Posted on 03/18/2008 6:18:32 PM PDT by Kieri
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign accused Barack Obama on Tuesday of standing in the way of a second presidential primary in Michigan, as several state lawmakers expressed concerns over suggested rules governing any revote.
Aides said the former first lady would make a hastily arranged appearance in Detroit on Wednesday to make the argument for going ahead despite the obstacles.
Mo Elleithee, a spokesman, said Clinton would "make the case for counting the people of Michigan, that every vote must count and that Senator Obama is standing in the way of a revote, and that snubbing Michigan would hurt the Democratic party in November."
Even before Clinton announced her travel plans, Obama's spokesman accused her of merely looking out for her own political interests.
"As others in Michigan have pointed out, there are valid concerns about the proposal currently being discussed, including severe restrictions on voter eligibility and the reliance on private funding," said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor. "We have raised these concerns, as legislators in Michigan did today, and we're waiting to see if these issues can be resolved by the Legislature."
Michigan is one of two states that violated Democratic Party rules by holding primaries too early in the year. As punishment, the party stripped both states of their delegates to the national nominating convention.
Plans for a revote in the other state, Florida, collapsed over the weekend, leaving the future of its delegation unclear.
One of the sticking points holding up a possible do-over election in Michigan is a rule that would ban anyone who voted in the Republican presidential primary from voting again in the Democratic one.
That ban would apply even to Democrats or independents who asked for a GOP ballot because Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the only major candidate left on the Jan. 15 Democratic ballot.
To cast a ballot in a do-over election, voters would have to sign a statement saying they hadn't voted in the GOP primary.
That could hurt Obama more, since his supporters were more likely than Clinton's to have crossed over to vote in the GOP primary. The national party punished Michigan for holding a primary before Feb. 5, stripping it of all its delegates and rendering the contest meaningless. Clinton was on the ballot, but Obama and other Democratic candidates removed their names to avoid angering early voting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.
Obama has had more success than Clinton attracting the votes of independents and Republicans in states where they could vote in Democratic contests.
A group of Democratic leaders from Michigan is trying to set up a June 3 do-over primary so the state can get its delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention — an event that looked less likely on Tuesday.
Seventeen Democratic state House members said Tuesday they have concerns about holding another election, including disenfranchising Democrats who voted in the Republican primary.
"These people that chose to vote in that Republican primary in January did so after being told by the DNC that the Democratic primary did not count. They weren't told that if they participated in a Republican primary they wouldn't be eligible to participate in a redo that was going to happen in June," said state Rep. Matt Gillard, an Obama supporter.
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and the three Democratic leaders trying to get the delegates seated planned to lobby their party's state legislators on Wednesday.
Michigan's Republican primary drew 867,271 voters, including 18,106 who voted "uncommitted." The Democratic primary drew 593,837 voters.
Clinton garnered 328,151 votes, or 55 percent, and 237,762 votes, or 40 percent, went to "uncommitted." Other candidates were in single digits.
Potentially at stake are a hefty 128 pledged delegates Michigan had before the DNC took them away.
Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer says the party has the right — and the responsibility — to prevent non-Democrats from having a say in who becomes the party's nominee.
Michigan doesn't require voters to register by party in order to vote, so the parties have to use other tools to stop crossover voting. Both parties are due to get a list of who voted in the Jan. 15 primary and which ballot — Democratic or Republican — they chose. It's unclear whether those lists would be used to challenge anyone who had voted in the GOP primary.
Brewer said he's sorry some Democrats won't be able to vote again.
"I regret that that might be the case, but it's a national party rule and we have no choice but to follow it," he said.
___
Associated Press writer David Espo in Lancaster, Pa., contributed to this report.
This is deliciously ironic!! In the 2000 election, Gore put the country through months of nonsense while trying to manipulate the FL Dems to steal the election.
In the aftermath, he claimed that the Republicans had disenfranchised many voters (primarily African-American) from casting their votes - a claim that was investigated by the Civil Rights Commission and found to be compeletly without merit!!
And, yet, in 2008, it is the Democrats themselves who have done the disenfranchising of their own!!!
The irony goes deeper than that!
I don't know how they're going to handle this hot potato -- how is Hillary going to avoid Detroit mayor Kilpatrick, he who cheated on his wife with his chief-of-staff, said Beatty "did the right thing" when SHE resigned, he's on the verge of possible charges of perjury charges AND the city council just voted to ask for his resignation and he refuses to step down! Gee, where have we seen this show before??
Oh, I'm sure our governatrix Granholm will show up to support Hillary, but state politics are a disaster at the moment, Kwame stirred the race-baiting pot and the kettle is about to boil over.
Anybody got any supersized popcorn sitting around they're not using? ;-)
Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer says the party has the right — and the responsibility — to prevent non-Democrats from having a say in who becomes the party's nominee.Michigan doesn't require voters to register by party in order to vote, so the parties have to use other tools to stop crossover voting. Both parties are due to get a list of who voted in the Jan. 15 primary and which ballot — Democratic or Republican — they chose. It's unclear whether those lists would be used to challenge anyone who had voted in the GOP primary.
Brewer said he's sorry some Democrats won't be able to vote again.
You got that? Democrats crossed over in the primary and voted for the Republican candidate they wanted on the GOP ballot (or to knock certain conservative Republican candidates OFF the ballot).
Now the DNC regrets that those crossover Democrats won't get to vote in the Democrat primary.
But they have to do this to keep Republicans from crossing over into the Democrat primary.
The Socialist Party Democrats (or is that National Democrat Socialists?) don't like their dirty tricks used against them.
I say that either ONLY democrats who voted in first primary should get a vote (like in a runoff; with NO new voters coming into the primary) or ONLY those who voted in NO primary and signed NO ballot petition for a third party should get a vote (ONLY new voters).
Multiple primary voting is a rigged system. Coming on the heels of a rigged debate system.
Brewer said he's sorry some Democrats won't be able to vote again.
“I regret that that might be the case, but it's a national party rule and we have no choice but to follow it,” he said.”
Sorry Brewer, If that was a national party rule you have been breaking it for years in Michigan!
There is no party registrations and there was no oath of party support required for any ballot.
Any registered voter could request any ballot they wished, no questions ask.
You don't get to agree to an open primary and then have a closed primary do-over.
There’s got to be a lawsuit in this mess somewhere. The potential for plaintiffs is huge — democrat voters who were disqualified from voting again, “one citizen, one vote,” violation of party rules — and more I can’t imagine. Who knows, maybe several will be filed, asking for a temporary restraining order, rocket-docket up to the judge who has to decide whether or not to stop the redo or not...what a mess.
Now after they tricked about 1/3 of the RATS into voting on a Republican ballot they want a closed primary do-over?
I don't think so! That would violate the 14th amendment because the primary was run by the state, not the RAT party.
What do you think the RATS would do if Republicans agreed to an open primary with the rats, then had all the Republicans crossover and then had a separate closed Republican primary?
I sincerely have to wonder why anyone who knew their vote wouldn’t count would have voted in the first primary.
Oh how I wish the Democrats National Convention was being held in Detroit rather than Denver this summer....
Just bring on Obama the racist nominee, and his bitter, America-hating wife already. He is going to lose 40+ states.
There are other Rats in the primary races besides just King President Czar.
G’head, give me a reason to cross party lines. I will vote for, hmm, Kucinich? Clinton? Obama?
Affidavit of Ex-Detroit PD Clerk: I Saw Manoogian Fight Report
Channel 7 News ABC Detroit | 3-10-2008 | Channel 7 News
Posted on 03/10/2008 6:28:19 PM EDT by FrdmLvr
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1983486/posts
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