The Last Word on Florida and Michigan: Full Seating

The Last Word on Florida and Michigan: Full Seating

The rules? Never mind.

The DNC's credentials connittee made it official yesterday: The two states that broke the rules on the nomination calendar and caused delegate count turmoil until days before the primaries ended, Florida and Michigan, will get full seating and full votes at this week's convention.

Michigan Senator Carl Levin, Public Enemy Number One of the Iowa caucuses, declared victory. "We had the guts to take the system on, and we made progress this year," he said. Levin has made it clear that in his mind, "reform" means "Iowa and New Hampshire don't go first anymore."

The DNC is organizing a calender reform commission headed by Michigan's Debbie Dingell, another caucus hater. "There's a principle at stake, and we are committed to that principle,'' said Dingell.

Unnamed Democratic officials said that Michigan and Florida had, in fact, been punished, noting that the candidates didn't campaign in those states and that the two states got lousy hotels in Denver.