DNC Picketed Over Florida, Michigan Resolution

My colleague John Bresnahan emails that there are 50-60 union members from Florida and Michigan picketing outside DNC heaquarters right now.

They're complaining that the DNC's refusal to seat Florida and Michigan delagates will prevent dozens of union members who are delegates from attending the convention, and they want DNC Chairman Howard Dean to resolve the dispute.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[AnninCA]

And this is just the START. It's going to grow and grow and grow.

[marinade]

Promise?

[Shelly1970]

This issue has been going on for at least a month, since Clinton realized she can't win without FL and MI.

Just FYI.

[cynicism101]

Ya think? What genius didn't see this shit storm coming.

I know howie, all this pressure, it's enough to make you scream.

[CindyKay]

Attention : PIEZOID

Your Full of BS , Obama has said ( a few times now ) that He was asked about a re-vote from the Clinton Campaign & He told them He would Agree to it as long as the DNC Approved of the RULES ! End Of Story !

I am an Independent Born & Raised In Florida & I say that All Independents were Disenfranchised by a Closed Primary & Independents Want Obama .
Hillary Agreed Long Ago that Fla. & Mi. would not Count . Where the Hell was All Her Concern for the Voters Back Then ?????? Her Arrogance abot Never even thinking that She Could Lose , Her Mocking Obama's Speeche Her Out Right Blatant Lies about Bosnia & Nafta , Her Endorsement of McInsane ( I Could Go On For Hours People ) You Are One Warped Individual !!!!!

And YES , I Am Bitter !
If You re Not At The VERY LEAST OUTRAGED Then You Are Not Paying ATTENTION!!!

[CindyKay]

Sorry about the 2nd Posting Everyone but it took Sooooo Long to show up that I thought they were blocking it because I called Piezoid a HEMROID! LOL!!!!!

[CindyKay]

Attention : PIEZOID or More Appropriate Hemroid !

Your Full of BS , Obama has said ( a few times now ) that He was asked about a re-vote from the Clinton Campaign & He told them He would Agree to it as long as the DNC Approved of the RULES ! End Of Story !

I am an Independent Born & Raised In Florida & I say that All Independents were Disenfranchised by a Closed Primary & Independents Want Obama .
Hillary Agreed Long Ago that Fla. & Mi. would not Count . Where the Hell was All Her Concern for the Voters Back Then ?????? Her Arrogance about Never even thinking that She Could Lose , Her Mocking Obama's Speeche Her Out Right Blatant Lies about Bosnia & Nafta , Her Endorsement of McInsane ( I Could Go On For Hours People ) You Are A very Warped Individual!!!!!


And Yes I AM BITTER !!!!

If You Are Not At THE VERY LEAST OUTRAGED Then You Are Not Paying Attention!!!!!!!!

[piezoid]

Wow, you sure put me in my place!

EXCEPT FOR:
1. you're being disingenuous, Hillary CLEARLY wanted a re-vote and Obama did not because he wasn't sure it would help him. (And, in fact, it may have but we'll never know)

2. If you're right about Hillary expecting to win and she did win, no problem, she would have seated the delegates IMMEDIATELY. See how that works?

3. Nobody ever died because of Hillary's cock-up over the Bosnia thing but you may the first if you don't take it down a notch or two.

4. No doubt you could go on for hours, but I think I'll take a pass.

Hillary has convinced me and millions more that she is running for president because she wants to be the people's voice in our government. I'm not so convinced that Obama's motive for being president is to be president of ALL the people. He seems to take a view of society that is not as inclusive as it should be and I think some of Shelly's and Wright's outlandish statements tend to reinforce that argument.

And BTW, I'll let the literate here decide who among us is the warped individual.

[templestark]

it's really not that simple. Obama's campaign filed letters outlining a number if problems and requirements they had. They were too many and came too late to rectify. In reality they could have been resolved if the Obama campaign wanted them, too.

And yes, if the candidates roles were reversed they'd be arguing the other way.

- temple

[EyeWantOneNation]

Good one, CindyKay...I just posted a reply also...under pieholes comment...

I think we covered it !!!

[CindyKay]

I'm Glad You Enjoyed It ! Have Yourself A Great Evening !

[EyeWantOneNation]

Back at ya, lady !!!!

[jazzman]

Let's get real. Everybody signed on to the rules, created campaign strategy, allocated resources and staff to the States, recruited volunteers, and actually campaigned based on the agreement and assumptions laid down by those rules. This is how an election is run. We all know that the Clintons have gone into every State with a huge built in advantage. It's called name recognition. If the rules were set, if Obama did not have a chance to run a campaign in those States because he agreed to those rules as did Hillary, then those States should not and cannot count period.

Any other argument smacks of manipulation and dishonesty. We all know how campaigns are conducted. You can't have Hillary agreeing to rules and then when she's losing try and change the rules to gain an unfair advantage. To realize how ridiculous all the arguments for counting these States are just reverse the situation. If Obama had been the only name on the ballot and had won the States and wanted to count the States would Hillary be willing to go along with it?
We all know the answer: It's NO. So don't come on this web site pretending some kind of nonsense that doesn't make any logical or ethical sense at all.

[CindyKay]

You Are Right On !

[BlueBoomer]

Howard Dean couldn't fix a crooked fight.

It was HIM and the DNC that allowed last year's debates to be as biased as they were, and HIS dictum regarding Fla. and Michigan that has things screwed up now... What he COULD have said was that they could hold their primaries whenever they wanted to, BUT that the delegate count would not be publicized until their ORIGINAL (or a more agreeable) primary date...The media would just have to rely on exit polls.

As it is, It would seem that he could just have the popular votes count in those states.

[irishgawdess]

Please revisit what REALLY happened in both FL and MI. Start with their state legislatures and Republican majorities. All the states agreed to the DNC primary rules before the primaries even started. Just to cover their asses, the Democratic parties in FL and MI could have petitioned the DNC by the deadline to get the OK to move up their primaries, but evidently they didn't.

Sorry, it was the Republicans in those states (along with the Democrats who voted with them) who disenfranchised the Democratic voters, not Howard Dean.

[EyeWantOneNation]

How, praytell, can he, or you, count the popular vote in those states ??? That's part of the problem...not JUST the delegates !!!

In MI, all the candidates signed a pledge to take their names off the ballot. All did; except Hillary. The "popular vote" reflects...HILLARY !!!!

In FL, no one was allowed to campaign...Hillary ran a few fundraisers (whick was "ok") and Obama ran a cable TV ad that covered northwestern Florida. Where's a truthful popular vote there ???

The DNC messed this up big time...they could have let these 2 states hold their primaries early...so what ??? Big frickin' deal !!!!

But, NOOOOO...he had to cut them out completely...a couple million voters. Smart move, Dean !!!!

[irishgawdess]

I agree with your comments on MI and FL. However, the DNC didn't mess this up, all the states agreed to the DNC rules beforehand. MI and FL could have petitioned to hold their primaries early, which may or may not have worked. The four states that held primaries on Super Tuesday would have screamed to high heaven. At least it would have appeared the Democrats were making an effort to avoid voter disenfranchisement in MI and FL.

Look at Republican involvement in moving the primary dates up, along with the Democrats who went along with the idea in their state legislatures. They are the true culprits. All to have more influence over the election.

[Ranta]

"It was HIM" that had the foresight to push the 50 state strategy that helped win the last elections.

[jazzman]

This is the same kind of ploy that Karl Rove used in 2000. 10 to 1 says the Clinton campaign is behind this.

[VOTER]

YOU WIN!

[piezoid]

In FLA, Hillary Clinton beat Obama like a rented mule.
Michigan is less-clear but still hard to imagine Obama winning there.

But nobody really knows how a re-vote would have turned out.

So why didn't we get a re-vote?

Obama didn't want one.

He's not very sure of himself when it's a real primary and not one of those cockamamie caucuses.

Seems to me, anyway.

[AnninCA]

You got it. So he's now set the DNC convention up to be a complete zoo.

They told the DNC they would march. By golly......they weren't kidding!

[Shelly1970]

I can see how some Clinton supporters are angry about FL and MI and trying to put some of the blame on Obama, as they realize Clinton can't win the nomination without these states.

I'm a Hillary supporter, but I've been following the process long enough to know that the DNC decided not to count their delegates a long time ago when these states decided to move their primary dates against party rules. They have recently tried to come up with a resolution, only to realize that things like mail ballots are too risky and full of complexities.

She's always been favored to win PA, so at least she has that going for her.

Don't think she can honestly convince enough superdelegates...

Honestly, voted for Hillary just prolong this whole mess.

But it's not quite over yet.

[EyeWantOneNation]

Nice try at a not so good spin, piezoid...They didn't have a re-vote because neither states Democratic Party could afford to pay for one !!! It's not up to Obama !!! Seems to me he's taken a number of primaries, so I doubt he's "afraid" of anything !!!

Read up...a poll out of Lansing, MI today says they believe Obama can take McCain...sounds like some Obama supporters up there, hey ???

I spent 2 weeks in Florida the beginning of March...Tampa Bay/St. Pete area newscasters, out on the street, found Omaba supporters outnumbered Clinton supporters 4 - 1.

The only reason...ONLY reason, Hillary wants these states to count is because she is losing !!!

[pupbayer]

I agree, piezoid. People forget how these primaries got set ahead of the deadline. Republican legislatures set the dates. It's not like the state Democratic parties did it. These people are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is unconscionable to not allow people's votes to count.

If Obama is so far ahead of Clinton, and so optimistic, I don't see what he is so afraid of.

[cheersdk]

IMPASTOR JEREMIAH CROW DIS-ENFRANCHISEMENT LAWS:

A. Refusal to REVERSE the DIS-ENFRANCHISEMENT of MICHIGAN and FLORIDA VOTERS.
B. Do not want the Democratic Process to continue.

THIS LAW LOBBIED BY OBAMA'S SUPPORTERS, CHAMPIONED BY IMPASTOR WRIGHT AND AUTHORED BY these LEGIS-HATERS:

1. BARACK "Indonesian rickshaw cabbie whizzing by me, witness to drive-by surfings, grew up with inebriating pineapple trees on every street corner in my 'hood, that's why I'm BITTER" OBAMA,

2. JOHN "Sailing takes me away from flip flopping" KERRY,

3. PATRICK "I do represent CHANGE, I am not a Washington Insider, even if I have been in the U.S. Senate since 1974...33 years! I am not a hypocrite asking Hillary to stop running for office, even though I have done it many times" LEAHY,

4. CHRIS "please don't call me DUDD. Ok, I'm not much different than Putz Leahy above, ditto! I did run for President in 2008 like Judas Bill and both he and I earned zero delegates, that's why we have so much clout telling Hillary to stop while it is still close" DODD,

5. TED "I'll endorse you, promise to keep the Lincoln room wet bar stocked with my favorite irish whisky" KENNEDY,

6. BILL "I'm Judas, I sold out for, choose: a. invitation to celebrity fit club, b. lifetime super-size pass to McDonalds, c. Gift Cards to Taco Bell" RICHARDSON

7. BOB "I'm a 'privileged' son of a 'rich white man" CASEY.

Another example of GUTTER-BALL POLITICS!

[LeoMarvin]

Didn't you forget to mention that unlike Hillary's supporters, Barack's are hateful smear-mongers?

[Dunnage]

This is how you lose a presidential election. You have to win states.

[TerenceHartnett]

Okay--I am from Indiana. We have never had any input in a primary because it is always opver before it gets to us.

Have WE been DISENFRANCHISED????

This whole issue is a non-issue.

If Florida and Michigan delegates get seated, the I hope my damn state moves its primary up to February next time--I mean, since there is no penalty. Maybe NC will too--and everybody else.

[irishgawdess]

I feel your pain man. I'm from Oregon and our primary isn't until May 20. It's likely though, that this year both our states will be in the unusual position of actually having some input. Thanks Hillary!

[Ranta]

Better yet, start the 2010 primaries later this year.

[patapsco99]

Stop your whinning. Boo Hoo Hoo, I need to be seen.

[TRichards]

The fact is that all the candidates signed on to the rules and pledged not only not to campaign but also not to participate in the Michigan and Florida primaries. Hillary, always slippery, nevertheless left her name on the Michigan ballot -- making her the only candidate.

Now, finding that Super Tuesday did not result in her coronation, Hillary and her minions want Michigan and Florida to count -- because she wants to see the voters have their say.

Simultaneously, she wants to take the voters say away as she encourages the super delegates (party pros) to overturn the public and vote her in over Obama. Whatever works for . . . Hillary!

Look out! If elected, she may make some highways one-way and then try to collect from those who drove the opposite way before the rules got changed. Rules mean nothing to her -- except as things to be manipulated for her own ends. How else did her ONE foray into the futures market transform a $10,000 investment into $100,000? If that was up and up, why did she withdraw her financial genius from the futures market. After such a win, wouldn't YOU keep on trading futures?

[piezoid]

LISTEN! Did the VOTERS sign on too??

I guess NOT because MILLIONS of them showed up and voted.

So go ahead, dis those fools that took the time and got off their duffs and stood in line and filled out a ballot and VOTED! How many times do we have to hear this idiotic argument about how everyone agreed. Bullshit. The REPUBLICANS passed that bill in FLA not the f**kin people. Dean gets paid to do HARD things, so now he earns his pay and finds a solution to this problem that HE helped create.

[CindyKay]

Amen To That !

[hugs4u]

Michigan and Florida knew the rules, the candidates including hillary agreed to the rules. So now they all should live with the rules or next election the rules won't mean a damn thing to anyone and there will be worse BS.

[DesertLight]

I'll see you in Denver.

[DesertLight]

Basically, there is not much Dean can do about it except work out the back room deals and put the pressure on Hillary to quit. Which is just not fair or Democratic. She deserves the chance to stay in the race and play it out. However, with the rate that Obama is going PA is going to be a Clinton blowout and then the real race begins.

[butchie65]

I just went to the Philadelphia Inqurier Newspaper. They have a poll you can go to. It asks if Obama's,"bitter," comment was offensive ? 68% of the people said, "no," and 31 % said yes. So how can they be mad at what he said ? Another thing is Hillary keeps saying she wil win Michigan. Doesn't look like it with the new Michigan poll. She keeps saying she won it, she's a liar.