Starting Gate: Fooling With Florida
The bitter, intra-party fight flared up again over the weekend when the state Democratic Party announced it intended to go forward with a January 29th presidential primary, rebuffing threats from the DNC to strip the state of all its national convention delegates. Because the state's moved-up primary violates party rules, the DNC has played a potential high-stakes game of chicken – either select delegates at a later date, or lose them for the convention.
Just about all the Democratic presidential candidates have pledged to boycott active participation in the state's primary, although they still make frequent appearances in the state to raise money. The smart money may be on Florida Democrats eventually winning out and gaining admission for at least a large share of their delegation to the convention. But the abrasive nature of the dispute has Republicans looking at an opportunity come next November.
The Florida Republican party will send out a direct-mail piece this week, according to the AP, which seeks to lure Democrats out of their party over the issue. "The Democrats in Washington are out of touch," reads the mailer. "Now - thanks to their egos and political in-fighting - you, as a Florida Democrat, may lose your vote." Included in the mailing to targeted Democrats – a convenient form to change party registration.
The move may amount to little more than a stunt but underscores the potential danger for Democrats in a state they can't afford to ignore in the general election. Why national party leaders have taken such a hard line in a state well within their reach is not easy to understand. The early primary also violates Republican Party rules and the RNC has threatened to strip the party of half of their delegation but has not insisted on a pledge for candidates to boycott campaigning there. Should 2008 come down to Florida, Florida, Florida, Democrats don't want to end up asking themselves, why, why, why?
SEIU Setback For Edwards? The Service Employees International Union, one of the most politically dynamic labor organizations, has reportedly decided not to decide on endorsing any of the Democratic candidates – just yet. As our friend Lynn Sweet points out, the stalemate is a "big setback" for John Edwards who has courted the SEIU heavily and good news for Barack Obama. According to Sweet, the union is waiting to see which candidate emerges as the most viable alternative to Hillary Clinton.
See, Told 'Ya: In case you haven't heard, Obama was the only one of the major Democratic candidates to oppose the war in Iraq before the fact – something that contrasts to the votes cast in favor of it by all the senators in the field, even John Edwards. It's a point his campaign will hammer home next week, on the fifth anniversary of his 2002 speech opposing the then-pending war. According to The Swamp, Obama will deliver a speech on the war next Tuesday – in conjunction with rallies in 17 cities.
Around The Track
Among the key quotes from Bush: "It's different being a candidate and being the president. … No matter who the president is, no matter what party, when they sit here in the Oval Office and seriously consider the effect of a vacuum being created in the Middle East, particularly one trying to be created by al Qaeda, they will then begin to understand the need to continue to support the young democracy."