First, the neo-conservatives are finding a new control tower in the McCain campaign, with Gen. Petraeus and much of the Pentagon as close allies. The most important issue for the dominant elite is winning the Iraq War (or at least not losing), deepening the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, continuing to threaten Iran, and organize a new global power structure around the assumptions of the war on terrorism. In McCain, they have a candidate who can win in November. Making jokes about his age or health or flashes of temper is a bankrupt Democratic approach to defeating him. The question is whether a Democratic alternative on Iraq and foreign policy can become an immediate theme, or whether the Democrats will settle for arguing that Iraq is still a "mistake" against the powerful appeal of McCain, Petraeus and their echo chamber.
Second, as Obama and Clinton head towards a close finish, the looming question may be how the Democratic Party handles Michigan and Florida. It could doom the party if those bogus primaries are included in the Clinton tally. The only solution, as Steve Cobble has suggested, is to demand that Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee pay if necessary for the Michigan and Florida races to be reset, in May or June. It was the decision of Dean and the DNC to set the rules that Michigan and Florida refused to obey, and it is for Dean and the DNC to refuse to ratify elections that were held in defiance of those rules. If the original Michigan and Florida outcomes are simply rejected by the convention, those voters will claim disenfranchisement. Therefore the caucus and primaries will have to take place again if necessary. The Democrats cannot nominate a candidate against McCain on the basis of contaminated and illegitimate votes.
Tom Hayden is the author of The Tom Hayden Reader [2008] and Ending the War in Iraq [2007]. His election-year blogging can be found at www.tomhayden.com
Why should a primary take place again? Don't the voters of Florida and Michigan have a right to the democratic process of voting? Are you just going to keep on dismissing votes until you get the vote that you want?
The voters of Florida and Michigan may feel so disenfranchised that they may not vote again.
People died for the right of women and African American's to vote and now you wnat to take it away.
An election isn't complete when you vote, even the tallying either. It is such when it is certified. Got certitude?
Where is there certitude when 20,000 votes are NOT counted to hollogram three digit victory for the party poobah's brother? Lets address rectitude on another day.
Florida 2000 was uncertifiable at law to ANY one meeting their constitutional charge to defend such. It relied on partisan performance in lieu. What a country?
If we only took the mulligan....911, Shock and Awe(eewue), sons , daughters, national esteem,..., ect..:=/
Isn't this further confirmation of the American Abbeyance?
The supreme Count 'o 2000 turned out the light on the great experiment in participatory democracy in choosing Cheney and The minion over the rule of law.
Mere elections please Madame media's acountants, it's still folly and won't solve the underlying American Abeyance.
Rather then a moonlanding moment, this generation can reminicse "Where were you when they should have been impeaching?"
The Democrats have to win this election. If they can't get a handle on the impact of back room deals deciding the nomination, they'll lose.
My solution is no superdelegates at all, and redo the Florida and Michigan primaries/caucuses, allowing any independent voters who would have been eligible to vote in the original rounds.
If this thing isn't brought above-board, the Democrats will lose the election. No doubt about it. They'll snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory - again.
No fair-minded American would want these delegates to be counted when the other parties names were not even on the ballot and there was no campaigning allowed.
That would be simply undemocratic and tear the party apart
SIGN THE PETITION FOR A FAIR NOMINATION
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Give-Us-Fairness
AS A MI'er I DO NOT WANT OUR DELEGATES TO COUNT AT ALL, unless we hold new, heavily monitored elections again.
HILLARY CAN NOT HAVE MI AS AN ACE IN HER POCKET!!!
this scam started with the Prim date change and resulted in a skewed (corrupt) count.
ballots did not match throughout the state- but the Repugs ballot did. A switch on the top listed candidate was the first step in the Rigging then pre set Scam Trons to 'read ' them as if in alphabetical Order, regardless of 're organized. Frankly Land should be kicked out of office if not for outright Election fraud-then wasting the tax payers money in varying ballot organization.Not to mention Hil's buddy on the Armed Services Com (con) who is just as guilty as her for ignoring their duty as an Oversight committee.
I will be screaming blood murder if they hand her our Delegates- She's Dick in Drag!!
Sincerly,
An EX-Clintonian
The DNC is a pack of fools, corrupt, or both.
"I belong to no organized political party. I'm a Democrat". Will Rogers
I will leave the Dem party and become independent if Dean and his crowd Kowtow to the Clinton War Machine and allow our delegates to be counted!
Bogus elections? Baseball used to be american's pastime. Now it is disinfranchisement.
The supreme Count and their precedant 2000. Libby and Tilman laden 2004. If all designignated drivers were allowed one cocktail for every question the delusion of Elroy Jetson's father was asked regarding Iran Contra, they could drive us all home every night and the convicted Willie Horton stunt wouldn't have given us our 41st president and either Gulf garrison.
Now they have their electorate stimulas package in the clear. Anyone else notice those apply to as many and likely the same people?WWWWEEEEE!
;=/
Sure seems like they want her to be the nominee. "Strange bedfellows and all of that."
Mr. Hayden's solution is the only logical one I've heard (one candidate's previous suggestion is merely an attempt to undermine the Democratic Party).
Thank you, sir.
They never seem to learn....
The people there spoke and Hillary won both states fair and square. The problem isn't the process, the problem is Senator Obama's ultra liberal supporters who are cut from the same cloth as the ultra conservatives. They would rather see their party go down in flames if their candidate doesn't get the nod. Thats because they see things in black and white, and ignore the gray areas....
We should push for slow but steady change. Go back to actually creating jobs,creating surpluses rather than deficits, promoting science and technology,actually pushing this country to a green economy. Let's kill the republican party with competence.
It's nice to have ideals and dreams but sometimes you are face with hard choices. You have to pick the lesser of two evils. The DNC isn't perfect but it still better than the RNC. I want a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket. It's the only way democrats are going to win. It's a ticket that can energize Women,Blacks,Latinos,Elderly,Under-educated, Working poor,College educated,Liberals and Moderates. Which leaves the republicans with old rich white men and religious nuts which there aren't enough of to win.
If we allow our party to splinter. The republicans and the media will take full advantage. If there is a depress black vote in the fall Republicans win. If McCain can split Latinos vote Republicans win. If elderly and working poor white decide to stay home Republicans win. We can't afford to have another 1968 or 1972 convention. Whatever is decided it has to be open to the public and fair to both Clinton and Obama.
As for Michigan, only Hillary Clinton was on the ballot: not Kucinich, Edwards, Obama, Gravel, Richardson, Dobbs, or Biden.
In addition he ran ads in Florida so those numbers should count...
The Archbishop of Canterbury is informing the Brit's that Sharia (law) is unavoidable.
All at the same time, two young woman were convicted and Stoned to Death, by Sharia law.
Numerous more cases can be stated, in the UK, Canada and right here in the USA. But no, you feel we must back off and give Islamic Radical their space, even if that space will be your space some day, soon.
That my friend IS the big picture.
Right you are; the same old rhetoric of who was first to read the crystal ball on the mayhem in Baghdad may play in Peoria, but won't do squat on election day, 2008.
Both Democratic contenders had better raid the "national defense" ammo stash, and steal the thunder away from the opposing party, or they'll be left holding the baghad (so to speak.)
The only way the Dems can win this one is with the crossover Republican, and/or independent vote. If the neo-cons were that entrenched, and that powerful, Romney wouldn't have taken the fall today. The calculated move toward the illusion of moderation, on McCain's part, with his sudden concern about global warming, as well as his very public denunciation of torture, is intended to deflect attention away from the inalienable fact that he is about as big a hawk as any, and ultimately that's why the big boys in the back room of the Republican Party set it up such that he be the designated heir to the throne in the first place.
War is big business---it was back in the days when JFK said, in his last press conference, that he was rethinking his commitment of 15,000 troops in Vietnam, and nothing has changed. Any nominee, Democrat or Republican, who isn't prepared to entertain the notion of making war, somewhere on the planet, doesn't stand a snowball's shot in hell of making it to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.