Lamnidae

These eight people hold the hold the key to the near-term future of the Democratic Party:

Donna Brazille (DC)
Mark Brewer (MI)
Ralph Dawson (NY)
Yvonne Gates ( NV)
Alice Germond (DC) - DNC Secretary
Jaime Gonzalez, Jr. (TX)
David McDonald (WA)
Jerome Wiley Segovia (VA)

Of the thirty members of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee, only these eight are uncommitted to one candidate or another. The Clinton camp has already signaled its intent to go with what’s been dubbed the “nuclear option,” in which it will seek to overturn the committee’s December decision to not seat Florida and Michigan’s delegates for ignoring primary and caucus rules. Seating Michigan’s delegates would be particularly egregious given the fact that Clinton was only able to muster 55 percent in the state’s primary, while 40 percent voted “uncommitted” and the remainder went to minor candidates. Obama, Edwards and other major contenders weren’t even on the ballot.

While Montana doesn’t have anyone on the committee, the closest geographic representation is Sharon Stroschein of South Dakota who has endorsed Obama. Nevertheless, the meeting should make the run-up to Montana’s primary very interesting, as our state could end up even more critically important in the race to the nomination. Personally, I sincerely hope that some kind of compromise is reached well before this point, because I don’t think that the fallout of a “nuclear option” victory for Clinton includes the induction of a Democratic president next January.

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