Obama: Clinton’s Name To Be Placed In Nomination

Thu, August 14, 2008 - 11:33 AM

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama has agreed to allow a roll-call vote at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and to allow Sen. Hillary Clinton’s name to be placed in nomination.

In a just-released statement, Obama said his campaign “encouraged Senator Clinton's name to be placed in nomination as a show of unity and in recognition of the historic race she ran and the fact that she was the first woman to compete in all of our nation’s primary contests.”

“I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion,” said Senator Barack Obama.

What this will mean for the Florida convention delegation’s hopes to be restored to full voting strength, as with Michigan’s, is uncertain. But it certainly will make the delegation's floor voting interesting.

Clinton actually won Florida’s Jan. 29 primary. – and Obama did not even compete in the Michigan primary – and it is possible that giving both states a full vote in the roll call could provide Clinton more delegate votes than she had when she suspended her candidacy.

But Obama doesn’t seem worried.

He’s the one who has requested the conventions credentials committee to grant each delegate from Florida, as well as Michigan, a full vote – despite the committee’s decision to limit them to half votes because the states violated the party’s primary calendar rules.

The co-chairs of the committee, Alexis Herman, James Roosevelt Jr., and Eliseo Roques-Arroyo have said the request will be a top priority when the committee meets on Aug. 24 in Denver.

But Democratic Party officials said this morning that they are confident there will be no Clinton groundswell at the convention.

-- Billy House