Is The DNC Slow-Walking Florida/Michigan Challenges?

Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Alcee Hastings, both of Florida, are accusing the DNC of slow-walking several appeals to the party's rules and bylaws committee. Those appeals, if successful, could reinstate Florida's superdelegates or even part of its regular convention delegation.

In a letter sent to the chairs of the rules and bylaws committee today, Hastings and Nelson say that the DNC staff is keeping secret its recommendation about the validity of those appeals. They imply that the DNC is trying to drag the process into June, so no action is taken until after the regular primary period ends.

"We....understand that recommendations from the DNC staff regarding the appeals were provided to you on Monday. Our offices were told that the recommendations are being kept confidential, and we further understand that you, as chairs of the RBC, may choose to adopt the confidential recommendations without a hearing."

More, from the letter:

“It is completely inconsistent with the commitment to an open party to keep . . . actions on this appeal under a cloak of secrecy. This is an issue central to the status of Florida’s participation in the Democratic National Convention in August.”

The letter suggests that Hastings and Nelson want the press to focus on two themes:

(a) the idea that the DNC is trying to "solve" the Florida problem with the kind of back-room deal that DNC chairman Howard Dean promised to avoid.

(b) that the RBC risks its legitimacy if it fails to litigate the matter quickly and publicly.

When Howard Dean was asked about the letter on a conference call today, he declined to comment. DNC communications director Karen Finney said that the DNC was simply following a well-established procedure for handling appeals.

"Under the process, the staff had two weeks to make their recommendation to the Co-Chairs, which they have done," said Karen Finney. "The co-chairs are now reviewing the recommendation, when they decide how to proceed, it will be made public."

DNC officials insist they've kept Nelson informed and sent him internal staff memos detailing the status of the deliberations.

Timing matters. If the rules and bylaws committee overturns its penalties based on the appeals, then Hillary Clinton would almost certainly narrow the pledged delegate gap with Barack Obama, and since Florida's superdelegates would count, she'd further reduce his margin. If the count changes before the voting stops -- before Howard Dean has said that superdelegates ought to make up their minds, Clinton would no doubt benefit. If the count changes in, say, mid-June -- after most of the superdelegates are supposed to have come out of the closest -- then Obama benefits most assuredly.