Yin And Yang

WASHINGTON -- Two impassioned speeches from speakers for the Dem rivals ...

FL State Sen. Arthenia L. Joyner, a Hillary Clinton backer this morning, urged the committee to count every vote and to seat delegates in accordance with Jon Ausman's petition. Joyner paraphrased the poet Maya Angelou, another HRC supporter, in reminding party leaders that FL voters turned out at the polls, 1.75M strong, despite the DNC decision to strip the state of its delegates.

"You may think you may not be heard," Joyner said, "speak anyway."

Meanwhile, Rep. Robert Wexler, who is supporting Barack Obama, told the RBC that FL's Jan. 29 vote was not "normal," that Obama didn't campaign there and many voters stayed home.

"The Obama campaign respected this Rules Committee policy," he said. But he added that he, too, backs the Ausman petition compromise, and he said Obama should be lauded for "his willingness to offer this extraordinary concession."

"We must find a way as Democrats, as members of the same political party seeking to bring change to the ways of Washington, to resolve this situation so that Florida may participate in this historic nominating process that will soon come to a close," Wexler said.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)