Posted on 03/10/2008 9:07:03 AM PDT by jdm
As the Democrats plod on towards delegate disaster in Denver, more and more leading party members have begun floating the notion of do-overs in Florida and Michigan. New primaries or caucuses could bring back 350 delegates into the process and might help solidify support behind a single candidate, taking the pressure off of the superdelegates before the national convention. Methodology remains a big problem, although Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) tries his best to minimize it (emphasis mine):
And there is a practical and affordable way to conduct another election that would be fair to all involved, and should gain the support of state officials. It is this: Hold a revote via a mail-in ballot, and underwrite its cost with Democratic Party funds. I’ve already discussed the idea with Republican Gov. Charlie Crist and he is supportive.
A mail-in vote — which Oregon has used successfully for years — would be cheaper, less cumbersome and more inclusive than attempting at this late hour to stage a full-fledged return to the polls. It also would give voters enough time to take a closer look at the candidates, and further study their positions on the issues. A mail-in vote would also allow us to send ballots to military voters overseas. …
Mail-in balloting, of course, poses some challenges, including matching the signature on each ballot with the signature on a voter’s registration card.
Some challenges? What possible challenges could arise? Nelson doesn’t bother to address any of them, including the only one he mentions. A few more come to mind, and will come to be included in the inevitable lawsuits later:
The lawyers will undoubtedly find more when the results get published, but those will do for now; it’s just a thumbnail sketch of the complaints Democrats leveled at the 2000 election results, which had a much more reliable system in place. Unfortunately, the Democrats won’t have many other choices. Caucuses won’t work because Hillary Clinton won’t agree to them. The states have already refused to foot the bill for a real primary vote, and the state parties can’t afford them and still have a budget for the general election.
However, another question arises with this concept. Why should Florida and Michigan be the only states that get to rethink their results? After all, both states held their contests knowing full well their delegates would not get counted. Michigan especially understood that as most of the candidates removed their names from the ballot. If Florida and Michigan get to hold brand-new elections with the race narrowed to two candidates, shouldn’t other states do the same?
Iowa, for instance, caucused on January 3 and gave John Edwards a second-place win. Shouldn’t Iowa have a re-caucus in order to keep from disenfranchising the Edwards contingent? In New Hampshire, 24% of the Democratic voters chose someone other than Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Even in South Carolina, 18% chose John Edwards. If these states want to pay for new primaries, should they be allowed do-overs as well, especially if they can just mail out surveys and call them reliable?
The only reason Democrats want Florida and Michigan do-overs is because they find themselves in a tight spot and want some kind of Deus ex machina to rescue them from their own folly in both their penalties for violating scheduling rules and the superdelegate structure. Florida had all of the candidates on the ballot; if the Democrats want to seat the Florida delegation, they just need to do so. Michigan will learn a hard lesson in risk management for the 2012 primaries. No one needs do-overs — they just need to follow the rules the first time. The impulse to cover the collective DNC backside will otherwise result in the adoption of stopgap processes that will seriously undermine the credibility of the results.
Democrats, like the Clintons, are cheating Ba.....!! JK
This s the party that is expected to unite us come November.
you’re forgetting Lautenberg for Toricelli. Rules are meant to be broken, unless they apply to Republicans. (did anyone get to run in DeLay’s place?)
This Michigander knows how you feel.
Yup. The Democrats decided to ignore their voters in the state, so why the heck should we be paying to fix their PR disaster?
The rule of law does not apply to the Dhimmicrat party.
And another...
Which leads to another point. Are only those who voted in the first primary allowed to revote or is the revote open to all registered voters, even if they didn't vote in the first one?
If voters who didn't vote the first time are allowed to vote now in Florida, then why not let voters in all states who didn't vote in those states' first primaries vote in a second primary?
This is delicious. If another primary is held, regardless of what matter, shape or form it takes, it's going to create terrible precedence and devalue the primaries of all other states.
THAT was more than too cool!
That's easy. Because rules are rules! Why make rules if no one is bound to live by them?? If we have no rules - we have anarchy. People must learn that actions have consequences. If people only obey the rules until they don't like the outcome, we will live in chaos. We have got to get back to living by our word - not asking for a do-over every time things don't go our way.
And, like the auto workers, service workers, etc. --> the ones with brains should know already that the Democrat elites are NOT supportive of your plight.
Think back to when all this started --> Carter Administration ALLOWED the Japanese car makers into the US to take American auto workers jobs. Many of the teachers and other professionals were down on the auto workers because without a college degree, the auto workers were making more money.... sniff --> the teachers thought this was unfair without giving a thought to the fact that many of these workers (because they worked so hard) lived shorter lives, became disabled, etc.
And did any of these elites give a damm about what Carter's policy did to many Midwestern towns... not a thought or assistance. Ghost towns: Muncie, Indiana, Akron, OH, Youngstown, OH, Detroit, MI, Flint, MI.... just to name a few. The towns and their people never recovered.
Most recently, think NAFTA... sure it's good for business but it does nothing for the people who lost their jobs. --> NAFTA's author = Bubba Clinton....
Soon, I think, fatigue is going to set in on these nefarious campaigns. Good. I say let them have the do-overs; there is a psychological drain about doing something, intensely, that you didn’t know you were going to have to do. All this extra effort is going to take a toll, especially on Hillary — the voice, the health, the stamina, the irritability — all of which will redound to our benefit in the long run.
A revote will set a dangerous precedent. I guarantee we’ll see a half dozen more states looking for a reason to revote in the next election.
We’re on our way to runoff elections
Lets face it, the ONLY way this is going to be settled, vote or no vote is in the courts as the Rat shysters go after each other in one of the great shark feeding frenzies of history.
I think it’s our job as Republicans to throw as much chum in the water as we can.....
As the Democrats plod on towards delegate disaster in Denver,...yeah...
more and more leading party members have begun floating the notion of do-overs in Florida and Michigan....y'know, because do-overs in Florida and Michigan will help the credibility of the party's nomination process. Of course, that bit of sarcasm ignores for the time being the role which will be played by partisan media shills.
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