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Will She or Won't She: Latest on Hillary's Name in Nomination

By Jeralyn

ABC News has the latest on whether Hillary Clinton will put her name in nomination alongside Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention.

Answer: It's not clear.

Friday, the New York Daily News said she was not going to submit a request.

...."She is not going to submit the signed request," the [Clinton] insider told the Daily News. "People are still circulating petitions on her behalf, but this is a done deal."

Party rules stipulate that Clinton must ask in writing to be nominated herself and also submit a petition signed by 300 to 600 delegates. Without her signed request, petitions of support are meaningless.

Today's update: [More...]

"No decisions have been made," Clinton spokeswoman Kathleen Strand said.

"Sen. Clinton is 100 percent committed to helping Barack Obama become the next president of the United States," Strand added. "She is very appreciative of the continued commitment of her supporters and understands there are passionate feelings around the convention. While no decisions have been made at this time, they will be made collaboratively with Sen. Clinton and her staff, the DNC and Sen. Obama's campaign and released at the appropriate time."

Hillary will hold a webchat tomorrow with suporters. More details could be forthcoming then.

But the very fact that details of her convention role remain unresolved less than three weeks before the Democrats descend upon Denver is a fresh sign of the difficulties the party will face at a convention when nearly half the delegates were chosen because of their support for a candidate who will not be the nominee.

Lanny Davis, longtime Clinton supporter, calls the idea of putting her name in nomination "idiotic." But he understands why her supporters want her to do it.

"It's a reflection of genuine frustration by Hillary Clinton supporters that Sen. Obama seems to have forgotten about 18 million voters," Davis said. "My concern about Sen. Obama is he doesn't recognize that the outreach to the Clinton grass roots has to be more visible, more overt, as well as more symbolic."

How about making Hillary the keynote speaker at the convention?

Still, some Clinton loyalists have complained that Obama hasn't done enough to help Clinton pay off the debt she amassed during the primaries.

Davis said that if Obama won't name Clinton as his running mate, he could at least designate her the convention's keynote speaker. Clinton will get a choice prime-time slot Tuesday night, but no decisions have been announced regarding the keynote address.

Hillary's supporters want her name in play at the convention.

Clinton is facing pressure from some of her die-hard supporters to request that her name to be placed into nomination.

Several groups of Clinton supporters are organizing marches and demonstrations in Denver. Major events are being planned for Aug. 26, the date Clinton is slated to speak at the convention -- which happens to be the 88th anniversary of the ratification of the constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's suffrage.

One Clinton delegate from Oregon is already collecting signatures:

Castner said she and many other Clinton supporters will only feel as if their voices are being heard if they are allowed to vote for Clinton on a first ballot.

"It's been a tradition since the late 1800s -- it's a nominating convention, you vote, you nominate someone, and you come out unified. I don't see how alienating 1,800 delegates gives you party unity when we walk out of the stadium," she said. "Hillary delegates feel like we're not welcome, needed, or valued."

"I cannot believe that Sen. Clinton, after putting in that much time, energy and effort, would just say, ' Nah, take my name out,' " Castner said.

So will she or won't she? Tune in to Hillary's live chat tomorrow and see if she provides any answers.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 06, 2008 (boomark / email).