The Latest Hillary Attack
This seems to come mainly from Obama supporters, but there are others, attacking Hillary for asking that delegates from Michigan and Florida be seated at the Democratic convention.
– Hillary shouldn’t do it, it’s not according to the rules everyone agreed to, and we have to protect the primary businesses in Iowa and New Hampshire, etc. ad nauseum
First off, Florida and Michigan are not the same situation.
The governor of Michigan is a Democrat; the Michigan lower house is controlled by the Democrats, and the upper house is controlled by the Republicans. Either party in Michigan could have stopped the law that changed their primary date. Both parties agreed to the change.
In Florida, the governor is a Republican, and both houses are controlled by Republicans. The Democrats had no power to stop what the Republicans did. The Democratic National Committee is punishing, disenfranchising, Democratic voters in the state of Florida, for an action of the Florida Republican Party. The Florida Democratic Party doesn’t have the resources to schedule a separate election, and I’m not even sure such an attempt would be considered legal.
Michigan was a fair cop, they did it knowing the likely result, but Florida Democrats didn’t have a choice.
Democratic Floridians should limit their donations to individual candidates. The Democratic National Committee should come to grips with the reality: if they don’t want our votes to count, don’t count on our money.
7 comments
It’s nice for Hillary Clinton to make a stand for Florida voters only at the last minute when it advantages her political chances, though. She’s the 2:1 favorite in your state because nobody bothered to campaign there and she’s got built-in institutional support.
She’s running for President. Obama has been running commercials “that just can’t be blocked for Florida” and surrogates are running around all over. I’m not sure Clinton would win in Florida, although she has an edge in the largest Democratic stronghold in South Florida by being a New York Senator. Edwards would have strength as a Southerner among native Floridians.
Florida’s and Michigan’s delegates will almost certainly be seated at the convention. As they should be. The DNC is just going to have to accept the inevitable bleats of dismay from Iowa and New Hampshire, who seem to feel they have a monopolistic right to be the first electoral contests in the nation just because they “always have been.” (Somehow I doubt that claim would hold up to rigorous historical analysis, but they always make it.)
The thing I’d really like to see for 2012 is doing away with a “first in the nation” anything. We had seven or eight halfway decent candidates when we started this process just a few short weeks ago. We’re now down to three, plus Mike Gravel. Whyinhell should I not get to cast a primary vote for Bill Richardson in Illinois just because his campaign didn’t catch fire in two virtually all-white, all-rural, and all-agricultural states, which kneecapped him for any of the later contests? Why should all of our candidates have to kowtow to the ethanol tax credit when there’s a fair argument that our focus on ethanol is actually creating more problems than it can reasonably be expected to solve, including driving up the cost of food, just because it’s “important” to Iowa farmers?
Personally I’m annoyed that the system is also front loaded with open primary or caucus states that are taking choices away from people who have made a commitment to a party.
The whole system is messed up, and like you, I liked Bill Richardson a lot, and respect Chris Dodd for his stand on Constitutional issues. We don’t get any choices even with the Republican foolishness that “makes Florida relevant”.
I’m hoping for a real convention, rather than the media driven shams we have been presented with for years.
If neither Edwards or Obama wins outright, my hope is they will combine forces keep Hillary off the ticket (fingers crossed).
Democrats need a win in November because the country needs progressive change – and Hillary ain’t it, as she and Bill have demonstrated so blatantly in recent weeks.
I wouldn’t attach too much hope to Obama, based on his advisors and policy statements.
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