Dean Outlines Options For Fla., Mich. Dems

But Former Party Head Says It's Doubtful Plan For Do-Over Primaries Would Be Approved

(CBS/AP)  The former head of the Democratic National Committee said Thursday it was doubtful DNC Chairman Howard Dean would be able to get approval for a plan for do-over presidential nomination contests in Florida and Michigan.

"It'll be a hellacious battle," said Don Fowler, a former DNC chairman who sits on the party's rule-making committee.

Before the primaries started, "Howard Dean had enough votes to get most everything he wanted. Now that this thing has gone as far as it has and the lines have formed according to candidates. I'm not sure how that vote would shake out now," said Fowler, who has endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Now, everything is being viewed in terms of how it benefits a particular candidate, not the party or the process, Fowler said.

Nonetheless, Fowler said, something has to be done, "the rules be damned" to seat delegates from states Democrats have to and can win in the general election. "We're going to forfeit those two big states? What kind of fools would we be."

Dean has urged Florida and Michigan party officials to come up with plans to repeat their presidential nominating contests so that their delegates can be counted.

"They have two options," Dean said on CBS News' The Early Show. "One: they can come before the DNC rules committee and submit a process that does comply with the rules, that is fair to both campaigns and the other states, or they can simply appeal their denial to the credentials committee at the convention. One of those choices is a good choice. We'd love to see Florida and Michigan, but it's going to be done within the rules.

"All they have to do is come before us with rules that fit into what they agreed to a year and a half ago, and then they'll be seated," Dean said in another TV appearance.

The two state parties will have to find the funds to pay for new contests without help from the national party, Dean said.

"We can't afford to do that. That's not our problem. We need our money to win the presidential race," he said. The DNC offered to pay for an alternative contest in Florida last summer but was turned down, officials at the party say.

A full-fledged primary could cost as much as $15 million in Florida and a little less than that in Michigan, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes. A scaled-back, or "firehouse" primary, with fewer precincts would cut the cost in half, but it would also draw fewer voters.

Michigan is considering a caucus, which could be easier to organize on short notice, Cordes reports. But Florida Democrats, still stinging from the 2000 debacle, are adamant that it's a primary or nothing.

Another of Clinton's supporters, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, also called for a new Florida primary, but paid for by the national party.

Officials in Michigan and Florida have expressed renewed interest in holding repeat presidential nominating contests so that their votes will count in the epic Democratic campaign.

The Michigan governor, top officials in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign, and Florida's state party chair all are now saying they would consider holding a sort of do-over contest by June. That's a change from the previous insistence from officials in both states that the primaries they held in January should determine how their delegates are allocated.

Clinton said she's waiting to see what proposal Democratic leaders in Florida and Michigan put forward.

She won both contests, but the results were meaningless because the elections violated national party rules. The DNC stripped both states of all delegates for holding the primaries too early, and all Democratic candidates - including Clinton and rival Barack Obama- agreed not to campaign in either state. Obama's name wasn't even on the Michigan ballot.

"I think it would be a grave disservice to the voters of Florida and Michigan to adopt any process that would disenfranchise anyone," Clinton told reporters Thursday at a news conference in Washington. "Therefore I am still committed to seating their delegations, and I know they are working with the Democratic party to determine how best to proceed."

She said it would be especially unfair to punish the 1.7 million Floridians who voted in the Democratic primary since the contest's date was moved up by the Republican-controlled state Legislature and the state's Republican governor.

"They clearly believed that their votes would count, and I think that there has to be a way to make them count," Clinton said.

Florida and Michigan moved up their dates to protest the party's decision to allow Iowa and New Hampshire to go first, followed by South Carolina and Nevada, giving them a disproportionate influence on the presidential selection process.

But no one predicted the race would still be very close at this point in the year.

"The rules were set a year and a half ago," Dean said. "Florida and Michigan voted for them, then decided that they didn't need to abide by the rules. Well, when you are in a contest you do need to abide by the rules. Everybody has to play by the rules out of respect for both campaigns and the other 48 states."

[b-easy63]

By the way, I do think Hillary should have a black runningmate, but it shouldn''''t be Obama--their are many blacks worthy, mature, experienced and accomplished who could serve as President--Baroque whatever his name is, is NoT one of them.
And I am one Democrat who would vote for McCain, if he''''s on the ticket--and I have never voted Republican in my life!

Posted by phillysage at 01:51 PM : Mar 06, 2008


Oh, shut up, on another thread you are depicted as a super racist Mexican who does not like blacks--are you even legal or another line jumper hoping for the Dems to grant you amnesty? Hilary does not NEED a black or any other color--that would be a token. Hilary needs to stop lying and Obama does not need a female. Tokenism is another form of racism or sexism--take that ******* back across the border!!!

[me4prezz]

I live in Michigan.

1. I had no say when the primary was moved up to.
2. They went to Florida and campaigned even though they said they wouldn''t. No campaigning in Michigan!
3. Why should I vote Obama when he ignored our state, which has been in a recession for years now, but decides to campaign in Florida against their own rules!
3. I didn''t vote in the primary because my vote wouldn''t count, but I would still vote for Clinton. If my vote would count, I would be the first in the voting lines.

If Obama went on national television and put his hand over his heart and stated the Pledge of Allegiance, then I would consider voting for him, but he won''t and his excuse is that others at football and baseball games don''t!

[taddles-2009]

"And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one.

Posted by gorgegirl at 09:55 PM : Mar 06, 2008"


If you were a "helper" at the caucus you should understand how it works.

[taddles-2009]

"Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''''t have the endurance required by the caucus.

Posted by gorgegirl at 09:55 PM : Mar 06, 2008"


The time required to cast a ballot in a caucus is no more than the time required to cast a vote in a primary. No one is required to stay for the entire caucus, they are free to leave as soon as they have filled out a ballot...if it''s too arduous for the elderly to fill out a ballot thatn it''s too arduous for them to stand in line waiting for a voting booth to open up.

Your post is ridiculous and patently false. If you don''t understand how a caucus works just say so and someone will explain it to you.

[klingon69]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name.

CNN and MSNBC are national news organizations. Unless you can block ALL transmissions from radio/tv/satellite...etc, you will see ads that are ran on these mediums.

[klingon69]

A better question would be how does the DNC justify disenfranchising millions of voters? This and super-delegates stink to high heaven.
Posted by oleander8 at 12:57 PM : Mar 06, 2008
If you wanna dance, somebody has to pay the band. The two states first agreed to follow the rules, then in protest because other states got to go first, they decided to pull the early primary krapp. The only ones who has disenfranchised the voters is the Democratic party.
If you agree to the rules prior to starting the game, you ARE supposed to follow them throughout.

[taotxzen]

As everyone has no doubt heard, John McCain stopped by the White House to pick up the president%u2019s endorsement. As Dan Froomkin noted, however, some were far more interested in publicizing the meeting than others.

You%u2019ll never guess who was the most excited about yesterday%u2019s endorsement.

As of this writing, there%u2019s no mention of it on the home page of McCain%u2019s Web site. There%u2019s no mention of it all on the Republican National Committee%u2019s home page. In fact, I can%u2019t find any mention whatsoever of the event on either Web site at all. (It%u2019s like: Bush Who?)

But on the Democratic National Committee Web site, the lead headline blares: %u201CBush Endorses John McCain as His Successor.%u201D

%u201CSince the event was held in the middle of the afternoon we fear that some Americans may miss George Bush%u2019s assurances that John McCain would continue the Bush Administrations failed economic and foreign policies,%u201D the DNC explains. %u201CAs a public service we%u2019ve posted a video of the press conference for voters to see.%u201D

I wonder why that is?

Crooks and Liars

[ioweign]

Even a hard core democrat I am, if it happened to my vote, I would switch to Republican in a blink.

Posted by truthfinder1 at 01:57 AM : Mar 07, 2008

Considering there is a two party system in the states, it probably would be hard for you to figure out which party to switch to...

[armydog2]

These two states knew this was the consequence of going against the party rules. Now they should just shut up and deal with it.

[pensacola88]

I am furious at our Governor Charlie Crist, who attempts to pass himself as a fair person to Democrats in our state. It is well known that Republicans are oppressive in Florida. Just last year, Florida and Virginia finally complied with a federal mandate to restore voting rights to ex-felons with certain conditions. Time was needed for many to clear the conditions and restore a right to vote. It was always clear that the majority of ex-felons would over-whelmingly be Democrats. Moving the primary up as they did cut off many Democrats from the participation in the primary elections, and Governor Crist knew that. The DNC wanted more Floridians to have the opporunity to vote and imposed the rules which would give more Floridians time to restore their rights.

Florida is continuing to oppress and deprive Democrats. Charlie Crist is no nice guy. He is a wolf in sheep''s clothing!!!

What Charlie Crist and every Republican knows is that 80,000 ex-felons in Florida are affected and restoral of their voting rights THREATENS to change Florida into a BLUE DEMOCRATIC state.

Don''t give up on Florida!! This is like PRE-1965 all over again! Fight for Democrats in Florida!!! The cameras are always rolling. Another Martin Luther King Jr. is what Florida needs!!

[truthfinder1]

It seems to be a battle between rules vs. priciples. Cannot believe the ignorance and arrogance of DNC. Republicans learned quick, reducing the delegate count by half to those violating the rules. Precisely the reason that gave away the presidential seat to Bush in 2004. Even a hard core democrat I am, if it happened to my vote, I would switch to Republican in a blink.

[gorgegirl4]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name. If I were Hillary, I would never agree to the caucus in either state. I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign asking me to join them at the caucus in Texas. He is importing people to vote in the caucuses who arent even residents of that state!! And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one. Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''t have the endurance required by the caucus. Don''t agree to a caucus in either state Hillary - they are not democratic. Vote by mail only!!

[gorgegirl4]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name. If I were Hillary, I would never agree to the caucus in either state. I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign asking me to join them at the caucus in Texas. He is importing people to vote in the caucuses who arent even residents of that state!! And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one. Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''t have the endurance required by the caucus. Don''t agree to a caucus in either state Hillary - they are not democratic. Vote by mail only!!

[gorgegirl4]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name. If I were Hillary, I would never agree to the caucus in either state. I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign asking me to join them at the caucus in Texas. He is importing people to vote in the caucuses who arent even residents of that state!! And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one. Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''t have the endurance required by the caucus. Don''t agree to a caucus in either state Hillary - they are not democratic. Vote by mail only!!

[gorgegirl4]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name. If I were Hillary, I would never agree to the caucus in either state. I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign asking me to join them at the caucus in Texas. He is importing people to vote in the caucuses who arent even residents of that state!! And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one. Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''t have the endurance required by the caucus. Don''t agree to a caucus in either state Hillary - they are not democratic. Vote by mail only!!

[gorgegirl4]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name. If I were Hillary, I would never agree to the caucus in either state. I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign asking me to join them at the caucus in Texas. He is importing people to vote in the caucuses who arent even residents of that state!! And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one. Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''t have the endurance required by the caucus. Don''t agree to a caucus in either state Hillary - they are not democratic. Vote by mail only!!

[gorgegirl4]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name. If I were Hillary, I would never agree to the caucus in either state. I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign asking me to join them at the caucus in Texas. He is importing people to vote in the caucuses who arent even residents of that state!! And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one. Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''t have the endurance required by the caucus. Don''t agree to a caucus in either state Hillary - they are not democratic. Vote by mail only!!

[gorgegirl4]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name. If I were Hillary, I would never agree to the caucus in either state. I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign asking me to join them at the caucus in Texas. He is importing people to vote in the caucuses who arent even residents of that state!! And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one. Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''t have the endurance required by the caucus. Don''t agree to a caucus in either state Hillary - they are not democratic. Vote by mail only!!

[gorgegirl4]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name. If I were Hillary, I would never agree to the caucus in either state. I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign asking me to join them at the caucus in Texas. He is importing people to vote in the caucuses who arent even residents of that state!! And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one. Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''t have the endurance required by the caucus. Don''t agree to a caucus in either state Hillary - they are not democratic. Vote by mail only!!

[gorgegirl4]

OBAMA DID CAMPAIGN IN FLORIDA. For 2 weeks prior to the Florida campaign, Obama ran campaign ads on CNN and MSNBC. Now, it seems as though to me he benefited from his campaigning just as much as Hillary Clinton did from her name. If I were Hillary, I would never agree to the caucus in either state. I received an e-mail from the Obama campaign asking me to join them at the caucus in Texas. He is importing people to vote in the caucuses who arent even residents of that state!! And, at the caucus in the State of Washington where I was a helper in a small town where I know most everyone, there were people there I didn''t know who signed up and voted. So, my question - who checks the registration?? No one. Another problem, it disenfranchises the older voter who just don''t have the endurance required by the caucus. Don''t agree to a caucus in either state Hillary - they are not democratic. Vote by mail only!!