Bill Nelson today will file a bill for regional primaries...but first he had to get your attention

[madfloridian]

He could have filed the bill anyway, but it is much better to do it after garnering all the attention he has gotten by taking on the DNC.

The Florida party appears to be ceding control to him on the primary issue. They are even cancelling a meeting tomorrow so Nelson can file his bill today.

They have ceded a lot to him. And to state legislators Gelber and Geller. It could all have been done without alienating so many of us, without sending out emails about defunding the national party.

The DNC Rules Committee followed the rules set up by a committee formed by Terry McAuliffe in a deal with Levin of Michigan and voted on by all the members. Instead of realizing that following the rules was good, Bill Nelson launched an attack on Dean and on the DNC.

First he said this:

Nelson: "I will lead the delegates to Denver whether or not the DNC plans to let them in."

That is fine. It should make for an interesting and unusual convention.

Now he has the state party cancel a meeting for tomorrow so he can file his bill and get attention.

"UPDATE: While Nelson has started laying groundwork for a possible lawsuit regarding the DNC sanction, he is not planning any announcement today on that issue. Instead, he is filing a bill that would formalize a system of regional primaries for the 2012 presidential election.

Nelson did, though, lobby against holding the meeting Friday, arguing that it was premature and too early to put a caucus plan on the table.
State Party spokesman Mark Bubriski said that state chairwoman Karen Thurman “took his opinion into account.”

The meeting will likely be held next week, after the party receives information from the DNC and the four early states regarding what precisely the candidates’ “pledge” not to “campaign or participate” in states that set their votes too early means.

Original:

Florida Democrats this morning have canceled Friday’s planned meeting on the Jan. 29 primary situation, which would have included discussions about setting caucuses so late in the process — possibly May — that the January primary would maintain its relative importance even though it would technically be non-binding.

Word is that U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson plans to announce some action challenging the Democratic National Committee’s sanctions against Florida today, and that the state party did not want to “get sideways” with the state’s top elected Democratic, said one insider.

No response yet from Nelson’s office.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2007/09/06/friday_dem_primary_meeting_pos.html

I guess all of the hoopla will get more attention to him. I only wish he had stood up for things before when we called and begged and pleaded. Like the Iraq War, like the bankruptcy bill.

He could have filed the bill anyway.

Now he should contact the Florida DEC Chairs Association which is sending out mail to stop funding the DNC and the candidates.

He could help bring some healing and sanity back to our state, unless the regional primary bill was his main focus.

[Dr.Phool]

1. Nelson owns Thurman.

She'll do exactly what he tells her to do.

He Bill! Go sit in the corner with your buddy Liebermoron.

[Colonel Bat Guano]

2. How many threads are you going to start about this already? n/t

[madfloridian]

3. Nelson and Levin of Michigan file the bill today. It's getting deeper

and harder to walk through.

"Nelson and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., are cosponsoring a bill to have one primary in March, two in April, two in May and one in June. Each of the six primaries would feature at least one state from a different geographic region and the order of states would rotate every four years."

Could that have been what this was all about after all? Getting attention to a primary bill?

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070906/NEWS0120/70906066/1075

I am also very concerned also about Bill Nelson's ties to this group, as well as his wife's ties:

The Fellowship's Florida connections

And now after all Levin and Nelson and their states have put people through this week.....I want some answers.

Was it a political ploy to get attention? Michigan and Florida?

[Colonel Bat Guano]

4. Jesus Christ....

...told me at the last Fellowship meeting that Mrs. Nelson's plan to get Mr. Nelson's primary bill passed was working PERFECTLY.

Hang on! Sen. Nelson and Jesus are going to hit the DNC again because they feel threatened by Dr. Dean!

:rofl:

Nice move, bringing in the Fellowship. That's totally relevant to this. Fun though. Let me try one:

"Bill Nelson is doing this to raise his nationwide profile to become a VP choice in 2008!"

That makes as much sense...which is to say, none.

[madfloridian]

5. Michigan and Florida filing the bill together...a bill pushed by Sander Levin

Carl Levin's brother for years, I understand.

I think motives need to be examined here. Terry McAuliffe formed the comminsion to make the primary rules after the deal with Carl Levin if Levin would back off.

Is the present chairman paying the cost of all that?

I am neither for or against regional primaries, but I detest secrecy and underhandedness.

And I think NO state party should send emails saying to withhold donations from the national party.