Michigan Considers Dem Primary Do-Over

State Legislators Review Plan To Have Second Primary On June 3

(AP)  Legislative leaders reviewed a measure Monday that would set up a do-over Democratic presidential primary in Michigan, The Associated Press learned.

The draft legislation included language that would approve spending privately raised funds for the election and setting the date for June 3, according to a Democratic leader who spoke on condition of anonymity because lawmakers and the campaigns are still considering the proposal.

The campaigns of Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama also received copies of the bill Monday. Clinton has said she would go along with another primary, but Obama's campaign has raised some concerns.

"A re-vote is the only way Michigan can be assured its delegation will be seated, and vote in Denver' at the party's national convention this summer, Clinton campaign aide Harold Ickes said Monday. "If the Obama campaign thwarts a fair election process for the people of Michigan, it will jeopardize the Democratic nominee's ability to carry the state in the general election."

Obama advisers said they were reviewing the plan and didn't have any immediate comment.

The Democrat-led House is scheduled to leave for a two-week vacation Thursday, so any bills to set up the do-over primary need to be brought up quickly. The measure also would have to be approved by the Republican-controlled state Senate. To be given immediate effect, the measure would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.

To go forward, any plan also would require the approval of the two campaigns, the Democratic National Committee, state party leaders and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who is backing Clinton.

The contest must be held by June 10 for the results to count under DNC rules.

Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, a backer of moving Michigan's primary to Jan. 15, told reporters Monday in a conference call from Kuwait that he hoped state lawmakers would approve a bill "that makes it possible for there to be a clear decision on this among Democratic voters."

"Of course it's not the only solution," said Levin, who has not endorsed a candidate for the nomination. "There's always, if necessary, taking this to the convention. But that's not the ideal solution. That's the second-best solution."

The national party punished Michigan and Florida for moving up their primaries before Feb. 5, stripping them of all their delegates to the party's national convention this summer in Denver. All the Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign in the two states, and Obama was not even on the Michigan ballot.

Clinton won both primaries. As her race with Obama has tightened, she has argued the delegates should be seated or new primaries held.

The two states have been struggling to come up with alternative plans to ensure their delegates are seated.

On Monday in Atlanta, federal appeals judges skeptically questioned a lawyer who argued that the national party's decision to strip Florida of its 210 convention delegates was unconstitutional.

Michael Steinberg, a lawyer for Victor DiMaio, a Democratic Party activist from Tampa, said Florida's Democratic voters are being disenfranchised by not being permitted to have their say in the selection of their party's nominee. The action violates DiMaio's constitutional right to equal protection, he argued.

"The citizens of the state of Florida are not being treated equally," Steinberg told the judges.

But Joe Sandler, a lawyer for the Democratic National Committee, said the party has the right to set its own the rules and not seat delegates who refuse to follow them.

"It goes to the heart of the constitutional right of the DNC to determine the best means of selecting delegates to the convention," Sandler said.

Sounding skeptical of Steinberg's equal protection argument, the judges noted in their questions that states select their presidential picks in different ways - some use caucuses and others primaries - and on different days. Judge Stanley Marcus suggested at one point that the only way to treat all the states equally, under Steinberg's theory, was for them to all hold their primaries on the same day.

Not so, Steinberg said. He said one solution might be to rotate the states so that each gets a shot at being in the first round.

Marcus asked Sandler whether the party could constitutionally exclude some states from the process altogether. Sandler replied that Florida was allowed to vote, just not on the date it chose.

Outside the courthouse, DiMaio said he cast his ballot for John Edwards, who has since dropped out of the race, but is remaining neutral in the contest between Clinton and Obama.

"I'm just a little guy trying to get some justice," said DiMaio, a political consultant who serves on the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee.

His lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge in Florida but the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to hear an expedited appeal. It was not clear when the court would rule.

Sandler said the suit would be moot if Florida scheduled a re-vote. Steinberg disagreed, saying the Jan. 29 vote should count.

[jockh]

If Hillary can loan 5 million dollars to her campaign then surely the voters have a right to know the source of her funding.

Why wont Hillary release her tax returns? People with nothing to hide don''t usually hide.
The main excuse we''ve gotten so far is that Hillary Clinton just has too much on her plate. "I''m a little busy right now," she said during the Ohio debate. "I hardly have time to sleep. But I will certainly work toward releasing, and we will get that done and in the public domain."
That was three weeks ago. Two weeks ago, Howard Wolfson promised the returns would be released "on or around April 15." But weren''t the returns completed and filed a long time ago? Doesn''t Clinton''s accountant have time to print them out and make some copies (note to Clinton''s accountant: many Kinko''s are open 24 hours).

In short, it''s well past time for Hillary Clinton to be as "vetted" as she claims to already be -- and to have this vetting done now by Democratic voters rather than later by GOP hit squads. She needs to live up to the standard she laid out for Rick Lazio, the opponent in her 2000 Senate race. At that time, she said it was "frankly disturbing" that Lazio was holding back on releasing his tax returns and she even sent a staffer dressed as Uncle Sam to taunt him during campaign stops.
What a difference eight years -- and tens of millions of dollars (some of them from questionable deals) -- can make.

[craigh9]

Michigan has become the AVIS of the election screw up world - they are #2 but are trying harder!

[blkpresident]

Michigan,

Why waste your time and money? After PA., ''lil Hillary girl will have to face the music--America doesn''t want or need a soccer mom playing president at this critical juncture in our history (we are at war). We need a real man to handle the affairs of state. Mind you not an OLD man like McCain, who should be doing geritol commercials instead of running for president.

[kmccliment]

March 15th at Barry''''s house:

Ring, Ring: Hello this is Barry. Barry this Rev.W. Who the F**K do you think you are denouncing my comments yesterday. I put you where you are and now your going to turn your back on me? But, Rev.W I thought you said I could lie. Barry not about me! Now here is what your going to do. Tuesday you will go before the nation and defend our church and me, you better sound convincing or I''''ll spill the beans. Yes sir I''''m sorry Rev. W.... Click...