No new primary for Florida Democrats

[Andrew_Pakula]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/...ion/index.html

No new primary for Florida Democrats

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After weeks of negotiations, the Florida Democratic Party said Monday it will not hold a second primary in the state.

The state party's leaders have been seeking a way to have Florida's delegation seated at the Democratic National Convention.

"We researched every potential alternative process -- from caucuses to county conventions to mail-in elections -- but no plan could come anywhere close to being viable in Florida," said state party chairwoman Karen Thurman in an e-mail sent to Florida Democrats late Monday afternoon.

Thurman said the decision now falls to the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, which is scheduled to meet again next month.

But it is not clear whether that committee has the power to make a final decision, or whether it will fall to the Credentials Committee, which will decide in August which delegations will be seated at the presidential nominating convention in Denver.

The national party stripped Florida of its delegates last year, along with Michigan, when both states scheduled their primaries in January in violation of DNC instructions.

None of the major candidates campaigned in Florida or Michigan ahead of those votes, but Sen. Hillary Clinton was permitted to host a few fundraisers in Florida.

She won handily in Florida, winning not only most of the counties but also every county in the lower three-quarters of the state. She took 50 percent of the vote to Sen. Barack Obama's 33 percent. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who has since dropped out of the race, received 14 percent of the vote.

The Clinton campaign, which has pressed for the full Florida delegation to be seated, said it was disappointed with the state party's decision.

"Today's announcement brings us no closer to counting the votes of the nearly 1.7 million people who voted in January," said Clinton spokesman Phil Singer. "We hope the Obama campaign shares our belief that Florida's voters must be counted and cannot be disenfranchised."

Obama's campaign released a statement: "We hope that all parties can agree on a fair seating of the Florida delegates so that Florida can participate in the Democratic Convention, and we look forward to working with the Florida Democratic Party and competing vigorously in the state so that Barack Obama can put Florida back into the Democratic column in November."

Florida's Democrats had been weighing several options for a re-vote, including a possible mail-in primary to be held before the DNC's June 10 deadline.

"I'm glad that the party has reached the same conclusion that was reached by the congressional delegation a week ago," said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida.

A supporter of Clinton, Wasserman Schultz had staunchly opposed a re-vote.

She said she would consider a proposal that would allow the full delegation to weigh in at the convention, but she wants each delegate to have only half a vote.

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, an Obama supporter, said Obama would like to see Florida's delegates counted in a way that would not alter the overall outcome heading into the party's convention.

But, he said, Obama wants to "give Florida the opportunity to vote."

Daschle rejected the one-half person formula that seemed to gain traction last week as prospects for a second primary grew more remote.

State party officials developed a draft plan that was sent last week to national party leaders, including DNC chairman Howard Dean and the Clinton and Obama campaigns. The plan called for combining mail-in and in-person primary votes in a new contest that would conclude June 3.

The proposal would have let the state regain its 210 delegates.

Florida's congressional Democrats quickly rejected that idea.

"After reviewing the party's proposal and individually discussing this idea with state and local leaders and elections experts, we do not believe that this is a realistic option at this time and remain opposed to a mail-in ballot election or any new primary election in Florida of any kind," they said in a statement released Thursday night.

[Tchocky]

Future Boy is probably bummed. A Florida do-over would have helped Hillz immensely. However, in the event of a Michigan do-over, Obama would probably win, so essentially she'd be breaking even.

[Nimrod's Son]

The Democratic party is anything but

[redbreegull]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

Future Boy is probably bummed. A Florida do-over would have helped Hillz immensely. However, in the event of a Michigan do-over, Obama would probably win, so essentially she'd be breaking even.

How do you figure Obama would win Michigan? From my understanding, Michigan is very similar to Ohio in its make up of union members and industrial workers... who are more likely to vote for Clinton.

[Future Boy]

Michigan will be close I think. Im not really bummed, I didnt expect a revote. The good part is that the Florida dems torpedo it and not the candidates. Obama's got a problem if he keeps blocking Michigan though.

[Nate the Grate]

What a stupid fucking stunt from both the Michigan and Florida Democratic Parties.

[dudehitscar]

i'm against the revote in Michigan because i can't vote in it. A lot of people voted in the republican race because the democrat one didn't count(me included). if they have a revote then those people are screwed. If I had known that there would be a revote I never would of voted in the republican primary. A lot of independents I know did the same thing.

[Tchocky]

Originally Posted by redbreegull

How do you figure Obama would win Michigan? From my understanding, Michigan is very similar to Ohio in its make up of union members and industrial workers... who are more likely to vote for Clinton.

Detroit will put Obama on top. The number of union members and industrial workers who would vote for Clinton are dwindling rapidly in Michigan as my state's industry goes to hell in a handbasket. Even if Clinton wins, it won't be enough to make much of a difference.

[beef curtains]

Originally Posted by Nate the Grate

What a stupid fucking stunt from both the Michigan and Florida Democratic Parties.

My understanding of FL is that the repub Governor moved the contest up and that the dems there couldn't do anything about it...

[homechicago]

Florida is...I don't even know. The Democrats in that state have had eight years to get things right. It isn't a national problem, it's a state problem.

MI is the same thing. If the state dems pull a stupid move, make the state people pay. Recall election. Get someone who knows what they're doing in office. Don't blame the country, blame the idiots in your state. Granholm should be ousted. Only a Clinton supporter like her would pull this crap and act "surprised" afterward, pretending she didn't know the facts from the beginning. It isn't rocket science.

[Future Boy]

what facts?

[Gish08]

Didn't Hillary initially say Michigan didn't matter?

[Future Boy]

She said the votes in the first primary wouldnt be counted, she was stating the obvious. What does that have to do with a revote? She isnt pushing for that vote to count. The rules, which everyone likes to say she's breaking (without saying how they're being broken), allow for a revote.

Didnt Obama say he'd accept any re-vote approved by the DNC? Well, he didnt.

[wally]

Originally Posted by beef curtains

My understanding of FL is that the repub Governor moved the contest up and that the dems there couldn't do anything about it...

The Republican controlled legislature made it a part of a popular voting reform package. We've been cl******g for a move away from electronic voting, so they put the primary move on the bill and noone wanted to be seen voting against the electronic voting move.

[wally]

Originally Posted by Future Boy

She said the votes in the first primary wouldnt be counted, she was stating the obvious. What does that have to do with a revote? She isnt pushing for that vote to count. The rules, which everyone likes to say she's breaking (without saying how they're being broken), allow for a revote.

Didnt Obama say he'd accept any re-vote approved by the DNC? Well, he didnt.

No, but she conveniently says she "won" Michigan and Florida.

[Future Boy]

yeah, thats stupid.

Whats that got to do with a revote.

[Future Boy]

I mean its good you got your Clinton complaining out of the way, well for now at least, but I dont see the connection. You were one of the people spouting off about rules being broken. What the fuck is being broken? I wont claim be all knowing on this issue, so please tell me, I could be wrong.

[JokeyLoki]

Stupid for Michigan and Florida Democrats to move the primaries, and stupid for the Democratic Party to take away ALL their delegates instead of half like the Republicans did.