Florida Democrats Won't Hold Re-Do Primary

Party Chairwoman Cites Lack Of Support For Idea; Fate Of Delegates Now Rests With DNC

(CBS/AP)  The campaigns also received copies of the bill Monday.

"A revote is the only way Michigan can be assured its delegation will be seated, and vote in Denver" at the party's national convention, Clinton campaign aide Harold Ickes said. "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."

Vietor, the Obama spokesman, said, "It's pretty apparent that the Clinton campaign's views on voting are dependent on their own political interest. Hillary Clinton herself said in January that the Michigan primary 'didn't count for anything.' Now, she is cynically trying to change the rules at the eleventh hour for her own benefit. We received a very complex proposal for Michigan revote legislation today and are reviewing it to make sure that any solution for Michigan is fair and practical. We continue to believe a fair seating of the delegation deserves strong consideration."

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. It would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

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.

Voters would have to sign a statement that they hadn't voted in the Jan. 15 GOP primary to be eligible to vote on June 3. That would effectively keep away from the polls Democratic voters - most of them non-Clinton supporters - who crossed over to vote in the GOP primary because Clinton was the only major candidate on the Democratic ballot.

The draft measure would set up a fund within the state Treasury to receive up to $12 million in cash and other assets from private donors to cover the cost of the election.

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 choosing 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.

There was no indication when the court would rule.

[bretster7]

LINY516 said,
The right wing and Hillary monsters'''' swiftboat tactics won''''t work this time.


Yeah that''s right. The right wing made the Rev Wright make all those racist hate filled sermons for the last 20 years. Must be some kind of neocon mind control. The wrong Reverand Wright swiftboated himself with his biggoted, racist hatrid: fool

[deemsnyd]

You wont hear much of this in the NY Times or NBC.

A little over one year ago:

1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon
3) the unemployment rate was 4.5%.

Since voting in a Democratic Congress in 2006 we''ve
seen:

1) Consumer confidence plummet;
2) the cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3 a
gallon;
3) Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase);
4) American households have seen $2.3 trillion in
equity value evaporate (stock and mutual fund losses);

5) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.2
trillion dollars;
6) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.


America voted for change in 2006, and we got it!

[blondbeotch]

jwind11### These people get nuttier every day!!! It''s kind of amusing--or scary--I don''t know which is worse.

[cmurray48]

I''m am so disappointed in the National Democratic Party. All they had to do was to realize in the beginning that the Florida Democrats had nothing to do with this decision to move the date, and therefore should not be "punished" like little kids for "disobeying" the rules. Sheesh.

I happen to live in a state that is currently being run by Republicans. Isn''t that punishment enough?? Personally, I agreed with the decision to change the date, but I would have moved it to Super Tuesday where our votes still would have counted. I am sick and tired of never having a say in who gets the nod, because by the time it trickled down to Florida, the decision had already been made. Every time.

I am really so sick of this nonsense that I''m switching my party after this election. I''m going to register Independent. This is the first election in many a year that I haven''t contributed to the Democratic Party. I never will again. As usual, I won''t have any say in who gets to represent me. Only this time I can thank the bonehead national party and our bonehead republican legislature. Well, thanks, but no thanks. I''ve had enough.
Just sign me disgusted in Florida.

[jwind11]

dumbshi - er - un, I know you don''''t like it, by Grandpa McPTSD isn''''t going to be President. Request Denied.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by FloydZepp at 04:36 AM : Mar 18, 2008

with people as moronic as floydzepp, we wonder what is wrong with this country? look at above post as example

[jwind11]

You find those WMD''''s yet?

No?

Keep looking.


lol!





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by singingrick at 09:58 AM : Mar 18, 2008

check this loser lib out, having a conversation with himself... lol

[kofiananimus]

A re-vote was the only fair solution to the problem. The people of Florida should oust every single elected official who broke the rules and pushed the elections forward and who gave up on the re-election because it was "too hard". Florida, your elected officials are making you look stupid.

[sparkler1066]

nice to think that Florida voters don''t count, Obama should really like that.

[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.

[william19491]

JERsupporter 8:48 am Great response to Mc(Vet)??
He is a hate monger!

[mollydtt]

Instead of trying to giving Florida yet another special consideration, why don''t we right now tell that state that in 2012, they can''t do this or any other hair-brained scheme they think up to mess up any future election. Why should they suddenly get to vote when they threw it away (for no good reason that I can see).

[fornicario]

Well, as a Floridian, I''m glad that the Democrats have to deal with the consequences of their own greed and short-sighted stupidity. When they decided that only Florida''s money mattered, and only decided to fund-raise here, never mind actually trying to win our votes, what did they think would happen? Next time Dems, try not to be so Republican in your greed.

[craigh9]

$Millions? Peanuts on a national scale, you have to spend $300 million to cost each of us a buck.
The Iraq war cost? $1 Trillion? Now your talking big money.

My vote doesn''''t matter? did your vote matter?

And yes, after being ignored by Bush for seven years, it would be nice to hear some political promises from our Democratic Candidates concerning Michigan, even if they are hollow.

Posted by ianlou at 09:43 AM : Mar 18, 2008

This is a perfect example of whats wrong with this country - do it because I want it - not that it''s right, not that it''s by the rules, not that it will mean a *** thing, just do it because I want it!!!!!!

[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.
What a difference eight years -- and tens of millions of dollars (some of them from questionable deals) -- can make.

[singingrick]

hillaryin08


You find those WMD''s yet?

No?

Keep looking.


lol!

[liny516]

As far as you people spreading lies about Obama being at the taped sermon, stop it. You''re exposing yourselves to be the hate mongers that you really are. Newsmax is a right wing fraud; The New York Times had to print a retration regarding their article on the same thing.

Obama was in Miami on the day the taped sermon was made. The minister, a former marine, is not a racist and does not hate this country.

The right wing and Hillary monsters'' swiftboat tactics won''t work this time.

[ianlou]

I must say it''''s probably a good thing these hurdles for obama came now rather than a week before the GE, the public will eventually calm down once people start focusing on the issues again.
Posted by melchg

I hope so.
I''ve had it with politics from the church pulpit, look what that has gotten us since the new millennium.

[liny516]

Florida broke the rules and the DNc said the vote would not count. I don''t care if both names were on the ballot, there were people who did not vote in the primaries because it was ruled their votes wouldn''t count. If the democratics don''t hold a redo, the delegates shouldn''t be seated, plain and simple.

You can''t disenfranchise those people who didn''t want to take time off from work or hire a babysitter for a beauty contest. I''m quite sure the number of people who voted would have been higher if it had been a sanctioned primary.

Hillary and her synchophants can''t change the rules because her coronation to queen may be quashed.

[ianlou]

You think it is justified to spend millions of dollars to run an election that doesn''''t matter, so you can hear them talk about the issues? Don''''t they talk about them every day? Do you think if they say something different in Michigan its for any other reason than to capture your vote?????
Posted by craigh9

$Millions? Peanuts on a national scale, you have to spend $300 million to cost each of us a buck.
The Iraq war cost? $1 Trillion? Now your talking big money.

My vote doesn''t matter? did your vote matter?

And yes, after being ignored by Bush for seven years, it would be nice to hear some political promises from our Democratic Candidates concerning Michigan, even if they are hollow.

[whtpresident]

Part I

Clarification: The Obama campaign has told members of the press that Senator Obama was not in church on the day cited, July 22, because he had a speech he gave in Miami at 1:30 PM. Our writer, Jim Davis, says he attended several services at Senator Obama''''s church during the month of July, including July 22.