Question-Why did the republicans get to count there vote and seat there delegates but the democrats

[UALRBSofL]

didn't. It doesn't make sense to me. What is so different about the rules for the republicans then the democrats??? It seems like every voting cycle something happens in Florida and the republicans win the state. It seems like a conspiracy by the GOP to me.

[rinsd]

1. They lost half their delegates in FL.

[thunder rising]

2. Live from WPB....we try harder!!! we stay up late thinking of the next election fraud.

[liberal N proud]

3. The rules were made by the party

Independent of each other.
There are many differences in the way the Democrats and republicons select their candidates.

[Freida5]

It was a dumb decision of the DNC. Two states as important as FL and MI will be.

It was a dumb decision.

[stahbrett]

8. It was a dumb decision by the folks in Florida who pushed up the election date (eom)

[Freida5]

4. It was a dumb decision of the DNC. Two states as important as FL and MI will be.

It was a dumb decision.

[tabatha]

5. It is "their" vote and "their" delegates.

"There" is the same as "here" - in that they are both words indicating place, as in "here and there".

[Blue-Jay]

9. They're going to vote their votes over there.

[Stephanie]

6. This was a decision made by the Democratic Party

It's the Democratic Party that selects the nominee, so they control the process. This year four states were scheduled by the DNC to have early primaries. The FL & MI state Democratic parties decided they wanted to go early too. The national party said NO, and if you try it we'll invalidate your delegates and instruct the candidates not to participate. And that's exactly what happened. FL & MI went early anyway, defying the party. The candidates all pledged not to participate. The states were stripped of their delegates. Except that one desperate candidate is now trying to renege on the deal she agreed to.

[UALRBSofL]

12. If that's the case then why didn't half of our votes and delegates count?

Seems to me Donna Brazille put a stop to that per the orders of Howard Dean.

[Stephanie]

13. That decision was made by the DNC

The RNC made a different decision about how to punish the FL & MI state parties. They chose to take away half the delegates, the DNC chose to take away all of them. They had to do something or half the states would decide to go early and we'd have dozens of primaries in January.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

15. Does anyone know, what would be so bad about having all primaries on one day?

[Stephanie]

18. Well, what if we'd had them all in January, before we found out -

that Clinton was not even competent to manage her own campaign funds and staff? :shrug:

[formernaderite]

19. think about what would happen

the candidates would completely ignore states with low delegate counts and ONLY concentrate on the big wins. The smaller states might as well not vote at all, if that were the system.

[pinto]

17. Apparently, Florida was found to be non-compliant under Committee regulations:

REGULATIONS
OF THE RULES & BYLAWS COMMITTEE
FOR THE 2008

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

Issued by the Democratic Party of the United States
Governor Howard Dean, Chairman

Alexis M. Herman & James Roosevelt, Jr.
Co-Chairs, Rules & Bylaws Committee

As adopted by the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee, December 2, 2006 and amended February 1, 2007.

*************************************************
REG. 5.2. ARTICLE II.A.

A. Delegates and alternates selected pursuant to a Plan found in non-compliance by the RBC
shall not be included on the list of delegates and alternates reported to the Secretary by
the RBC for inclusion on the Temporary Roll of the 2008 Democratic National
Convention.

B. Delegates and alternates shall not be placed on the Temporary Roll until after the period
during which a challenge may be brought pursuant to the Rules and Reg. 3.4 has expired
and until no challenges to a Plan are pending.

C. Pursuant to Rule 6.C.(2), a state’s at-large delegates and alternates may not be included
on the Temporary Roll until the RBC has determined that the state’s delegation complies
with the equal division requirements of the Rules.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/apache.3cdn.net/e824f455b24c778...

(I saw this meme crop up earlier and wondered, whaa?...so, fwiw, here's what I found. - pinto)

[Hill_YesWeWill]

7. Well, the Republicans don't care about disenfranchising voters and stealing elections

and I think if a person feels the same way that's a pretty good sign they might be a republican.

The democrats however, feel strongly about fairness and voter's rights. Notice we award delegates proportionally while the Republicans have winner take all.

[Ivote]

10. FL Pugs moved it up

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4610003

[Hill_YesWeWill]

16. ok nt

[MediaBabe]

11. Primary elections are for the benefit of the party- Dem, Rep, etc.

Each PARTY sets their specific rules. Democrat, Republican and even the Green Party. These primary rules are set by the national party. This applies only to the primary election. The rules for the GENERAL Presidential Election is under the FEC and run by the federal govt.

So, for example, when the Florida legislature set the date for that state's primary election too early and violated the national party rules each party had their own punishment - the Dems took away all the delegates and the Reps took away half the delegates.

[MichiganVote]

14. Maybe because they didn't and don't have two candidates as close as the Dem's

[mmonk]

20. Didn't the Republican legislature set it all up this way to conflict?

Either way, those votes should count and those that didn't vote because of the confusion be allowed to cast theirs and have it funded by the Democratic party.

[Recursion]

21. They lost half of Florida, and Wyoming

A couple of things:

We have different rules (and a significantly more complex nominating process) than they do. Florida lost half of its GOP delegates for moving forward; I think Wyoming lost all of theirs. Also, in some states the two primaries are on different days.

[Orangepeel]

22. Political parties decide how to choose their own nominees

which is consistent with the way the court ruled when Bill Nelson tried to sue over it.