A balanced article on FL/MI

[BzaDem]

--snip--

"The Clinton supporters on the rules committee -- including co-chair Alexis Herman, a former cabinet member in Bill Clinton's administration -- will have to face some hard truths about their candidate's stance on these issues. As they well know, her attitude toward the validity of the Michigan and Florida primaries shifted radically when she became certain that she was likely to win them -- and when she also realized that she needed their delegates to compete.

So it is truly remarkable to hear her argue now that discounting or disqualifying the votes in Michigan and Florida will make the Democratic Party primaries comparable to sham elections in other nations. But seeking to validate the Florida votes is at least arguably fair, since neither she nor Obama campaigned there, and supporters of the two candidates could vote for either of them. Although turnout was probably suppressed by voters' expectation that those ballots wouldn't matter, they still cast a record number of votes in the Democratic primary.

In truth, Michigan is the example that tempts comparison with dubious exercises abroad, where only one candidate's name is on the ballot and dissent is expressed by not voting, spoiling ballots or, in this case, voting "uncommitted." And Clinton should not demean herself by trying to claim the fruits of such a farce are not tainted.

The Obama supporters on the committee must likewise confront the fact that their candidate (or his surrogates) stalled and ultimately stopped the revote proposals that could have resolved the standoff many weeks ago. They know that Obama removed his name from the Michigan ballot as much for strategic reasons -- he expected to lose -- as his commitment to the party rules that state leaders had flouted.

As for Dean, whose efforts to rebuild the Democratic Party in all 50 states have been praised even by his critics, he flubbed this test of his political skills when he failed to negotiate a less draconian punishment than total invalidation of the contests in two of the important states come November. That failure is underlined by the double standard he applied when he decided not to punish New Hampshire and South Carolina, which had also disregarded the party rules in timing their contests."

--snip--

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/blame_to_share_in_primary_farc.html

[QC]

1. Very balanced, so your post will either be attacked or ignored. n/t

[PassingFair]

2. The fruits of such a farce are tainted.

They primaries were NOT representational.

They are invalid.

[Stop Cornyn]

3. "a record number of votes in the Democratic primary" - I don't think this article is factually true.

[BzaDem]

4. It is. It broke the last record in the FL Democratic primary.