AUDIE CORNISH, host:
As the Democratic primary season winds down, all eyes are on Puerto Rico, which elects its delegates today, and on Montana and South Dakota, which hold their primaries on Tuesday. WEEKEND EDITION SUNDAY's own blogger Faye Anderson will be writing about these events just as she did yesterday when she attended the Democratic Party's rules and bylaws committee meeting in Washington.
She was on an Amtrak train heading home at the day's end when she found out the committee decided to seat the Florida and Michigan delegates. And she joins us from her home in Brooklyn where she's gearing up for her breakfast bagel. So, what was the mood like inside the rules committee meeting?
FAYE ANDERSON: Inside the committee room you had the obligatory hisses and boos. But with five hours of the testimony and Q&A, it was fairly muted. But I had to say the witnesses from both Florida and Michigan, they presented their cases well. Whether you agreed with them or not they were very, the states were very well represented. The testimony was very impassioned.
CORNISH: And on our own political blog, Sunday Soapbox, we had postings. For instance, one person said I'm sick of what the press and the party officials will do to keep a woman from becoming a nominee of the Democratic Party. Quickly, what were your thoughts about yesterday's decision?
ANDERSON: Well, it was clear that they were going to seat the delegations. The issue was whether it would be a full strength or at 50 percent, which according to one report, that's what their rules require. But I have to tell you I am, as was - I think it was Tina Flinoy(ph), one of the committee members noted how do you apportion delegates to Obama and Michigan when he was not on the ballot?
So, they're like divining voter intent and just arbitrarily willy-nilly giving him 50 percent of the delegates when he wasn't even on the ballot. And that really is not consistent with count every vote. And one's vote is one's voice.
CORNISH: Well, obviously, there's still a long ways to go in this race. We heard Clinton campaign adviser Harold Ickey saying that they reserve the right to contest this decision further along the road. But citizen journalist and WEEKEND EDITION blogger Faye Anderson, thank you for joining us.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
CORNISH: To read Faye Anderson's blog on our Web site and find out more about the Democratic race, click on NPR.org/SundaySoapbox. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
