Hillary offers to smooth some supporter's feathers and increase TV ratings for Obama's nomination

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

A more accurate headline for today's big controversy.

I don't know whether Hillary will be in a roll call or not. It doesn't seem like a big deal either way.

But I do know that a traditional convention roll-call provides closure, a sense of orderly process, and is great TV.

And when decisions are made through elections there's usually some formal process of announcing the outcome. If the primaries are to be respected as the method of selection then the formal process of nomination should recapitulate the primaries.

Americans like that. Everyone feels better about processes that are transparent and orderly.

If Hillary had won I would want Obama's name put in nomination, rather than telling a big crowd of Obama delegates to just dummy up and pretend that whatever state election resulted in their being at the convention was a non-event.

Jesse Jackson only had about 800 delegates in 1988, but they were given the chance to voice their proud support of Jackson before turning the page to support Dukakis. That is how it should be.

This is a big event in the delegate's lives. Have you ever been on a convention floor? I have. I was press, not a delegate, but it's exciting... a few thousand people march in divided and leave unified. It's a ceremony... a pageant, capping the primaries and beginning the general election.

And it strengthens the nominee to win the roll-call, rather than just announcing to everyone that we got together in the back room and decided to skip it.

[tekisui]

1. Green papers shows her still having 247 Superdelegates.

In addition to her 1980 Pledged Delegates.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. I doubt many of that 247 would actually vote for her

If she is entered in nomination it would be a gesture for the little people--her elected delegates.

You work your ass off for a candidate. Then you go to the convention and cast your vote.

Then everyone rallies behind the winner.

That's the convention ritual in a nutshell.

[hedgehog]

3. The difference is that there are strong suspicions that this is an attempt

to grab the nomination at the last minute. There was no way Jackson was going to take the nomination from Dukakis or Kennedy from Carter.

We don't need any more Clinton Drama. We need to focus everyone's attention on what an Obama Presidency will mean.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. Thank you for an intelligent and well reasoned post. Including Hillary's

name in a roll call vote will in no way alter the outcome of Obama's nomination, but it may go a long way to let the voices of her many supporters be heard. It was a hard fought campaign by both Obama and Clinton and having her name put into nomination would show a measure of respect for her efforts and, IMO, would help build unity in the party.