Deja-screw all over again: The GOP is going to party like it’s 2000 next year when Florida, through vote-count fraud and the machinations of then-state attorney general Katherine Harris, stole the election from Al Gore and gave it to George W. Bush. This time, however, the Democratic Party is playing the role of Harris in giving the election to the GOP.
— Howard Dean
That’s the takeaway from Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean’s comments to a bunch of worried rubes from New Hampshire the other day.
“Their primary essentially won’t count, ” Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said of Florida. “Anybody who campaigns in Florida is ineligible for delegates.”
Why? Because Florida’s Republican legislature and its Republican governor decided to move the state’s presidential primary to Jan. 29 in clear violation of DNC rules that decreed that no primary was to be held before Feb. 5.
What’s at stake here are Florida’s 208 Democratic Party delegates and its 27 electoral votes. Florida is the nation’s fourth most populous state, which is why it can swing an election. Which is why the GOP engineered the primary move — to render the Democratic Party meaningless in Florida in the upcoming election.
Which is why the Republican candidates can ignore a major Hispanic political gathering, because they know they’ll have Florida and its large, politically active Hispanic populace to itself during the campaign.
So Howard Dean is taking his cue from George Bush and is sticking by his guns and refusing to waive the DNC’s rules, effectively punishing the Democratic Party because the Republicans screwed them over by moving the primary date. Yeeaaugh!
Oh yeah sure, it’s the brilliance of the Republicans in office to break rules. (sic)
The Republicans have to vote in the same early primary. Not something to celebrate…this is the PRIMARY.
This only shows Florida thinks like Bush in that THEY ARE ABOVE THE LAW and RULES.
The PEOPLE of Florida should be rising up and asking what the heck their state officials are doing? They know what is at stake. They know New Hampshire is supposed to be first and they knew the rules in advance if they changed theirs and made it too early. There’s no surprise except for Floridians having their officials lose their vote and voice.
DEMAND YOUR STATE CHANGE IT. GIVE YOU YOUR VOTE and MAKE IT COUNT.
” New Hampshire law has stated that its primary is to be the first in the nation. As a result, the state has had to move its primary, originally in March, earlier in the year to remain the first. For example, the primary was held on February 20 in 1996, then February 1 in 2000, and January 27 in 2004, to compete with earlier primaries in other states.”
Yo LDP. Note that it’s also against the rules for the Republicans to move the date earlier than Feb. 5. Diff is, RNC chief Mel Martinez has already said he will not sanction the Florida Republican Party for breaking the rules. So Dean is going to punish the minority party, but the majority gets away scot free. Sounds like a plan to me.
See LDP, what Florida Democrats want to avoid is having a candidate they didn’t get to pick and who they know can’t win (ala Kerry 2004) shoved down their throats by the good people in New England, whose ability to pick national winners is greatly in doubt. Kerry and Dean seem like sure bets to people who live in the frozen north but we have an idea of who can take the country, not just places where gay marriage is legal. Many of us are in favor of such things but we live next door to a whole bunch of people who aren’t. And we don’t want to end up with Hillary in 2008 as the Democratic nominee, which is what will happen if it’s all over by the time we get to the polls.
Personally, I think a national primary, with everyone voting by the same day, would be great. The top three could run off in the summer or be chosen by caucuses at their conventions.
Trish, why do you people still think that your vote counts, have the last 2 elections not allowed you the understanding that the popular vote means nothing?