The Detroit Free Press demands Michigan Primary be counted

[cyclezealot]

It takes on a defiant stand. Its attacks the primacy of New Hampshire and Iowa. And it reminds us, McCain will be in Michigan reminding Democrats, 'its nice to be in a state, where Democrats don't count.'And the Detroit Free Press tends to favor Democrats at all levels.
*****

Editorial
Recognize Michigan's primary

Let's be clear about one thing: Michigan's presidential primary mess is a problem of the Democratic Party's making, created wholly by party honchos and their candidates who sought to punish the state's voters for daring -- horror of horrors! -- to challenge the favored, first-in-line status of Iowa and New Hampshire.


So if it's going to be fixed, it ought to be by the party itself. Either seat the Michigan delegates chosen during the Jan. 15 primary -- most of which will go to Hillary Clinton, with many "uncommitted" delegates up for grabs between her and Barack Obama -- or hold a new round of balloting at party expense.

But there's no way the state should be stuck with the bill for a second election. That would add unnecessary insult to the serious injury already done to Michigan voters in this process.

The calls got louder this week for a "solution" to the Michigan problem, which is also playing out in Florida because that state moved its primary too close to the Iowa and New Hampshire contests. Now that neither Obama nor Clinton seems likely to clinch the nomination without being able to count the Michigan delegates, they're both hankering for a way to get things set right.

Well, their love for Michigan is pretty transparent, given that neither candidate has campaigned here or addressed the state's issues very much along the campaign trail.

Clinton, after "winning" the contest here in which she was the only serious candidate on the ballot, even admitted that the delegates wouldn't count. Back then, though, she figured her nomination was a lock and she wouldn't need our delegates. Now we're supposed to believe that she's worried about the sanctity of the democratic process, or fairness to those who turned out Jan. 15?

Michigan has already spent $10 million on the Jan. 15 primary. There was nothing illegitimate about that election, no reason to doubt the veracity of the results. So that's what the party ought to be forced to work with, unless it's willing to hold its own election, staged and paid for with its own effort and money.

In the end, Michigan made the point it was trying to make with the Jan. 15 primary: that the nominating process' absurd fealty to Iowa and New Hampshire is wrong and needs addressing. If making that point costs one of the Democratic contenders the nomination, so be it. And if the party leadership can't work something out to recognize Michigan, well Republican nominee John McCain will have a great opening line for every speech he makes in Michigan: "It's great to be here in a state the Democrats say doesn't count."

Maybe next time, the party will fix the primary system to ensure that it's fair to every state. That solution would benefit every American. Meantime, Democrats would do well to focus less on party rules and more on winning elections.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080307/OPINION01/803070336/0/NEWS06

[psychmommy]

1. doesn't change a thing

broke the rules. pay the piper.

[cyclezealot]

2. What does change.

McCain will be in Michigan and Florida, during the Democratic Convention... . His message,- be a Democrat; your vote does not count. You can count on it.

[psychmommy]

3. did you guys break the rules?

yes. now you have to pay the piper. at the whole parties expense. we all will suffer because you guys messed up. but, i betcha no one will try that crap in 2012. there will be no leap frogging then. this was all over the media when it was happening. you guys knew did nothing then and the rest of the party will do nothing now. vote the pigs out that allowed the leap frog.

[madmom]

7. How did the voters break the rules? Why should they pay for the "parties" fuck up?

[psychmommy]

9. this didn't happen in a vacuum

you knew what your party leaders were doing. instead of causing an uproar then, now you want to kick and scream. now you wanna say no fair. the dnc should follow the rules and that will ensure no states will pull this crap again next time (2012). vote those suckers out and bring some responsible dems as soon as you can. your party leaders disenfranchised you not the fed party leaders. when people cheat and still get their way it only encourages more cheating.

[susankh4]

11. The Obama fanatics will never get this

cuz all they care about is their "man."

They don't give a dman about the party... and how we will be seen by the voters of MI. Or FLA for that matter.

[purji]

13. I'm an obama supporter in Mi

if the delegates are accepted as is with out another vote I will never vote dem in mich again.

[Cha]

5. How fucking Democratic is not

having everyone's name on the ballot who's running in other states. The officials in Florida and Michigan chose to break the rules and now they're eating dust.

Too bad all they have left is that and the whine.

I hope those officials who wanted to make a power play are left standing to face the voters who aren't able to have their delegates count because of shitty power grabs.

[MS Liberal]

4. Michigan and Florida should count as is.

Yes, they broke the rules but they were right to do so. Having Iowa and New Hampshire go first is madness. I am surprised Howard Dean did not do away with this crap as the first order of business. I hope Michigan and Florida get their act together and tell the DNC, "We have voted and these are our delegates, seat them."

We, here at DU, should not be so short sighted. This is the perfect situation to finally knock Iowa and New Hampshire from first in the nation status. They are not representative of the nation and should not tell us who our nominee should be.

I am voting for Hillary on Tuesday in the Mississippi primary because she is the best qualified candidate. She is right when she says she and John McCain bring a lifetime of foreign policy experience and Senator Obama does not. He had the opportunity to get experience and chose not to by not holding meeting of the subcommittee with the responsibility for Nato and Afghanistan. Hell he has not even visited the troops in Afghanistan. I do not think Senator Obama know enough about how the military works. Although Hillary has not served, she has made it her business to find out how it works, why things are done the way they are, and what is needed to make them better. Obama has not.

I am an African-American female retired Army veteran who feels Hillary has worked to move up to the next level of responsibility while Senator Obama wants to use his good looks, many people dislike of the Clintons, and the fairy tale that his judgment is superior to hers as the reason he should be our nominee. Hillary voted for the authorization to invade Iraq. Looking back it was not a good decision. Senator Obama has not lived up to his responsibility to the troops in Afghanistan. If Hillary does not beat him over the head with this, John McCain will.

People he is not ready for prime-time. Experience counts. Judgment counts and I prefer Hillary's judgment over Senator Obama's and when he gets hit over the head over and over again with letting our troops down in Afghanistan his will be perceived as not having any judgment at all. He is the weaker candidate.

[wileedog]

8. So what happens

in 2012 when 50 states start jockeying for primary position?

Its not like the DNC will be able to punish any of them without the losing candidate coming to their rescue.

[KaryninMiami]

12. l live in Florida and I do not want my vote to simply be handed to Hillary or to anyone-

You can't change the rules after the game is played. We were told our vote would not count towards delegates and that is how we voted (and many did not bother to vote at all). Michigan had only 1 candidate on the ballot- everyone else played by the rule and removed their names- except Hillary. So that means she should simply given those delegates?

Our state Democratic party disenfranchised us out of having our votes count by agreeing (or not putting up a fight) with the GOP led Florida legislature. The DNC at the time (national) offered to help by funding a caucus so we would not loose our delegates- the FL dems said no thanks, figuring that by this point, Hillary would be the candidate and it would not be an issue and knowing that she would win anyway, based on name recognition so if it did come down to a fight, they were betting that the DNC would cave and simply seat the delegates.

Thanks to the integrity of Howard Dean however, we now have a chance of having a re-vote- not sure who will pay for it (I suggest both candidates chip in for the sake of the party but doubt that Hillary will want to do so since she truly believes those delegates are hers). Either way, Dean has been very clear- either they come up with a fair way to work this out, or the delegates will not be seated in Denver.

I am outraged that my own party has stolen my right to have my vote counted- Diebold and ES&S voting machines weren't enough? Maybe one day I will live in a country that understands and supports- what's that word again-- oh yeah-- I remember- DEMOCRACY.

You would feel the same way, believe me, if you were not supporting Clinton. But the truth is that it doesn't matter which candidate we favor- what matters is that our voices and our votes get counted in the way we have intended.

[Upfront]

6. Freeep is wrong!

Dean is right. As one Democrat who went out in the cold and voted even though I knew it would not count, I am pissed. Not at Dean but at Levin and the Governor who led this mess. Levin will never get my vote again and doesn't need it. The rethug won't get it either. I voted un- committed for Edwards, Obama wasn't on the ballot. I will be voting for the Democrat for president as always. I doubt there will be a re-vote.

[susankh4]

10. Good for them!

K&R.

[purji]

14. so I can be disenfranchised.

fl and mi are two different things ,I did not have a choice on my ballot.
It seems funny too me that it is some how democratic to use the results of such an uneven ballot.