Super Tuesday III: Dear Governors Crist & Granholm

While the Obama campaign stresses math and Clinton momentum post-Ohio/Texas -- and some journalists can't resist predicting who will win, should win, should quit -- the fact is that many voters haven't yet effectively spoken. Including all Democrats in your two states because of your controversy with the DNC.

So as Obama now leads 51%-49% in votes cast and 52% to 48% in presumed delegates, I have a suggestion that could help launch one into a commanding position as we approach the Denver Convention: your two states should legislate a new primary day and it should be April 22, the day of the scheduled Pennsylvania primary.

Then we would have a final Super Tuesday involving some 5 million voters and 518 delegates. And the Democrat who wins a majority of the votes and delegates in these three states -- all of which would be in play in a competitive general election -- would have real and important momentum with undecided superdelegates. Not quite winner-take-all but close to winning the fifth set in the Wimbledon final.

Could either Obama or Clinton object? Clinton can't seriously argue that the delegates in your states should be seated based on earlier contests that the candidates agreed shouldn't count.

The Obama campaign can't seriously argue that your states shouldn't be seated at the Convention and shouldn't count in the closest nomination battle in a century. Nor can it seriously contend that existing rules should be in effect altered to disallow a superdelegate -- who's not a Martian but a governor, senator, or congressman -- from voting for that Democrat who s/he thinks would be the strongest nominee and best president.

It's up to you. If you establish two do-overs and time them to Pennsylvania -- I'm sure Gov. Rendell won't mind sharing the pressure and spotlight -- you'll create a new and final Super Tuesday III that could make history. Then your primaries wouldn't have been early and influential but late and pivotal. Not a bad ending for Michigan and Florida -- and Democrats.

Gov. Dean?

Comments

[Veeve]

I just wanted to say in this forum that ever since Green took over, Air America sucks. Green should change it's bloody name to Clinton News Network.

[provoice]

An amazing number of people are saying that because "Florida and Michigan broke the rules" the voters in our states should be deprived of our voice.

This may sound silly, but as a VOTER in Florida, I am frankly quite outraged by the one-upsmanship battle between the idiot the party has chosen as leader and Florida's idiot party leadership.

I don't recall ANYONE asking me if I wanted the date of Florida's primary changed to begin with, nor can I think of any good reason why it shouldn't be held a YEAR before the general election if we were to chose such a date... screw the "rules", since there appears to be no good reason for them either except to give Dean a reason to throw his weight around.

As for the party hacks making MORE decisions about our votes behind closed doors... they had either better decide to hold another primary, or at the very least split the Florida and Michigan delegates equally between the remaining candidates, or a lot of us will be looking real hard at working for NEW party leadership with functioning brains.

Regrettably, because of the large number of Florida voters that suffer from senile dementia, Hillary would probably have the advantage here... but at least we would have a "say".

[rosal]

The Republican governor, and Ms. Clinton are pushing for a sitting of delegates. Anything that a Republican and Ms. Clinton want, immediately should raise red flags.
How come the people in those states did not protest the minute the decision not to counted was made? Another Hillary trick.
Think people. You think a Republican has the Democrat's best interest in mind? Think again..

[BardEric]

Gov Granholm is A DEM....Does your argument apply to MI as well? And while we are at it, the gov of FL knows he had BETTER agree to some kind of comprimise,or he will be viewed as the rebulican governor who's actions in moving his states primary, effectively silenced the Dem opposition's primaries.

[jeffepops]

Mark -- Howard Dean has already made this proposal, including an offer to share the costs. No response has been forthcoming from either governor.

[RedRooster]

NO! ...to continued whining about MI and FL.

YES! ...to new primaries.

[US55588144]

Hillary Clinton won both Michigan and Florida fair and square. To make her compete for their delegates again would be an unjust case of Double Jeopardy. No one forced Obama to take his name off Michigan's ballot, he did it of his own accord. I'd like to see the Democrats win the General Election with disenfranchised voters in Michigan and Florida, Good Luck!

[leftintheoven]

How is having Hillary's name only on the Michigan ballot "fair and square"? Your blind support for her is not only amazing but sad. I am a Florida resident and when we started this schedule, everyone knew that neigher Michigan nor Florida's delegates were going to count. Now that things are not going Hillary's way, she and her pawns want to change the rules.

Shame on her and you.

[BardEric]

Not going her way?!? She won your state by a landslide....If Obama had won the popular vote in your state he would pursue any means necessary to have your delegates seated. As for MI, a very strong argument can be made that a candidate who, by his own choice, removes his/her name from the states ballot, is not even ENTITLED to any of that states delegates..

[GeorgiaOrwell]

Obama took his name off because the two states were being penalized for making up their own rules rather than abiding by the agreed-upon rules. The people in these two states can vote in the general election. This would be an absolutely ridiculous backpeddling; what if all the states had followed their examples. Of course, Clinton did better as she ignored the rules as well.

[BardEric]

You forget to mention that the Party never asked, or required ANY candidate to remove his/her name from the ballot..Guess what?!? This makes it a JUDGEMENT call...Are we really supposed to accept the "superior judgement" of a man who would ABANDON millions of citizens when he would have had to have gotten his hands dirty politically to stand by their rights, to have their voices heard..And WHY did Barack leave his name on the Fl ballot? THe circumstances in both states were identical, why was it the right thing to do in MI but not FL? I think it's because Obama realized, too late that the consequences of his willingness to disenfranchise MI voters..

[jeffepops]

When a contest is declared a forfeit in advance -- and both sides agree beforehand -- one side can not claim to win post facto. It's also clear you do not even know what double jeopardy is (unless by your use of the title case, you are referring to the game show).

This is a combined Republican/Clinton ploy, and you're either part of it, or you need to educate yourself on the rule of law and the electoral process.

[gevan]

Why do we need more super Tuesdays?

[Ward1964]

The legislature that caused the kerfluffle should be trusted to ameleorate their screw-up?We all know how this movie ends.Politics ain't beanbag,and there ain't no Mulligans.The rules were known and accepted by all parties (campaigns)at the outset and should be followed til Denver,where we'll have a convention and a decision.

[daybranch]

revote in both states.

[FogBelter]

Mark, a do over is the only answer, otherwise the delegates from Florida and Michigan musn't be included. Howard Dean said it himself today that there were remedies presented to the Democratic Party leadership in those states, a rescheduled event or a an appeal to the Credientials Committee at the Convention. Dean also said the rules shouldn't change that have been established.


So a do over is the only answer.

[musselmanm]

As good as any idea I have seen to resolve our problem deciding which Democrat will be the next President of the United States.
We democrats are becoming a little parinoid about this. The more people that have a say in this nomination, the more of us that will feel we have invested something in our country.
Lord knows we need it.
Which ever candidate is our nominee, we must come away with a Democrat in the White House.

[ocdemgal49]

I agree - this is a great idea - all on one day. The powers that be have been meeting all day according to some news reports - hopefully they consider this option

[MidwestBlue]

Oh, he**, yes! Let's include MI and FL at this late date! The Democrats are straining at the leash to give the telecoms retroactive immunity--why not give MI and FL retroactive immunity, too? We can put Jay Rockefeller in charge of the primaries, and he can break the rules as he goes along. Why not? While you're at it, you can decide to ignore all caucus votes, and ignore the eleven states that Obama swept before last night. Corporate Democrats: "We change the Rules to Get the Outcome We Want!"

[CGrace]

Mr. Green, when you appear on MSNBC you claim to be neutral, so why are you out pimping for the Clinton campaign? Hillary agreed to play by the rules as did all of the others running, now that she's losing, why should the rules be changed for her? We know the Governor of Michigan is a supporter of Hillary and Hillary and Dennis were the only ones on the ballot there. Senator Nelson of Florida, another one of her supporters, is also pushing this. Why can't the Clintons ever play by the rules? Do they always have to cheat to win?

[ocdemgal49]

I'm a fervent Obama supporter; but I still think we should schedule NEW primaries in Michigan and Florida with REAL campaigning. We need all the people we can get for the General Election - well motivated to keep the Republicans at bay.

[nightwind928]

Seems to me that the Clinton Campaign is holding Florida as a "hole card" if the election goes south for them and they feel they need a few delegates to put them over the top. The argument from their side is "Since neither Hillary or Barak got to actually campaign then the process was fair". (It's nice to know that the "fair" deck is stacked in YOUR favor.) And since the primary date was decided by a Republican Govenor (Christ) it is illeagle. As a Floridian I am deeply put out by the Democrats cavalier attutiude twords it's here-to-fore loyal constituancy . So much so that I have changed my affiliation from (lifetime) Democrat to Independent as have many here in our state. But having said that, I don't want my vote or the states delegates to be used as a weapon by the Clinton campaign to steal the election. We saw Bush and the Republicans do it with the "hanging chad" incident in 2000 to steal their "fair" election and most of us don't want that taste put in our mouths again by either party. If we can't have a normal electorial process, untarnished by the cloud of deciet and subterfuge then what's the point of going to the polls at all?. This is America and the decisions of the people to enjoy an unclouded electorial process should be guaranteed. If not by the individual parties who have acted more like used car salesmen then honest representitives of the people (and which seems so far to be beyond their ability to change) then by a federal mandate insuring the same fair election process that we are sending our troops to die for in foreign wars. After all, isn't that the argument for our foreign incursions to begin with...to insure fair, democratic elections to the people of those countries? Should the citizens of Florida expect any less?

[Imhotep]

Mr. Green, like Clinton, feels that if you can't win playing by the rules then you should break the rules. Who needs someone like bush as president for the next 4 years? Peace

[davsing]

Mark's proposal is nothing more than a Clinton ploy to steal the nomination.