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Democrats Look to Avoid Convention Rift
Former Vice President Al Gore and a number of other senior Democrats plan to remain neutral for now in the presidential race in part to keep open the option to broker a peaceful resolution to what they fear could be a bitterly divided convention, party officials and aides said Friday. Democratic Party officials said that in the past week Mr. Gore and other leading Democrats had held private talks as worry mounted that the close race between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton could be decided by a group of 795 party insiders known as superdelegates.
...[Pelosi] said the nomination should not be decided by delegates from Florida and Michigan allocated on the basis of voting in primaries there last month, as the Clinton campaign has proposed. Mrs. Clinton got more votes in both places, although neither candidate actively campaigned there and Mr. Obama was not even on the ballot in Michigan. The party had penalized those states for holding their primaries earlier than the party wanted by stripping them of their delegates to the convention.
...But the role that the superdelegates should play between now and the convention is at the heart of a raging debate. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, which is trailing in the delegate count, has taken the position that superdelegates should be free to choose the best-qualified candidate. Mr. Obama’s campaign has said that the superdelegates should be bound by the voters’ will.
I think that ship has already sailed. As in, a year and a half ago when the DNC changed the rules and later disenfranchised the Democratic voters of Florida and Michigan. That disenfranchisement has in part led to the tightness of the contest to date (the opposite of the intended effect) and maintaining it actively works against the Democrats in those key states. The Law of Perverse Consequences stands unrepealed.
Well, we warned them. As in, early and often.
Tully, I must admit,
Tully,
I must admit, these last few years have been trying. On one hand you have Bush. Need I say more? If Pelosi refuses to allow Florida and Michigan vote to count (and let's not kid ourselves that voters did not have the option to NOT VOTE FOR HILLARY) and then she says superdelegates must be bound by the majority of those voters allowed to count, - Obama may very well win in the most perverse way.
1. Obama and his supporters played the personal attack game first and then floated the race card.
2. Media tilted the playing field and alters the presumed top dog status of Clinton.
3. Democrats are still split as to whether vague rhetoric and questionable record and consistency of message trump strong debates, record and better consistenecy as well as proven toughness against opposition attacks for the Republicans.
4. A clear message that any opposition to the more Liberal talking points on Iraq and foreign policy is NEOCON and that suggesting real bipartisanship is being Republican Lite, is irrational and insulting.
5. The discomfort of being told by Pelosi and company what consititutes fair play and civility, including the contemptible silence to scold Obama or media for sexist, racial, personal and factually incorrect slams on the Clintons, is really too much.
6. The Dean Wing idea that a win for Obama in Utah and other Red States acheieved by activist caucuses represents the general election track,is wrong.
7. The clear signal that Blacks are basically voting for Obama because he is Black while most men seem to prefer not to vote for a woman, cannot go without protest.
This display is not worthy of the Democratic Party. I suggest Democrats and Independents make it clear NOW that they will seriously consider voting for McCain rather than be taken for granted. The idea is that a McCain contained by a Democratic Congress is better than an Obama set free by the same Democratic Congress. I know many Republicans are not happy with McCain, but as a More centrist Liberal, how can I be happy about the Democrats and their behavior? I do not want Zbig calling the shots, or Susan Rice. The American public who have had their news largely filtered by a media that is out of control, do not understand the global movement at foot. Alarm hurts Obama. It is that simple. Positive news concerning anything that is Bush backed is also filtered to the bottom of the page. Perhaps Nader should run.
I hope the Democrats are listening. McCain could take Florida and Ohio. I do not think media will dare suggest Obama runs weaker against McCain than Hillary. The fairy tale goes far deeper than the Obama camp.
I'm popping extra popcorn.
I'm popping extra popcorn. Wouldn't wanna run short during the convention. :-)
They made this mess for themselves, and it's doing the opposite of what they intended it to do when they made it. That's exacerbated by the predictable problems of a party based on identity politics running identity candidates.
We are amused.
The Democratic campaign of
The Democratic campaign of 2008 is setting up for a wonderful dissertation paper on the primary systems. The crazier it gets, the easier it is going to be to write. So the more chaos that occurs will definitely be worth it to me. My biggest fear is that Clinton falls flat in the next couple of weeks.
Now on Michigan and Florida, Michigan is going to be tougher since candidates pulled off the ballot. However, they could not pull off of the Florida ballot, so they could choose someone other than Hillary. Its not like Floridians did not go to the polls either.
On Florida, the state Democratic party had zero control of the situation. I have not seen the DNC offering to pay for a statewide primary or caucus. The state party does not want to do a caucus because they consider them less democratic in a state this large. They would have to pay the counties for a second primary, so I can't see that happening either.
So, even if you want to throw out Michigan, Florida was a fair contest. The DNC's only hope is for a total Clinton collapse so they can reinstate the Florida and Michigan delegates. I can assure you that the Florida Republican Party is already putting together a commercial montage of Democrats from 2000 and Democrats now if the Florida delegation is not seated.
Remember, Jim, that they were offered that choice
On Florida, the state Democratic party had zero control of the situation.
Remember, Jim, that they were offered that choice, and declined to change their stand. But yeah, it was a fair contest. Unlike Michigan.
I can assure you that the Florida Republican Party is already putting together a commercial montage of Democrats from 2000 and Democrats now if the Florida delegation is not seated.
LOL. That has potential to be devestatingly hilarious. They can use my series as "pointer research."