The Democratic National Committee, already facing a lawsuit from Florida Democrats over reducing the state's convention delegates in another primary-date dispute, is approaching a showdown with the Michigan Party, too. Peter Slevin has the story for the Washington Post :

For Debbie Dingell and Sen. Carl M. Levin, the standoff has been brewing for years. The Michigan Democrats have long worked, mostly behind the scenes, to change an electoral calendar that places vast importance on results in Iowa and New Hampshire, states that bear little resemblance to the industrial heartland.

"There's just no possible justification for one or two states that are not particularly representative to have a dominant role in this process. It's not fair to other states," Levin said in a telephone interview. "Why the hell do New Hampshire and Iowa have a claim to the attention to their issues?"

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The result is a tangle, with the Democratic National Committee vowing not to seat any convention delegates Michigan chooses that day and Democratic presidential candidates facing a deadline of Tuesday to decide whether to remain on the ballot here.

Read the whole article at the link above. The DNC is at a distinct disadvantage in this fight, as with their ongoing battle with the Florida Democratic Party. They can threaten to "unseat" or "disqualify" any delegates they wish now, but the moment a candidate achieves a working majority of delegates through the primaries, that candidate will be calling the shots for the convention. The DNC will get to pay the bills and fetch coffee, and if there's anything else, the winner's staff will let them know.

No matter who wins the nomination, that person will know both Michigan and Florida are critical states. Why would they begin their general election campaign by angering their supporters - and potential voters - in those states by not counting their votes? Imagine the candidate WON both primaries - as the nominee might well do; would they not seat their own delegates?

No, all the delegates will be seated and all the votes will count. The DNC can go pound sand. Something needs to be done about the telescoping of the primary schedule, but this tactic goes in the "nice try, no cigar" file.