Clinton in last-ditch appeal to Democrats to change contest rules

Published on Saturday 31 May 2008 19:59

A Democratic Party panel last night backed a compromise plan to seat the delegates from Florida with a half-vote each, dealing a blow to US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and backing a plan approved by her rival, Barack Obama.

The unanimous 27-0 vote grew out of a lingering controversy over the delegates in the state's disputed primary and gives Clinton a net gain of just 19 delegates in Florida.

The vote followed a 15-12 rejection of a proposal favored by Clinton to seat the full delegation.

Clinton began what could be her last battle in the race to stand for president yesterday in the unlikely setting of a Washington hotel conference room, as she appealed to the Democratic Party to change the rules of the contest.

With thousands of chanting demonstrators massed outside, Clinton officials had urged the party's Rules and Bylaws committee to lift a suspension order on Florida and Michigan.

Both states were banned from the process for voting for a presidential candidate after moving their elections forward without permission. Clinton, however, needs their votes to cut Obama's lead in what remains of the nomination race.

Clinton's representative, Arthenia Joyner, a Florida state senator, earlier told the committee: "You have a unique opportunity right here, right now, to write the people of Florida into this historic election story. You have the power to say yes, their votes count."

Obama supporters said the ban should not be lifted because voters had been told the primaries would not count, and it is too late now to change the rules. "Everybody agreed that these contests would not be valid," said Obama campaign manager David Axelrod. He said Clinton changed her mind "when the race began to turn and her situation changed".

Clinton always appeared to have an uphill task because she originally supported the ban.

Florida and Michigan were banned last year after moving the dates of their primary elections forward without permission in order to increase their prominence in the campaign.

At the time, Clinton publicly endorsed the decision, as did Obama, and both pledged not to campaign in either state.

The two states held their elections anyway, delivering hefty majorities for Clinton, although Obama, under party advice, did not stand in Michigan and received zero votes.

Meanwhile, Obama has resigned his 20 year membership in the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago in the aftermath of inflammatory remarks by his longtime pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and more recent fiery remarks at the church by another minister.

Obama campaign communications director Robert Gibbs said Obama had submitted a letter of resignation to the church. It happened "over the last few days," Gibbs said.

Comments by Wright have inflamed racial tensions and posed an unwanted problem for Obama," said CNN's Campbell Brown.