Although I have previously posted about the Michigan primary, it seems that there is still confusion over what has happened — and what will likely happen. Take Michigan as an example:
The reason for the confusion is a fight between Michigan’s leading Democrats, including Sen. Carl Levin and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, and the Democratic National Committee. Frustrated that Iowa and New Hampshire were getting so much attention, Michigan’s political elites in both parties changed their Feb. 9 caucus to a primary and bumped it to Jan. 15.
The Republican National Committee did not object, meaning the GOP results will stand. But the DNC declared that no delegates chosen that day would be seated at this summer’s convention — the same sanction imposed on Florida. Neither side budged.
During the stand-off, Clinton kept her name on the Michigan ballot. Obama and Edwards did not.
Thus, these Democratic primaries are – for the moment – technically meaningless. Nevertheless, in Michigan, the Obama and Edwards campaigns are urging their supporters to cast ballots for “uncommitted.”
Why bother? The answer is simple. MI Democratic party chairman Mark Brewer explains:
“I think we’ll get seated. I’m not concerned about that penalty at all,” Brewer said. “Politically, the Democratic nominee needs to win Michigan and Florida, and they are not going to start the general election campaign by antagonizing the parties in those two states.”
Moreover, as I have previously noted, sources in the DNC admitted as much to Lefty blogger Chris Bowers.
Consider how the politics of this fight plays out:
“There are a lot of people who are going to feel disenfranchised,” said state Rep. Coleman Young Jr. (D-Detroit).
The key term there is disenfranchised. Democrats still claim (albeit without evidence) that voters in Florida were disenfranchised in 2000. The DNC does not really want to be in the business of disenfranchising voters in Florida… and if it does not penalize Florida, fairness – and the desire to avoid antagonizing these voters in the general election – will demand that Michigan be seated also.
Not that such a fight at the Democratic National Convention wouldn’t be amusing, as it is the establishment candidate, Sen. Clinton, who stands to benefit.  But that fight is unlikely to be staged.
The more often they have to finesse these things, the harder it’s going to be to keep finessing them.
There may not be a fight in 2008, but if they don’t fix the underlying problem there’s going to be a fight sooner or later, a big public one with cops and fire hoses and the whole nine yards.
And it’s worth noting that both parties are having to finesse this particular issue this year. Either one could have the blow-up.
This is going to be fun to watch: Don’t seat them and you risk pissing off residents of two critical states. Seat them and you alienate Obama supporters who believe his stand on withdrawing from those primaries was the right thing to do. Lose-lose…I love it.
This is one of those infraction things that just doesn’t seem like a big deal after, but I think at least Michigan should be punished because they really don’t deserve to have any kind of early influence on the process cause they’ve screwed their state up so bad.
It’s worse than California even.
Karl, permit this sidebar to congratulate & thank you on your election series here. While many of the rest of us are simply doing News Of The Weird and generally just blowing milk out our noses, you’re producing some of the better election bloggage around. More people should notice.
I would second that. I hope I can count on you throughout this whole thing cause as much as Cap’n Ed fancies himself capable of the kind of analysis you do it’s a long hard slog getting through his election analysis stuff, and I won’t get this sort of thing from the MSM direct cause that’s way too much work to actually vet.
Thanks. Always nice to read nice things. (Secretly, I’m just trying to get traffic from Google, CNN, CBS, etc. to line Jeff’s pocket, but shhh…)
I usually consider myself singularly well informed, but, Karl, when you aren’t trying to outdo the G-1, you are really good at this.
I hope you are wrong mind you, but I know you aren’t. The Democratics haven’t got one singel thing I can recognize as a principle, so you are undoubtedly right.
east Michigan should be punished because they really don’t deserve to have any kind of early influence on the process cause they’ve screwed their state up so bad.
I wish you’d preface that remark with “The Democrats” of …
Regardless – I don’t know if any state deserves to have early influence on the process. Does Iowa? I mean, really, WTF is up with that?
Anyway – the whole stinkaro is shifty. I blame Hillary! and Granholm. Why did Michigan Dems do it knowing that they were going to be penalized? Knowing the penalty. And – why was Hillary allowed to remain while the others dropped out? Edwards and Obama must feel like dupes. If Michigan is who is penalized – not the candidates, then they should have just remained and allowed the farce to continue.
Oh. Definitely the Dems get the credit for the problems Michigan faces. Faces ineptly. I hate to dog the state but people need to know that Michigan and California are the logical outcome of what happens when you put these people in charge.
I’d also like to point out that the “Coleman Young, Jr” representative quoted is none other but one of Coleman Young, Sr’s illigitimate sons – who was named something else, but changed it to run for office a few years back. He’s REALLY young and has no exeperience. But,the name was enough for Detroit voters. Coleman Young was a black mayor for life here in Detroit and is largely responsible for the state of the city. He died a few years back.
What will even be funnier is when all those Democrats screw themselves even more at the conventions by crossing the line next week and voting in the Republican primary so they can feel good about “screwing” republicans.
There is a huge push here in Michigan for Democrats to vote in the Republican primary, even though it’s publically being said to not cross the line.
I was told that the Michigan primary on the Republican side is winner-take-all by Congressional District. It will be real interesting to see the vote patterns and breakdowns by district. Especially the Detroit ones as opposed to the more conservative Western Michigan.
Oh. Definitely the Dems get the credit for the problems Michigan faces. Faces ineptly. I hate to dog the state but people need to know that Michigan and California are the logical outcome of what happens when you put these people in charge. -Happyfeet
Give me a break. Are you gonna blame the “inept Dems” for destroying the country over the past eight years? Are they the ones responsible for sucking the brain out of Dumbya’s head? Happyfeet and Bush are a couple o’ dopes – proving Intelligent Design is a myth.
TRUTH TO POWER!
Oh. I hit a nerve. I didn’t know you people were reading or I could have linked stuff for you. Of course I blame the Democrats, they have this way of lingering even when they’re not in charge. The alternative minimum tax is a great example. They were so proud when they invented that and now they trip all over themselves every year fixing it while pretending they meant to do that. Idiots.
db – Who did you vote for today? Did you get your franchise on in MI?
[…] the uproar, both sides have missed what I have noted here repeatedly on this topic — i.e., that people within the DNC have been […]