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Clinton Backed Into Corner

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By WILLIAM MARCH

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 8, 2008

TAMPA - After Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's disappointing showing in the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, her campaign acknowledges she needs the banned delegates from Florida and Michigan for any chance of winning the Democratic presidential nomination.

In a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson said to have a chance to win the nomination, Clinton "needs to do well" in the remaining few primaries, plus win over a substantial portion of the remaining undecided superdelegates.

If the national Democratic Party reinstated the Florida and Michigan delegations, banned because the two states held their primaries too early, it would give her a net gain of 58 delegates against Sen. Barack Obama, which Clinton also must have, Wolfson said.

"This is a country with 50 states, and all of them should be represented," he said.

Reactions Wednesday weren't encouraging.

Obama's better-than-expected performance Tuesday seemed likely to increase pressure on uncommitted superdelegates to line up behind the Illinois senator.

One previously uncommitted Florida superdelegate, state House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber, endorsed Obama Wednesday in the aftermath of the primaries, even though he technically doesn't even have a vote at the convention because of the sanctions against Florida.

Obama also announced three more superdelegate converts Wednesday afternoon, two from North Carolina and one from California. The campaigns' attempts to recruit the remaining uncommitted superdelegates have become so intense they've been sending out news releases each time they win one over.

The rules committee of the national Democratic Party is expected to decide May 31 whether to reinstate the delegations from Florida and Michigan. Both were banned, in effect nullifying the states' primary votes, because the primaries were held earlier than party rules allow.
Superdelegates Hold Key To Victory

With only 217 pledged delegates remaining to be chosen in the final six primaries, neither candidate can win enough to clinch the nomination. The decision therefore will fall to the superdelegates, who aren't bound by primary results and can make up their own minds.

The New York senator has long held a lead among the 796 superdelegates, but Obama has been catching up. About 270 remain uncommitted, while Clinton has about 270 to about 260 for Obama, according to varying counts by The Associated Press, CNN and others.

National party leaders have been calling for them to make up their minds and end the primary race.

Several of the dozen or so uncommitted Florida superdelegates have said they won't take sides until the national Democratic National Committee makes its decision.

"Florida still doesn't count; our delegates aren't recognized," said former Hillsborough County party chairman and superdelegate Janee Murphy of Tampa. "I'm waiting to see what's going to happen May 31," when she intends to go to Washington to argue that the ban on Florida be lifted.

Diane Glasser, another uncommitted superdelegate from Broward County, said she'll make her decision on or after May 31, and won't feel any pressure to accede to the winner of the most pledged delegates.

"We're supposed to make our judgment: It has nothing to do with who's leading," said Glasser, a former county commissioner. "I want to see how they conduct themselves and how much damage they do to each other - which one is really committed to making sure a Democrat wins in November."

Gelber, however, said Obama "has made his case" by winning more primaries and caucuses, and therefore more pledged delegates. Gelber said it would be "elitist and decidedly un-Democratic" for the unpledged, unelected superdelegates to overturn that verdict.

Some superdelegates seemed unaffected either by Obama's wins or pressure to decide quickly.

"My understanding is as of today it is not over," said Muriel Offerman of Cary, N.C. She said there is talk that former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe, Clinton's national chairman, is working to sway some declared Obama superdelegates into switching their allegiance.

One North Carolinian, Rep. Heath Shuler, declared Wednesday for Clinton despite Obama's resounding win in the Tar Heel state. Democrats in Shuler's western North Carolina district went heavily for Clinton.

Richmond, Va., superdelegate Jim Leaman, president of the state's AFL-CIO, said several Virginians "don't want to jump the gun," and that he probably won't declare until the state's June 3 state Democratic convention.

Obama's campaign said the nomination is "in sight," and that he's only 169 delegates away from hitting the winning number of 2,025, a majority of the 4,049 expected convention delegates.

Ruling On Florida Delegates Awaited

However, comments by Wolfson on Wednesday indicated the Clinton campaign wouldn't recognize Obama as the winner if he reaches that number.

Counting Florida and Michigan, there should be 4,417 delegates, and a majority would be 2,209, he said.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe called that "a creative attempt to create some new metric."

"It's just not going to happen," he said.

Despite Wednesday's scattered calls from well-known party figures for Clinton to leave the race, including former backer George McGovern, Clinton's top Florida supporters were standing behind her.

"Oh no, she should stay in," said Florida's Democratic senator, Bill Nelson, when asked Wednesday whether he thought Clinton should quit.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, a national Clinton co-chairman, said Clinton "continues to demonstrate that she has what it takes to win the presidency."

Tribune Washington reporter Billy House and Media General Washington bureau reporters Neil H. Simon and Sean Mussenden, contributed to this report. Reporter William March can be reached at (813) 259-7761 or wmarch

@tampatrib.com.

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