According to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the voice of all primary voters will not be heard at the Democratic Convention next month in Denver.
Florida Woes
I find it a little ironic that the Democratic National Committee is even considering not counting the delegates from the Florida and Michigan primaries. After listening to the incessant whining from Democrats after the 2000 Presidential Election I can't help but wonder what they were thinking this time around. One thing is for sure, Florida Democrats appear to be Electorally Challenged, and could soon find themselves classified as a special interest group.
Persisting accusations from Democrats, led by Al Gore, that the 2000 Presidential election was stolen because of voting problems in Florida is simply nonsense. The theory resurfaced in John Kerry's Whitehouse bid in 2004 with more baseless accusations of fraud. The simple fact that these ballots were published in newspapers, provided to the candidates and parties prior to the elections, and approved by an elected Democratic official, invalidates the conspiracy theories. These ballots were provided prior to the election so that any complaints could be addressed and corrected prior to Election Day. No one complained until after each election was held.
Now we have this silly situation with these electorally challenged Florida Democrats again. I understand that the Democratic Party feels that they have a right to decide their rules of candidate selection, but a little common sense could go a long way here. So, Florida moved their Democratic primary from March to January as state party leaders argued that Florida's size and diversity merited more influence in the primary process. In response, DNC chairman Howard Dean repeatedly warned Florida that their delegates would not be counted and the whole fiasco has resulted in Florida becoming a non-player in the Democratic presidential candidate selection process.
Et tu Michigan?
To make matters worse, Michigan followed Florida's lead and moved their primary to January as well, eliciting more of the same rhetoric from DNC chairman Howard Dean, who threatened that delegates chosen in Michigan's primary would not be seated at this summer's convention in Denver. Michigan democrats have been irritated for years by the diminished role their state plays in the primary process, while states like New Hampshire and Iowa get most of the attention. But this jockeying for position seems to have backfired on Florida and Michigan, as both states were largely ignored by the Democratic candidates because of the DNC decrees. At the request of the DNC, neither Clinton nor Obama have campaigned in either state, and Obama actually withdrew his name from the Michigan ballot as if the voice of Michigan voters was meaningless.
Personally, I believe that every vote needs to count. I really don't care about the DNC rules and regulations. Florida and Michigan must be counted in a primary race that is so closely contested. As Senator Clinton recently stated: "I am running to be the president of all of America -- north, south, east and west, and everywhere in between. That's why it is so important that we count the votes of Florida and Michigan."
The Debate
Calls for seating the delegates from Michigan and Florida have grown louder in recent months as the battle between Obama and Clinton has heated up. Both candidates have pledged to seat Florida delegates at the convention but are divided on the Michigan issue. In Michigan, Senator Obama chose to remove his name from the Michigan ballot at the request of the DNC. Senator Clinton, ignoring the same request, with perhaps a bit more foresight and political experience, chose not to remove her name from the ballot and carried the state easily.
Once again I am struck by the irony of the situation. Barack Obama has preached to us about change. He stands tall, swaggers around the podium and tells us that he is the candidate of the people and then he nonchalantly dismisses the value of millions of Democratic voters in Michigan because of party politics.
Should the delegates from Michigan and Florida be counted? Well, those of you that think Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race might want to rethink your position. The validity of 366 delegates is threatened in a race that is separated by 155 delegates. Obama is not the clear winner in this primary campaign. His seemingly insurmountable delegate lead quickly evaporates when Michigan and Florida are counted.
Michigan Democrats have endorsed a proposal to divide their delegates between the two candidates but it remains unclear whether that plan would be accepted by the Clinton campaign. Barack Obama made the choice to nullify the voice of Michigan when he pulled his name from the ballot. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, argued for the restoration of both the Florida and Michigan delegates back in January when the two primaries took place. This call by Senator Clinton, for these delegates to count, is not a new tactic from a defeated candidate but a plea that was ignored in January and has been routinely dismissed by Obama as political pandering.
Compromise?
Well, it seems we'll have to wait until the end of the month, as the DNC plans to meet on May 31st to resolve the issues with Florida and Michigan. Both candidates seem to be moving toward a compromise to ensure all voters are represented. This nation consists of fifty states and President we elect in November should be concerned with the views of every state and every citizen. And while we're on the subject of the November Election, it would be in the best interest of the Democratic Party to carefully review the ballots in every state prior to the election so we don't have to suffer through a repeat of the 2000 election drama. What this country does not need is another Florida election debacle.
