago. Obama previously rejected a firehouse promary.

I'm okay with a re-vote in Michigan. It's not my first choice, but so long as it's not the 50/50 proposal, I can get behind it.

A few times I've mentioned that media commentators at the time said Obama (and Edward's) decision to withdraw their names from the MI ballot was strategic since they were unlikely to win the state and thought it would diminish the value of a Hillary win. Here's a report from the Iowa Independent at the time saying five sources told them it was a consideration, but denied it was the main one.

Update: Obama supporters are holding a meeting tomorrow on how to become a Michigan delegate.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only.

What is the status of the revote processes in Florida and Michigan? In Florida, because of recalcitrant and foolish Democrats in that state, coupled with a lack of fight from the Clinton campaign, the FL revote plan is near dead on arrival:

The Democratic Party's unprecedented plan to conduct a do-over presidential primary by mail sustained several potentially fatal blows Thursday, leaving state party leaders with few remaining options. The entire Democratic House delegation opposed the plan, Barack Obama and representatives of Hillary Clinton expressed concerns, and state officials said Florida law would prohibit them from authenticating voters' signatures.

(Emphasis supplied.) The "can't do" spirit did not infect all Dems. Some looked for solutions to the problems raised:

There will be yet another presidential debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton -- in Pennsylvania before the primary.

There may even be one more, in North Carolina. Obama has agreed and Hillary has not yet responded.

Update: The AP says Obama has not responded to repeated requests to release his earmark legislation for six of his eightyears in the Illinois Senate. Yet, he's criticizing Hillary on this score:

While silent about Obama's spending in Illinois, his campaign has criticized Democratic presidential rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for withholding similar information about her years in the U.S. Senate.

Obama communications director Robert Gibbs said Thursday that her position should prompt voters to "ask why she doesn't believe they have the right to know she wants to spend their tax dollars."

***

Sen. Barack Obama released his list of 2006 legislation with earmarks today. He has the list on his website here.

Among them, an $8 million request for the "High Explosive Air Burst Technology Program." Ultimately, $1.3 million in funding was awarded for the program. [More...]

By Big Tent Democrat

So Michigan getting it done, but Florida Dems say no to their own plan?

Michigan Democrats are close to an agreement with presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama to hold a do-over primary. Party officials and the campaigns negotiated on Thursday, and state Democratic leaders were hopeful that an agreement could be reached on Friday, said Democratic officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

As for the great compromise, Bill Nelson tried it on Obama and he said no:

By Big Tent Democrat

(Speaking for me only)

Steve Benen notes Ed Rendell saying this:

On a conference call with reporters moments ago, Rendell said: "Let's assume that Senator Clinton goes ahead in the popular vote count." He then asked, "which is more democratic" -- choosing the winner of the popular vote or the winner of the pledged delegate count.

"The way we select delegates is not all that democratic," Rendell continued, in a reference to caucus voting. "The rules were going in that super-delegates were there to exercise their judgment...as a super-delegate I want to make sure we win in the fall, and I'm gonna take the candidate who can do that."

Steve acknowledges the power of that argument while doubting Clinton can win the popular vote. Frankly, speculation from any of us is rather pointless. Let's count the votes when they come in. But therein lies the problem with the Clinton campaign's refusal to fight for revotes in Florida and Michigan. To be perceived as the popular vote winner, Clinton needs revote wins in Florida and Michigan. I do not understand the Clinton campaign strategy at all on Florida and Michigan.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

Mark Halperin reports this absurdity:

-Michigan’s 156 delegates would be split 50-50 between Clinton and Obama.

–Florida’s existing delegates would be seated at the Denver convention—but with half a vote each. That would give Clinton a net gain of about 19 elected delegates.

– The two states’ superdelegates would then be able to vote in Denver, likely netting Clinton a few more delegates.

Does anyone think this will salve the wounds? Would Clinton be stupid enough to accept this? This is Howard Dean's plan? How clueless is the Democratic Party?

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