Michigan Democrats still don’t get it
Michigan Democrats are busy picking delegates to the national convention in August.
There seems to be a grim resolve to try to make the best of a disastrous comedy of errors that has disenfranchised the state’s Democratic voters.
State party leaders are going ahead with the process of picking delegates, bravely maintaining that they’ll eventually be seated at the convention.
But it doesn’t change the fact that the voters got screwed.
Squabbling between state and national party leaders led to a non-election in January. The national party told the candidates to boycott Michigan because it scheduled the state’s primary too early; Barack Obama complied and Hillary Clinton didn’t. So Clinton won the election and most of the delegates, but it wasn’t a fair contest and everyone knows it.
It didn’t matter when it looked like Clinton would easily win the nomination. But when Obama blew past Mrs. Clinton, taking a narrow lead in the number of delegates, the Michigan mess became a national problem, not just a local embarassment.
Now state and national Democratic leaders are trying to work out a compromise to give some of the delegates to each candidate in a negotiated settlement.
But, from the perspective of Michigan voters, that’s simply, well, a pile of crap.
State Democratic leaders shouldn’t have gambled with the integrity of the primary in the first place.
When they saw what a mess they had created, they should have held a second election or statewide caucuses. They had several months to figure out a way to let voters express their will.
Now that it’s too late to do it right, they’re trying to reach a compromise. But it’s too late. Any deal that claims to express the wishes of Michigan’s Democratic voters will be bogus.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Stunning in their stupidity….Hillary even more so for
actually counting the vote totals in Michigan as her’s!!!
Dems and rule of law in this case certainly have a conflict
of interest. This is not unchartered waters for this party. 2000
in Fl when the supreme court of that state said “lets do a third count.”
This is clear violation of the rules the state had set up for such
situations. It took the supreme court of this land by 7 - 2 vote to
bring it to a halt. Our political system will be far better served when
we take, or demend, a higher path in elections and champains. I think this
is the major appeal for Obama. I respect the manner in which he speaks and carriers himself, he’s not a flamthower. I however disagree with what
little he says spacificlly. He and I are on oppesite ends of the playing field, but I respect his way…