Dean: Michigan And Florida, Put Up Or Shut Up
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, Florida, Hillary, Michigan
Looks like do-overs could be in the offing, but only if the states will cooperate.
DNC Chairman Howard Dean issued a statement Wednesday that seemed to leave the matter for the states to resolve.Dean said Michigan and Florida have two options: either submit a new plan for a process for choosing their convention delegates, or appeal to the Convention Credentials Committee, which resolves issues about the seating of delegates.
“The Democratic Nominee will be determined in accordance with party rules, and out of respect for the presidential campaigns and the states that did not violate party rules, we are not going to change the rules in the middle of the game,” he said.
So far, neither state is willing to do a full primary again. But there has been talk of caucuses or something called a “Firehouse” primary, which would involve fewer polling places…
House and Senate Democrats from Florida and Michigan planned to meet Wednesday night on Capitol Hill to discuss ways of getting their state’s delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in late August, Democratic aides said.Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman said the party is open to another vote, as long as it meets three criteria. Both candidates would have to fully participate, a source of funding would have to be provided and it would have to allow all the state’s Democrats to participate, including those serving in the military overseas. So far, she said, no suggested alternative has met those requirements.
“It is very possible that no satisfactory alternative plan will emerge, in which case Florida Democrats will remain committed to seating the delegates allocated by the January 29th primary,” Thurman said in a statement.
And just for those who think Obama is opposed to seating the delegates, he’s not. He just wants the delegates to come from a contest where both candidates have a chance to campaign. You know, a REAL contest.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 and is filed under 2008 Election, Barack, Democrats, Florida, Hillary, Michigan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
What a dick! What does Dean think, he’s the fricken king? If I were Florida and Michigan, I’d reply like this:
And then I’d tell them that in 2012, they can pay for and run their own primary.
March 6th, 2008 at 7:13 am
It is not an election, it is a PARTY Primary… the Parties determine the rules, not the government or the general public. A Primary is a process to choose who a particular party will place on the November election ballot. If independents or people outside of a party want a say they should have to start their own party. AMERICAN HISTORY & GOVERNMENT 101 I recommend it.
March 6th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Well thanks for the snide condescension Jim, that’s really swell! But fortunately, I’m already familar with politics. If you are interested in learning some manners just as Howard Dean ought to be, I can recommend a few titles. Let me know.
By the way, you left something out…it’s not just a party primary, it’s a STATE party primary. And the STATE pays for it to be conducted. You are essentially claiming that the party ought to be able to dictate the rules for the primary even though it’s the state that’s footing the bill.
And of course the party can TRY to do that. But then the state can tell them to get bent, which is what I am suggesting here. Here’s the thing: the states don’t exist for the benefit of the party, even though the parties like to think so.
So you haven’t answered the essential question, which is as follows:
Why should any state acknowledge the results of a party’s processes when the party shows no interest in the input of the people of that state.
Now if the given political party were to conduct a closed primary in private at their own expense, then I’d feel differently.
Oh and by the way, a primary IS an election. They’re called “primary elections.” They’re called primaries for short. So I guess it’s back to the books for you, huh Jim?
March 6th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
If I were a Dem in Florida or Michigan, I wouldn’t be pissed with Dean- I’d be pissed with the state party for screwing my vote over. Michigan and Florida agreed to the scheduling rules, *then* decided they weren’t fair. You break rules (that you KNEW and AGREED TO), you suffer consequences, (again, that you KNEW and AGREED TO).
And the state parties are NOT seprate entities from the DNC- they are cells of a whole, with the DNC as the head. So, yes, the DNC has the right to lay out some ground rules for running the primary process. And that includes when to schedule them.
And if the head does not take a firm hand with rogue cells, there will be chaos, and the party as a *whole*- which means the main DNC plus EVERY one of the 50 state cells- will be seen as weak, and a joke. And candidates who represent such parties do NOT get elected.
IF HIllary really has the support she says, and her win wasn’t the result of “that’s all there was”, then she shouldn’t be so squeamish about a re-vote. “Cause obviously it won’t matter if Oama pour campaign money and has his name added to the ticket, yes? It would just be an exercise in futility, right? ;)
March 6th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
*”Cause obviously it won’y matter if Obama pours campaign money into the state…”
I am having a case of the dumb apparently. It’s been a long day.