Oh, sure, NOW they love us

So, the Democratic Party turns out to have situational principles. It was easy to take a firm stand against Florida's Jan. 29 primary back when Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and the rest were still trying to suck up to the early states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Now -- not so much. Especially since each candidate might be able to play Florida (and Michigan) to his or her advantage, and the party itself might need Florida to lend clarity to its confused nominating process.

I realize I am arguing against Florida's short-term political clout here. But if party chairman Howard Dean, Clinton and Obama actually had principles about early primaries, they would stick to them. They would tell Florida, "We told you we would not seat your delegates, and we are not going to."

This business about Florida Democratic voters being "disenfranchised" is not quite right. We are not throwing out anybody's votes in a general election, when the citizens are choosing the office-holders of the government.

We are talking instead about a party primary, and the internal rules of what is basically one big political "club." That club said on the front end, if you want to be in our gang, here are our rules for choosing our party's nominee, and if you don't play by those rules, we won't count your vote.

Of course, being its own club, the Democratic Party can go right ahead now and change its rules any way it wants. Heck, it can hold a new election in every state. It can hold caucuses, elections, coin flips or flapjack-eating contests for all I care -- as long as it doesn't cost the taxpayers of Florida anything else.

I do wonder, however, whether in the general election, the voters of Florida will remember getting the cold shoulder from the Democrats on the front end, or whether the voters of South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa will remember how they were once wooed and promised their special status, only to be thrown over like yesterday's news once they had yielded up their votes.

Comments

[Debbie]

Furthermore, people in this state need to remember that the folks in Tallahassee knew exactly what would happen when they changed the date. Place the blame where it lies. There was also a record turnout of voters in Florida for BOTH the republican AND democratic primaries. They do not need a do over and ESPECIALLY NOT at taxpayer expense!!!!!

[Bill]

Could not agree more with Debbie's comment. The Dems want us,the FL. taxpayers to pay for another primary vote? Howard Dean is a fool.The Dems seem to be trying to lose this election...and why is Charlie Crist getting involved? Isn't it he and his republican cohorts in the state house and senate who voted to move the primary date up? NO DO-OVER!!!!

[JAMES]

This whole thing is ridiculous!

I did not vote in the primary because I was told Florida delegates wouldnt count!

[Bland]

This is not Florida's problem. Constitutionally, we can have an election at any time. The various political parties have no authority over the state government. None.

We choose when to have primary and did.

Whether the DNC or GOP wish to recognize our vote and delegates is their right based on their leadership.

This is all on Dean not Florida. We have had our primary vote.

[Kay]

I'm with James. I boycotted as well (a 22 year Dem). I would be okay with a revote but not at Florida's expense. It's too late to change the rules! You can't un-disenfranchise me at a cost to my whole state. Don't count the votes...it is the only logical solution.

[Larry]

I agree with Bill. And as usual, the democrats are working hard at finding a way to lose the election. Scheeeeeeze. Democratic politics as usual. When you have an idiot running your party, you know what you are going to get.......... Like this morning's editorial cartoon, "this is President McCain speaking." The dems didn't even get in the door.

[Susan]

Come on!!! The rules is the rules! I'm a Democrat and I do NOT want a revote. I did vote in the primary but understood at the time my vote wouldn't count but it was my choice to do so.
Why does Traveling Charlie want to do this over? I don't want my money spent on this nonsense. TC needs to pay attention to Florida and what's going on with our budget.

[mike]

No mulligans! Florida has spoken.Ignore us at your peril.

[Jimbo]

No do-overs, no "let's count them now as-is"! We were told, for a reason, our votes won't count. Now that it's no longer convenient for Florida and Michigan to be sitting out, they want to add us back in. It's a scam of astronomical proportions. Let's keep what shred of voting dignity we have left; Lord knows we don't want to be known as the state that rigged 3 elections in a row. NO SEATING OUR DELEGATES!!!!

[John Gibson]

Howard, I think your position on disenfranchisement needs another look.

Are the Democrats really a "private" organization? Maybe on the surface, but the de facto reality is that the nation only gets 2 choices for president (except for spoilers and fringe candidates) and the Democrats get to pick one of them. That is a lot of power and it should not be left to its own devices.

To hold to your position is to say that the Democrats wield no more power in the electoral process than the local country club or VFW post.

Then there is the matter of tax dollars involved in the process, which paints the picture with all new colors.

The Democrats may not have disenfranchised the voters of Florida from the general elections, but they sure have booted them from the electoral process.

I think they will pay dearly for this.

[Bland]

The cynic in me thinks the Clintons are pushing Howard Dean to backtrack on his earlier decision. I bet they are threatening to eliminate him from the Democratic Party leadership if Hillary loses the nomination without the Florida delegates being seated.

This smells a lot worse than hanging chad in West Palm Beach.

Let the DNC lie in the bead they have made.

[Bland]

Sorry that is "bed" not "bead"

[St. Pete Peace]

I voted in the Democratic Party and am against a re-vote. The blame is on the FL legislature for violating the known rules. I disagree with Sen. Nelson's demand that the DNC pay for a new election or seat the delegates with the flawed election results. The voice of FL delegates should be heard but there needs to be another solution that is more fair. And Crist should butt out.

[Don Mott]

Hillary is the one gasping for breath and votes so let her campaign pony up the $25,000 or so to have a re-vote and then once again Fl. can be in the headlines of a national election, albeit as imbeciles.

[Don Mott]

oops I meant to say $25 million not thousand

[voxy]

OH PLEASE. Put the blame WHERE IT BELONGS>

Marco Rubio and Charlie. Charlie pretending he's all about fairness.

okay then, charles in charge ... WHERE ARE THE RIGHTS TO VOTE FOR FELONS??
Yeah I'm going to keep hammering on that until you sign an executive order JUST LIKE VILSACK DID ... and NO the felons still won't vote for you but if you're all about being fair... wanna pruuve it?

[PolicoJunkie]

Let's start naming names, Howard! Who were the geniuses in Tallahassee who thought it was a good idea to defy the national party and hold the early primary? As you said, they were told there will be consequences and they did it anyway. Are they willing to defend that decision now?

[Alex]

I think the larger problem here is this is the Democrat party and as such is populated with idiots.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it… well… at least 27 times!…

The politically powerful Clinton Klan and their minions will steal this from Obama, validate that self-serving corruption has no Party affiliation, put McAmnesty in the White House, assist with the current destruction of our nation, its economy and its sovereignty, and turn millions of Democrats into Independents… in one fell swoop.

I think the larger problem here is that the Republican Party is so full of corrupt closet-perverts... that we have no other choice but to go with the Democrat party.

[ab]

From an "outsiders" perspective (I'm a Republican), I think that the votes should have been counted at the very beginning and the DNC should not have determined that Florida votes don't count. It's not the decision of either party when or where an election is held in a state. I think we all need to take a look at the decisions made and have our voices be heard in the general election in November, Dems and Reps should show a united front that we're "mad as h*** and we're not gonna take it anymore!!!"

[Alex]

Thanks, 4:16, for proving my point.

Thanks Alex for proving 4:16's. Now put the monkey down and get back to work.

[Rick]

Regardless of whether the DNC, florida leglislature or Governor Crist brought this on, the citizens are on the short end. The many should not have to pay for the actions of a few. When you weigh it out, the right to have our vote counted is paramount to any of these petty issues. Anyone opposing the right to be counted has an agenda. There can be no argument for disallowing the votes of the people.

[PoliticsSchmolitics]

Where was Charlie Crist before? The Fla. leaders thought the major parties would eventually back down or that it really wouldn't matter in the end. Now that every vote is critical they realize how stupid they were. Charlie Crist should be held accountable for even allowing the state to pay for a vote that didn't count. The GOP allowed half the delegates to count, but even that's not good enough. He should have been raising the issue at the time. To do so now clearly shows he's just trying to stir the pot on the Democrats and keep the party in disarray.

[con]

I voted in the Republican primary, knowing that my vote would count. This information was clearly published in the newspapers and on TV as was the information that voting in the Democratic primary wouldn't count. Thus Democrats, who voted in their primary were uninformed, naive or deceived by Sen. Clinton's campaign into thinking that their vote would count even if they did not follow the rules. After all, on the night of the primary, she flew into Broward County to thank her supporters for voting for her. And, Sen. Nelson was at her side.
She and Sen. Nelson must bear significant responsibility for the mess that has been created.
A caucus would be a cost-effective way to remedy the mess. But Sen. Clinton doesn't want this. Her stance suggests that the taxpayers of Florida should foot the bill for her flouting the rules. When were following the rules or responsible expenditure of taxpayers dollars concerns of hers?

[Richard]

I don't think there should be a do-over election. Either seat the delegates in accordance with the results of the oringinal primary vote or don't. The fact that Obama's name didn't appear on the Michigan ticket is his own campaign's fault they didn't file to have it on the ballot.As a final thought I saw on one of the blogs where someone posted a Will Rogers quote and I think it's very appropriate now:
"I don't belong to any organized party, I'm a Democrat."

[Richard]

To all who say they didn't vote because it did not count; there were other issues such as Ammendment 1 and other local races on the ballot. Even if you didn't want to cast a vote for a Presidential candidate you could have participated in the local and State elections. This is why the few that do vote control the majority. I have always been told that if you don't vote then you have no right to gripe about how and what your Government does.

[Jim Johnson]

The State of Florida pays for the primary and can do it when it wants. Otherwise the DNC and GOP can pay for their own primary and do it when they want to.

Crist is correct: The dinky states have too much influence on the outcome

Anyone who didn't vote, or vote seriously, deserves to be counted out. I voted for the candidate I thought would be the best candidate. Most of the people I know did too. (For the record, my vote went to Edwards and I still consider him the best of the lot). If the delegates are seated, and I wholeheartedly agree they should be, then they should be seated as elected on the 29th. If you threw your vote away, more fool you. I've lived and voted in FL too long to waste my vote. You fell into the trap, idiots. Now look what we've got. Thanks bunches.

[guy]

Easy solution~~ Let Howard Dean put up the money.

[Kris]

They told us our votes wouldn't count, they made their bed and they can lie in it. It isn't like the people of Florida made the choice to move the primary, its a game of politics between the national party and the legislature.

At the end of the day:

We go nuts and spend tons of money we shouldn't because all of a sudden we might matter.

We use the vote already taken and just assume that there wouldn't be a somewhat off center voting pool based on landowners that showed up for Amendment 1. Talk about a lawsuit...

Or we get on with our lives and look forward to the chaos that will occur in November whether we count the primary vote or not... I can't wait.

[Geraldine Custer]

Howard, I know this is a little late to respond to your earlier remark "that the voters of Florida have not really been disenfranchised" etc, but we have lost our vote (choice)to select the person we wanted to run for president in November.'