Donna Brazile, Uncommitted Superdelegate: "Mama Taught Me 'You Play By the Rules'"

Saturday's DNC Rules and Bylaws committee meeting occurred amid drama, high emotion, and honest-to-goodness philosophical wrestling over what to do about Michigan and Florida voters whose preference for a nominee was distorted in discredited primary races. In both cases, Democratic Party machinations at the state level to jump MI/FL primaries ahead in the calendar created a vexatious problem that was compounded by Republican meddling at the state legislature level.

And the DNC's Rules and Bylaws committee, as the rule-making body in charge of running the primary, had to issue a decision that would

1. sort the current mess,
2. forestall any line-jumping in the primary calendar in 2012 and beyond, and
3. decide in a way that upheld the spirit of "one person, one vote" even if events to this point had muddied that possibility.
   

The confusion as to whether to seat the delegates and in what proportion had heightened importance because of Senator Clinton's pressing need to summon all evidence of the viability of her campaign in the face of Obama's lead.

The upshot?

The new number to win is 2117 delegates and superdelegates.

Obama currently has 2053 delegates and needs 64 more to achieve the winning number of 2117. He's projected to win that through a combination of upcoming primary results in Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Montana, and the support of remaining superdelegates who will declare for him not long thereafter. Clinton has 1876.5 delegates and would need 240.5 more to achieve the winning number of 2117.

It was a rollercoaster. But to pull back from it all a bit, I think it's heartening more than not that so many people were passionately engaged in the outcome and an absurd number of people can now tell you in detail how the Democratic Party primary is run. What a hands-on education in the democratic process. We all know there's a great deal at stake.

I think one of the wisest, most astute voices coming out of today's meeting belonged to Donna Brazile, uncommitted superdelegate as of this writing and member of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee. She laid some wisdom on former Michigan governor Jim Blanchard at the meeting, citing her mama (and his!).

And I think pretty much all of the MOMocrats here can agree: YOU. DON'T. CROSS. MAMA. Not if you want to live an untroubled, healthy, and long life, you don't.

So when and how can we start lavishing some voter-love on Ms. Brazile for public office, hmmm?

H/T for the clip to ElectricBrotha's DailyKos diary.

Cynematic blogs at P i l l o w b o o k.

Comments

[Amy in Ohio]

I'm ready to start making signs for her NOW!

And you make a great point. On the mom site where I chat often about politics, there are new faces reciting what they are learning through all of this. Of course the elephants are still in the room with their snickers and seventh grade jokes, but I think this compromise shows the country, the world and especially the undecideds that this is a party of compromise, unity and change. And that is a winning combination if you ask me.

As much as I dreaded the whole mess, I believe the DNC has benefitted and that is what it is all about.

The real proof will come in August, if Ickes (sp?) continues to act like a horse's ass, all bets might be off. But I pray HRC will be guided by a high purpose and realize that acting this new found wisdom of the party is not in her or our best interest.

[jaelithe]

My mama told me to listen to strong women like Ms. Brazile.

[Julie Pippert]

Amy...The elephants can laugh all they want; their party was in the same boat (just concluded it all earlier due to less competition---something I wouldn't brag about necessarily). The moved up primaries in those states affected both parties.

Cyn...I thought Brazile was extremely impressive.

[CityMama/Stefania]

Now that's a woman I'd vote for!

[ilinap]

I was whooping it up for Donna. My husband, who spews less vitriol than I do and is far more laid back, even got up and high fived her on TV. Donna Brazile spoke intelligently, succinctly, and, with no legalese mumbo jumbo. I like her candor and was especially impressed with her emphasis on uniting the Democratic party.

I'll be honest, I used to be a die hard party girl. Democratic party, that is. I had a donkey sticker on my car. Then I started to get fed up. I tore off the donkey and sported a "Friendly neighborhood liberal" sticker. Now I'm committed to Obama (didn't want any confusion about which liberal I was leaning towards) so I've covered up the old sticker with a big fat Obama 08 one. I'd love to be a party girl again. Only if Icky Ickes isn't invited to the dance.

[Angel]

As a Florida Dem, I am really p*ssed off about the entire debacle. Reducing my vote to what amounts as far as I can tell as a half vote to my candidate is not a compromise I am willing to make. Not that I have a choice, which is exactly my point....I, personally, and the the other Dem voters in Florida and Michigan, had NO control over when the primary was held, and yet WE are the ones penalized.

It's un-American. Fine the people who made the decision. Make THEM pay for breaking the rules. I only did what everyone is always saying I have to do to have a voice in this nation-I went out and voted on the day I was told to.

Grrrr. I have a paper on impeachment to write; so off I go before I lose my mind on you poor people who also had nothing to do with why I am irritated, ha!