Dem
51
GOP
49
While Ronna Romney McDaniel was making one kind of news this weekend, her Democratic counterpart Jaime Harrison was making a very different sort of news. Speaking at an election night event in South Carolina, Harrison said that the "punishment" imposed on New Hampshire might be reversed, and that the state's delegates to the Democratic National Convention might be seated after all, despite defying DNC rules about South Carolina going first.
And actually, that doesn't quite do justice to Harrison's remarks, which were uttered in a very public conversation with Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC). Here's the whole exchange:
Clyburn: I believe, Jaime, that it's time for us to ask our Rules committee not to hold the state law in New Hampshire against our Democrats. They worked hard, and they won a victory. And I would like to see as a sign of us all coming together... Let the Rules Committee figure out a way.
Harrison: When the boss speaks (laughs). We'll have to work on that, congressman.
It's possible that was spontaneous, but doesn't it feel a little bit scripted to you? It certainly does to us.
Anyhow, if Harrison really wants to make this happen, he can make it happen. And, in fact, now that he's come out in support of the notion, it would be very hard for him to back off. So, plan on there being some New Hampshirites in Chicago on August 19. This will mean that Joe Biden and the blue team will have made their statement about the importance of Black voters while not penalizing (and, presumably, not aggravating) New Hampshire Democrats in a meaningful way. This seems like a very Bidenesque, veteran politico maneuver to us (and no, the spell check doesn't like "Bidenesque," either). (Z)