The Florida Democratic Party floated a new proposal for getting the state’s delegates seated at this summer’s convention in Denver, but few involved think a resolution is near.

A memo from Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman suggests a mail-in re-vote coupled with limited in-person voting precincts. Thurman sent the memo to Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean, members of Florida’s congressional delegation and representatives of the campaigns of Sens. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.)

If national Democrats and the campaigns agree to the new plan, Thurman wrote, the state party would have to move quickly to realize it. But Thursday, Thurman said there is little chance all the parties involved would agree to the re-vote, according to The Associated Press.

“Fingers have been pointed in every direction, but how we arrived at this breaking point is irrelevant,” Thurman wrote. “The stark reality is that all Democrats lose if this is not resolved immediately.”

The Obama campaign has been cold to the idea of a re-vote, while Clinton’s campaign has embraced the idea.

The Florida Democratic delegation is split on the issue. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said this week he is open to the idea, but the state’s House Democrats said Thursday they are opposed to any kind of mail-in re-vote.

“After reviewing the party’s proposal and individually discussing this idea with state and local leaders and elections experts, we do not believe that this is a realistic option at this time and remain opposed to a mail-in ballot election or any new primary election in Florida of any kind,” the members said in a statement.

The DNC stripped Florida of its delegates after the state broke committee rules by holding its primary Jan. 29. Clinton won handily in the state after all of the Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign there.
— Sam Youngman

Clinton’s camp accuses Obama of ‘writing off’ Pennsylvania

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) .campaign accused rival Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) of not seriously competing in the key swing state of Pennsylvania.

In a conference call with reporters, Clinton senior strategist Mark Penn, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter seized on an Obama campaign memo that seemed to downplay the importance of the Keystone State.

“The Clinton campaign would like to focus your attention only on Pennsylvania — a state in which they have already declared that they are ‘unbeatable,’ ” Obama campaign manager David Plouffe wrote in the memo. “But Pennsylvania is only one of those 10 remaining contests, each important in terms of allocating delegates and ultimately deciding who our nominee will be.”

The Clinton campaign, which enjoys leads in the state in most polls, asked in another memo, “If Barack Obama can’t win there, how will he win the general election?”

“I suppose by holding obviously Democratic states like California and New York, and beating McCain in swing states like Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia and Wisconsin where Clinton lost to Obama by mostly crushing margins,” Bill Burton, Obama’s spokesman, responded.

Rendell and Nutter described Plouffe’s memo as “off-putting,” and Rendell said it “diminished the importance of Pennsylvania.”

“If somebody on my staff wrote something like that, I’d fire them because it just doesn’t make any sense,” Nutter said.
Both campaigns announced Thursday that they have agreed to debate in Philadelphia April 16.
— S.Y.

Nagin says he will make endorsement

 New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin (D) said Thursday that he will “absolutely” make an endorsement in the presidential race, but that he needs to hear more from presidential candidates about Hurricane Katrina recovery and national infrastructure issues.

Nagin is not a Democratic superdelegate, but he is the two-term mayor of the city most devastated by Katrina.

He wouldn’t offer a timeline for announcing his support, saying it depends on when the candidates flesh out their infrastructure and Katrina plans.

“I don’t know what my endorsement does, but it will be symbolic in a lot of ways, that this is the person we have confidence in that can straighten out not only Katrina but hopefully straighten out any future catastrophic events that this country has,” Nagin said during a visit to Washington.

Nagin also said he has respect for the GOP nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).

“McCain is a good man; I have no problems with him,” Nagin said. “He’s on the other side of the fence party-wise, but we have talked to him, and we will talk again.”
— Aaron Blake