The gauntlet is being laid down. As was first broched by James Carville on Friday, two prominant Clinton backers, John Corzine and Ed Rendell, the governors of New Jersey and Pennsylvania are promising to raise $15M for revotes in Florida and Michigan, half the projected cost of $30M. Now it is up to the Obama campaign to pony up and get this done. As I discussed today, The Democrats will lose in the fall if they disenfranchise Florida and Michigan. Obama is stalling and trying to run out the clock with empty rhetoric, procedural mumbo jumbo and false proposals. He's not fooling anyone except his most ardent supporters. He thinks that it will help him win the nomination, but what's the point in winning the battle if you lose the war. That's not leadership.

These states need to have meaningful votes.  Obama may think that he can get the nomination without seating these delegations, but he would lose the general election without Florida and Michigan. It is time for Obama to stop stalling, pony up his share and get this done right for the sake of his candidacy and the party.

Here's the breaking story:

New York Times: 2 Clinton Backers Offer a Way to Stage New Primaries

Two of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's biggest supporters, who are also two of the Democratic Party's most successful fund-raisers, have offered to help raise millions of dollars to stage new primaries in Florida and Michigan.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey and Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania said Sunday that they would be willing to raise half the $30 million it would take to run new contests in those two states. Mr. Corzine and Mr. Rendell submitted their proposal to The Washington Post.

...

Mr. Rendell raised the fund-raising proposal on "Meet the Press" on NBC as he pressed for re-votes in the two states. Former Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, speaking for the Obama campaign, also appeared on the program and said he would go along.

"We don't have any problem with that," Mr. Daschle said.

Mr. Rendell said that, in the submission to The Washington Post, he and Mr. Corzine offered to "help raise the approximately $15 million which would be half of the $30 million it would take to run those two contests."

Asked about the proposal by WNBC-TV on Sunday, Mr. Corzine said it had not been cleared with the Obama campaign. He also said the best time for new contests, were they to happen, would be after the last scheduled primaries are held in early June.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Corzine, Deborah Howlett, later said: "He doesn't think that the states or the taxpayers in Michigan or Florida should pay for the election. And he's glad to help the D.N.C. raise money to cover the costs."

The ball is in Obama's court. Will he continue to stall or will he get with the program. Every minute he delays it demonstrates to the voters of Florida and Michigan which candidate is standing in the way of counting their votes.