Those who have speculated over whether the controversies surrounding the race for the Democratic presidential nomination may hurt the nominee may find some tea leaves at the New York Times, regarding the disputed delegations in Michigan and Florida:

Reflecting how tense the situation has become, influential fund-raisers for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton have stepped up their behind-the-scenes pressure on national party leaders to resolve the matter, with some even threatening to withhold their donations to the Democratic National Committee unless it seats the delegates from the two states or holds new primaries there.

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Pushing to seat the Florida delegates, at least one top Clinton fund-raiser, Paul Cejas, a Miami businessman who has given the Democratic National Committee $63,500 since 2003, has demanded Democratic officials return his 2007 contribution of $28,500, which they have agreed to do.

“If you’re not going to count my vote, I’m not going to give you my money,” said Mr. Cejas, who was the United States ambassador to Belgium from 1998 to 2001.

Fellow Floridian Christopher Korge, who held a $140,000 fundraiser for the general election, also may ask for his money back.

These are isolated cases, though they may become less so now that the idea has been publicized by the newspaper.  Moreover, it is an idea which could take hold among supporters of either Clinton or Barack Obama to protest the way in which these disputes — and those likely to arise over the role of superdelegates in selecting the nominee.

Finally, it seems that many are missing the irony inherent in the disputes over Michigan and Florida.  These two states moved up their primaries to have greater influence in the nominating process.  The DNC stripped them of their delegates as a sanction, to prevent these states from gaining that influence.  If their delegates are restored — by either a back-room deal or some sort of do-over — these states are likely to have even more influence at the end of the process, in the one year in which going last may be most influential.