Obama camp mulls shortened roll call

[Ron Burgundy]

The Obama campaign is considering an abbreviated roll call Wednesday that would allow Democratic convention delegates in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s strongest states to support her — and is mulling a plan to let delegates vote by secret ballot, according to those familiar with the planning.

The shortened roll call, which would avoid a time-consuming state-by-state canvass, would be quickly followed by a motion for all the delegates to nominate Barack Obama for president by acclamation or, under another scenario, secret balloting. The deal could be announced as early as Tuesday night, the Democratic sources said.

Clinton, who spent the day planning for Tuesday night’s prime-time convention address, has said she would vote for Obama on the first ballot, but the senator has told delegates from her home state of New York that they were free to make their own decisions.

The Clinton campaign, represented by aides Cheryl Mills and Minyon Moore, have been in talks with the Obama team since both camps agreed last week to permit Clinton’s name to be entered in nomination.


</br>But the decisions are being made by Obama’s campaign, led by campaign manager David Plouffe, largely without consultation, Clinton aides said.

On Fox News Tuesday, former Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson, who’s still close to the former first lady, bridled when asked about ongoing “negotiations” over the vote.

“It is not a deal, and it is really not negotiations,” he said. “There are conversations and good dialogue. But at the end of the day, this is going to be Sen. Obama's decision. ... It is not a negotiation. This is Sen. Obama's show.”

Clinton’s staff is “waiting to hear from the Obama campaign on what the exact configuration will be,” said a person familiar with the negotiations.

An Obama spokesman would only say that the mechanics of the vote were still being worked out.

Glenn Thrush contributed to this story.

 

source: Politico - http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080826/pl_politico/12851 [link]