More about the primary confusion the Florida Democrats caused.....

[madfloridian]

I have even seen questions here posed by people who don't understand the implications of it, and what it means to voters. I sympathize. I have written a lot about it here, but I have not said very often what many of us think it really means. It has been too controversial.

It means quite simply that Florida wanted to be more relevant. They thought by moving up the primary they would bring attention to the winner because of the size of the state. They realized they would lose their delegates to the convention, and would not have an actual say in determining the nominee...but it did not matter to the party leaders and legislature leaders who worked with the GOP state leaders since early 2006.

Bottom line, they believed and still do that the media attention Florida will get by voting earlier will give the candidate as much of a boost as if the state had an actual say about the delegates. Of course they are right...it will get attention for whomever wins the state. And they know they will be seated at the convention...so the party leaders did not lose much by doing this.

Is it playing fair? It does not matter right now to this state. The articles in the media show the contempt this state holds for Iowa and New Hampshire because they are not as big.

Unfortunately, in the process of playing big shots and trying to be more "relevant"....they may have dampened the GOTV efforts. People who were not paying attention before are paying attention now, and they are not very happy. They are not getting the truth from the media, as the media overwhelmingly sided with the Florida Democrats and put all the blame on the DNC and its chairman.

This is an interesting article from December's Cape Coral News Press.

Voting process marred by confusion

With Florida’s presidential preference primary barely a month away, Lee County elections and political officials say they’re alarmed at the level of confusion among voters — especially Democrats — over the voting process.

“Everywhere I go, even at the grocery store, people ask me why Democrats’ votes won’t count, or why should they vote if their votes don’t count,” Lee Elections Supervisor Sharon Harrington said. “I tell them everybody can vote, but it seems like a lot of people don’t understand that.”

There is a lot of explanation in this article for those who are still confused on it.

The Democratic Party of Florida has an obligation to clarify to these voters what they did and why they did it. But they are not doing it.

The early primary is seen to them as a way of being "relevant."

But it’s the presidential race, complicated by delegate disputes and date changes, that’s the cause of confusion.

Those results will be important to candidates in both parties, as Florida — the first large and most diverse state, considered most representative of the nation — registers its opinions.

“Florida’s outcome can create momentum for candidates going into the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday primary,” said Adam Goodman of the Victory Group, a major political consulting firm in Tampa. “The results in Florida are going to mean a lot.”

He is probably right, that the candidate who wins Florida will get a media boost. That seems to be the bottom line of this whole messy situation. They are not, it appears, as concerned about voters getting their voices heard as about getting attention.

And the same spokesman for the party who said they were all on board with Marco Rubio's plan for the GOP as early as March 2003..has this to say in the article.

Regardless of delegate issues, “Florida and the earlier small states will have tremendous impact on the Feb. 5 primary” when 21 states and millions more voters go to the polls, (Mark) Bubriski said. “It’s all about the momentum the candidates gain by doing well, or not, in those early states.”

One possible scenario he cited could have Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton splitting the first four smaller primaries and caucuses, “then Florida comes in on Jan. 29 and decides on one of them. A win in Florida could make the difference in terms of momentum and coverage, in the Feb. 5 results.”

Florida Democrats have some explaining to do to the people of the party here who lost a chance to have their choice make a real difference. By blaming it on the DNC, Florida leaders pretended they had done nothing wrong.

[dbackjon]

1. It is the DNC/Iowa/NH's fault

IF the DNC would rotate primaries, this mess wouldn't happen

[madfloridian]

3. No, you are wrong. What Florida did hurt all of us.

And it kept people from having a voice.

You don't suddenly break rules and make your own in the middle of the primary season....if you think that then you must not care about rules at all.

If there are to be changes, make them the right way.

Your post worries me because it does not see the whole picture.

[loudsue]

12. Thanks for keeping this front & center, madfloridian....The DLC is the one who

benefits from this most. The Florida delegates will eventually be chosen to give their votes to whomever they want at the convention. It won't be at all binding what happens in the primary. This gives the big money machine the power to call the dem candidate of THEIR choice, not the people's choice.

[madfloridian]

13. Yes.

We don't really a choice, except to validate the pick of the 4 states because we are BIG.

[rateyes]

2. Bill Nelson, Alcee Hastings, and the rest of the FL Democratic

Party should be ashamed of themselves, and they should lose all their seats at the convention.

[Orangepeel]

4. I believe that the state party thought the DNC would blink...

they were clearly TOLD that they would lose their delegates, but I don't think that the party leaders thought that the DNC would go through with it. Once they did lose their delegates, they tried to pretend that it hadn't really been their idea and they were forced into it by the republicans.

[madfloridian]

5. Exactly, and some are still very defensive about what they did.

And they won't admit they are wrong, even to GOTV.

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. Why can't the Florida party do what the Washington party did?

The state cannot force a political party to appoint delegates based on a primary election; that is established as a violation of the party's First Amendment rights of free assembly and free expression. When Washington went to a primary system, the state Democrats said, "Screw you; we are still holding caucuses to pick our delegates and there is nothing you can do about it."

[hayu_lol]

7. Thanks for keeping us posted on Florida happenings...

Florida is a political mess and has been since 2000. 2000 turned on the floodlights and the cockroaches had no place to run.

Have a lot of friends down there and they are all ticked.

[Orangepeel]

8. That was the DNCs suggested compromise

the DNC even offered to pay for the caucuses. The Florida State party said no. They said Florida is too big, it would be complicated and it would drive down turnout during the primaries when there might be ballot referenda.

[madfloridian]

9. Another concern is that the Florida Dems are not warning against the tax proposal

that will be on the ballot. People are frantic to understand it, and it is so complicated. Firefighters and police are against it because municipalities will lose money to pay them.

The Dems know the dangers in this proposal. They could get a larger turnout by pushing people to out and vote against it. I have not heard a word from the state party on this topic though.

One reminder to call for an absentee ballot. I did that.

They seem content believing that Florida's size will make them all important on Jan. 29.

:shrug:

[ChiciB1]

10. AND It's Seems They Wanted To Make Howard Dean The Culprit!!

I have no doubt that after this election, if Clinton or Obama get the nod... they will "take care" of Howard Dean!

It's pretty disgusting and I never thought the party that I've been with for so many many years would turn out this way!

[Der Blaue Engel]

11. Thanks for laying this all out

I admit to being one of the confused on this issue, and it now makes sense to me.

[madfloridian]

14. Simply, they sacrificed the voters' voices for media hype

because they are a BIG state.

I see Palm Beach County is expecting a low turnout.

http://www.wptv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=7ad4024c-634d-4947-a21f-3145431fc4eb

"The reason our state’s delegates are getting the cold shoulder is that Florida Democrats and Republicans decided to move up the state's primary date this year, hoping to make Florida more relevant than it was in the 2004 primary elections.

But the idea seems to have backfired. Instead the national parties decided to punish Florida for cutting in line, so to speak, making the state almost irrelevant. How? Republicans say only half the states delegates will be counted at their national convention. And democrats say none of Florida’s delegates will be counted at theirs.

Dr. Arthur Anderson, supervisor of elections for Palm Beach County says the negative impact is clear. “Absolutely, without a doubt, without a doubt,” says Anderson, “They do feel disenfranchised.” In a typical primary election year they'd issue about 30,000 absentee ballots to eligible voters in Palm Beach County. But this year, demand for those ballots is half that with just over 15,000, “So I think that does indicate somewhat of a low interest level,” says Anderson.

Those who do plan to vote hope the national parties will have a change of heart later this year or perhaps at the conventions, eventually allowing all of Florida's delegates to weigh-in on their party's nominee. Anything less, many feel - would be unfair."