Clinton Gets Convention Vote Nod

By Anastacia Mott Austin

In a supposed effort to win over disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters, Barack Obama and the Democratic National Party will place Clinton’s name in nomination at the convention this month.

Obama and Clinton released a chummy joint statement this week, saying in part, "[We] are both committed to winning back the White House and to ensuring that the voices of all 35 million people who participated in this historic primary election are respected and heard in Denver. To honor and celebrate these voices and votes, both Senator Obama's and Senator Clinton's names will be placed in nomination."

Clinton hinted at just such an agreement several weeks ago, when she spoke to a group of supporters in California. Said Clinton, "I happen to believe that we will come out stronger if people feel that their voices were heard and their views were respected. I think that is a very big part of how we actually come out unified."

Obama seemed to agree. "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," he said in the statement.

At issue still is whether there will be a roll call vote on the floor. Some say this would help provide a catharsis for Hillary superdelegates and supporters, who will be allowed to vote for her without being able to change the outcome of the Party’s nomination, but others say it may only reignite the tensions, despite the fact that the Clinton campaign says Clinton would vote for Obama.

Some say that scenario seems dicey. Reports will confirm in the coming days what the exact scene will be at the convention in Denver.

Some Hillary supporters are happy at the news. ""I think it's a perfect solution," said longtime Clinton supporter Lanny Davis. "Senator Clinton will assure that nothing will occur that will hinder Senator Obama 's chances but even more will help him by when it comes time for her vote, by voting for him and by moving at the convention to nominate Sen. Obama by acclamation."

Other Hillary supporters are also happy, but for different reasons. There continues to be a small but vocal minority of Clinton supporters who still think she can recapture the nomination, and feel that her official nomination at the convention is just the first step.

Will Bower, founder and member of PUMA (Party Unity My Ass), says that if only 4% of the voting delegates change their votes – which they are allowed to do at any point up until the nomination vote – then Hillary will still have a chance to become President.

Bower claims that Obama has changed his public stance on so many issues during the campaign that delegates may very well change their votes.

"All of these things he has thrown under the bus so for us to visualize four percent of the delegates changing their minds, we don't think that is unimaginable," said Bower to reporters. "And as long as there is a path to victory, we're going to keep fighting for it."

Not gonna happen, say others. "It's a free country," said Lanny Davis to reporters at ABC News. "And some of the more passionate and less, say, constructive of [Clinton’s] supporters are a very, very small minority, might try to do something like that."

But Davis says any real attempt to co-opt the nomination process in favor of Clinton will be stopped, including by Hillary Clinton. "No one can be associated with more loyalty and dedication than I towards Senator Clinton and I will and many of us will be very critical of anybody on the convention floor to do anything that undermines Senator Obama."

All one can say at this point is that so far this has been a very interesting process for Democrats, and some will hang on for dear life to their right to say, "It’s not over until it’s over." Even if the lady in the pantsuit has already said as much.