The Michigan and Florida cunundrum

One of the lingering legacies of the soon-to-be interred Hillary Clinton campaign is what to do about the Michigan and Florida delegations to the Democratic convention. Clinton, of course, for her own selfish reasons wants them seated because it increases her delegate (and popular vote) count. If Obama had won these primaries she'd be making the exact opposite argument. Now that Obama has pretty much sealed the deal he can afford to be more magnanimous. According to USA Today:

LANSING, Michigan (AP) — Michigan Democratic leaders have settled on a plan to give presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton 69 delegates and Barack Obama 59 as a way to get the state's delegates seated at the national convention.

But that's not the point. Clinton has focused the anger or disappointment of the delegates (and voters) at the wrong target.

The villain(s) of the piece are not The Democratic National Committee or Barak Obama but the people who, despite warnings, re-scheduled their primaries earlier than the rules allowed. They were told if they re-scheduled the primaries to an earlier date, the votes and delegates wouldn't count. All the candidates, including Clinton. agreed. But the Republicans in Florida went ahead anyway. (Probably to make mischief as they have done.) The rational of the Michigan Democrats is harder to fathom. But the why of it is not really important. It's the fact of it. The story becomes more complicated when Clinton started stirring up trouble over these delegates. But the facts of the story haven't changed. Unless the Democrats want primary scheduling chaos in 2012, they better enforce their rules and not allow themselves to be guilt tripped into seating outlaw delegates.

In a democratic (or Democratic) collective rules make social behavior possible. Actions have consequences in the real world. These states' leaders did what they did and now there are consequences.