Organizing for America | Robotic Service's Blog: Michigan and Florida broke the rules!

Michigan and Florida broke the rules!

By RoboticService - Mar 13th, 2008 at 9:38 am EDT

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Tags: date, florida, Michigan, primary, rules

Just another example of break the rules and we will make up some new rules. I think it sends the wrong message to the country as a whole! This country is all about second, third, and fourth chances. Do we really want to give the Clinton's a second chance in the white house?

Michigan and Florida broke the rules. The governor of Florida was pushing the primary date change and now he wants the votes to count. EVERYONE knew the consequences; THEY allowed their voters voices to be silenced. It is time people in this country start to accept the consequences instead of always changed the rules!

Ready for Change Obama 08

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By bye Mar 13th 2008 at 9:44 am EDT

I think it more important to figure out how to redo this than lose these voters in November. I remember last summer thinking that the DNC had lost their minds by ruling that no delegates would be seated. The republicans out maneuvered the dems again by reducing but not eliminating delegates. We can be so stupid!

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By The Bard of Wilmette Mar 13th 2008 at 9:51 am EDT

I am with Dr. Woody on this matter. It may be "correct" in some way, but not necessarily politically wise, to strip Michigan and Florida of all delegate representation for their violation of the party rules. On the other hand, had they simply imposed the 50% penalty, it would not be an issue today. The Democrats have been squandering the huge advantages they seemed to have two months ago. If the party leaders could turn the clock back, I am sure they would opt for the 50% penalty and put the issue behind them early.

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By Rick Mar 13th 2008 at 10:51 am EDT

All this revote thing is nothing but Pollyanna looking on the bright side.

The fact is that every suggestion that anyone makes is shot down by a practical consideration voiced by the professionals that put on these elections, Florida's Supervisors of Elections.

1) We don't have the money and no one is willing to pony it up. James Carvel made a big show of saying on The Situation Room that he had big doners lined up to donate the money. Well, we haven't heard another word from "Diamond Jim." Carvel, show me the money! Deposit a check in an escrow account for the $20 million it will cost.

2) Another Supervisor pointed out lots of counties don't have voting machines anymore as they are in the process of changing over. They got rid of the old ones and haven't gotten the new ones yet.

3) Yet another superivor mentioned it takes on the order of six months of work to set up an election. The DNC requires the vote to be certified by June 6. It's March 13. You do the math.

4) It took Oregon 15 years to get mail in ballots right. Part of the process includes scanning every voter's signature into recognition software. Oregon had 3.7 million citizens in '06. In '06 Florida was estimated to have 18 million citizens. So, lets see we'll get the mail in vote done by...well certainly not by June 6.

Oh and one thing none of them mention. In some way, Florida has managed to botch every election since 2000. Hey, we couldn't even punch holes in a piece of construction paper without problems. Afterwards, we couldn't manage to follow the instructions for computerized voting.

Now you really expect us to put together some other scheme that will work and actually carry it off in less than 90 days? The litigation will go on and we will still be stuck with Bush until...who knows. Our only saving grace as Americans is that he's in his 60s and might only live another 20 years or so. Oh but then we'll be stuck with Chaney!

Nope, we broke the rules and got penalized for it. It's up to Floridians to be more mindful of what their state government is doing and lean on them not to do stupid things that disenfranchise us in the future.

Rick

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By Jan Mar 13th 2008 at 10:33 am EDT

Florida & Michigan did break the rules. Everyone knew the consequences & agreed until Hillary started losing.

I'm a Floridian. I know OODLES of people who did not go to the polls on 1/29/08 because it wasn't going to count. No way can the state put a fair, fraud-free, election "do-over" together in time to meet the DNC's June 6th deadline.

By the way, I was a life long Independent, but we have closed primaries in Florida. Just in case a "do-over" happens, my husband and I both changed our party affiliation to Democrat last week. Scary having to state "I am a Democrat" because I am now lumped in with the likes of the Clinton campaign staff including Hillary herself.

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By Havebeenarepublican Mar 13th 2008 at 12:16 pm EDT

Amen! Been a California Republican for 35 years until just before this primary. Have 2 lovely daughters of voting age that deserve Barak as their President.

Re Florida revote - I am really surprised the no one is suggesting that the DNC, as a condition of allowing any revote, eliminate the "super delegates" from Florida and Michigan. This would seem to allow the public to be heard and punish those elected and party officials that royally screwed up.

I do wish this could debated publicaly.

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By lauretta Mar 14th 2008 at 9:06 am EDT

I never believed that, and I don't think the goal posts should be moved yet again in this race. I thought the ideal of the country was to make this country one governed by the rule of law. That keeps getting eroded and fuzzed up to the extent that torture in now legal, and the innocent are not given fair trials and executed. . . . So let's just get back to basics here -- the Constitution.

This race after all was set up to FAVOR the Clintons winning. It was a great surprise to them and to the Party bosses that Obama pulled ahead. That's why we keep hearing a change in their story of what is most important here: first it was delegate count, then weighted delegate count (some states being more important than others), etc. etc. It was THEIR choice in the first instance. They made the rules; let them live by them now.

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