BACKGROUND: A top Clinton supporter in Michigan said Thursday the state Democratic Party's plan to split the convention delegates between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama is "fatally flawed."

Democratic National Committee member Joel Ferguson sent a letter Thursday to the co-chairs of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee seeking to seat all of Michigan's delegates based on the results of the disputed Jan. 15 election

Ferguson's letter puts him at odds with the Michigan Democratic Party's chairman and executive committee, which support a proposed 69-59 split. Michigan has 128 pledged delegates and 29 superdelegates. "The rules don't give the party the right to take unassigned (delegates) and give them to someone else," Ferguson told The Associated Press. "If it's not within the rules, it doesn't work."

"With all due respect to Joel Ferguson, he is wrong in that regard. The RBC staff memo clearly laid out a mechanism under which uncommitted delegates could become Obama delegates," Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewe said

We believe that the Michigan Democratic party's consensus proposal can unify our party and allow us to move forward," wrote Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, DNC member Debbie Dingell and others. This decision by Michigan major political leaders sealed the deal.

"I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat."
said a noted satirist, Will Rogers

In this dramatic DNC meeting Clinton protestors filled the audience and surrounded the building. Hillary Clinton was facing her last realistic chance to become President of the United States of America. All the chips were in the pot.

The Florida decision made sense. The delegates were divided according to the peoples votes, but the power of these votes were cut in half, according to pre-stated party rules, because Florida violated the rules by having an early election.

Although Florida made sense it was still a defeat for the hopes of Hillary Clinton, who would have gotten more delegates if they votes weren't reduced to half-votes.

The Michigan decision made no sense at all. It was impossible to make sense. Barack Obama's name wasn't on the ballot. The Democratic Party told everyone in the state that the primary election was meaningless, would not count at all. Lots of people therefore stayed home. 40% voted uncommitted. What to do.

The Clinton proposal was ridiculous, claiming she she get all of the votes and all of the delegates because no other candidate received any votes -- but no other candidate was on the ballot, in accord with the stated will of the Democratic Party.

In the midst of the heated battle one Clinton supporter said:

"No matter what happens, I will work as hard as I can to elect a Democratic president this fall ... We will come together as a party, united by common values and common cause. And when we do, there will be no stopping us. We won't just unite our party, we will unite our country. "

That's real strength. That's determination. That's the mettle we will need to defeat the Republican fear and warmongers.

Our hopes and dreams are often measured in miles, while progress in politics is more often measured in inches. Either way, we move forward one step at a time. And the Democratic Party took one step forward this week.

The Clinton proposal of getting all of the Michigan votes would have been clearly cheating. This worked against her, I believe.

That and the fact the she kept on trying to "move the goal post," of why she should get the nomination, such as claiming (falsely) that she got the most popular votes. But claiming you should win because you got the most popular votes is like a sports teams claiming they should win because they had the most cheers from the crowd. That is not how you win the game. You win the game by scoring points.

Points in politics means how many delegates did you get.

Clinton also tried to cite polls indicating that she had a better chance against the Republican nominee John McCain. But, again, that is now how you win the game.

Although the Michigan decision made no sense -- no sense was possible.
The Democratic Party saying the vote wouldn't count and Obama name not on the ballot defied any rational solution. But the final decision was what the Michigan Democratic State Party said it wanted. It was what the Michigan Congressional representatives said they wanted.

A flawed decision, YES. ---------- Is Democracy Pie in the Sky, NO .

All the major players and plans were spoken. Hands were raised in votes for each preference. Everything was in the public eye. Someone had to win, someone lose.

Our flawed and imperfect Democracy is alive and well.

No matter what happens, I will work as hard as I can to elect a Democratic president this fall ... We will come together as a party, united by common values and common cause. And when we do, there will be no stopping us. We won't just unite our party, we will unite our country.

Have We Forgetten What Democracy Is?

No. We, ---the USA ---are one of the great example of democracy. For all it's flaws, for all the harsh clashes of opinions and emotions, we do it. This week's meeting of the Democratic Rules Committee shows that.

This is a good reminder, also, that it is perhaps one of the greatest lies of the Iraq war that we are doing it to spread democracy. This excuse, among many, is a lie the vast majority of the American people do not believe: We know that you don't spread democracy with guns. We know that a foreign army can not force another country to become democratic. We know that in our blood and in our bones.

The Bush White House has been a cancer on our politics and our ideals. When it comes times for the final vote in November 08 let's flex our muscles, let's raise our hands, let's rid ourselves of this great evil and world wide warmongering for Oil and misguided Middle East polices; let's restore our nation and build a better world.