Michael Steed

WASHINGTON -- Maryland's Michael Steed played a prominent role in a nationally televised drama that featured high stakes political maneuvering that could help decide the next President of the United States.

Steed, of New Market, is a member of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee. Today four cable networks followed a day-long proceeding that decided whether or not to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan after those two states held primaries in violation of party rules.

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Michigan representatives used New Hampshire as their foil in an argument as to why their delegates should be seated at the national convention this summer.

Members of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws are meeting in Washington today to decide to uphold their previous threat to strip Michigan and Florida of all convention delegates for holding their contests too early.

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) used his time in front of the committee -- and national television cameras broadcasting live --  to argue that New Hampshire and Iowa have aprivileged status with their first-in-the-nation presidential nomination contests. Levin went on to argue that Michigan only broke DNC rules after New Hampshire decided to break the rules themselves.

The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee is having its most important meeting in decades, and roll call of the 30-member committee appointed by Howard Dean just took place.

Of Maryland's members, Sheila Dixon and Janice Griffin were there, but Michael Steed did not respond when his name was called.

Is he late, or just not there?

Hey conspiracy theorists, chew on this: Dixon and Griffin are Obama supporters. Steed is for Clinton.

Janice Griffin, a member of the Democratic National Committee’s Credentials Committee, told PolitickerMD.com that she expects Florida and Michigan’s delegations “will be seated” at the Democratic National Convention.  As a member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee, Griffin voted last year to strip Florida and Michigan of their delegates.

When asked how those states’ delegates should be allocated between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Griffin said, ““I have not had time to think about it yet.”

Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates after the states moved their primaries to January, in violation of Democratic Party rules.