Florida mattered......

[suston96]

http://www.southernpoliticalreport.com/storylink_131_187.aspx

Inside The Numbers: The Unmaking of the American Presidency
By Matt Towery
Southern Political Report
Copyright © 2008 Creators Syndicate

January 31, 2008 — Last Tuesday night's results from Florida in both the Democratic and Republican Party presidential primaries were what I expected, and then some.

Since well back into 2007, this column has been predicting that Florida would decide both the Democratic and GOP nominations. I believe it did, and in the process has blown apart the political world we have known for decades.

First, John McCain. He's the ultimate "outsider" within his own Republican Party. Neo-cons, establishment GOP bluebloods and just about every too-cool-for-school Republican faction have long held him in contempt. Now he's probably on his way to being the Republican Party nominee for president.

He has wrought pure bedlam inside the Washington Beltway. From talk-show hosts to longtime K Street lobbyists, the jig is up. They must now either embrace McCain and his moderate (or liberal) instincts or shut down for business.

There are two absolute truths here. First, for every Republican who has felt left out of an exclusive rich man's GOP country club, McCain's calm but resounding independence is a moment that declares the end of the GOP establishment as we have known it.

Here's the other truth: John McCain can, on some issues, be just about as far off from the traditional GOP scorecard as one can get. From the Bush tax cuts to tort reform, McCain has blazed a trail of working with the Democrats on often seemingly GOP issues. That's the part about McCain that gives conservatives heartburn.

But there's heartburn and then there's nausea. In the world of politics, the name Hillary Clinton sends the very same ilk I described above into fits of rage. Well, guess what? Get ready to have plenty of fits, guys and gals, because Hillary and Bill have once again outsmarted the dim-witted Howard Dean, the leader of the Democratic National Committee.

Dean didn't think that Florida would matter. He refused to allow candidates to campaign in the state. It was his penalty for the state's GOP-dominated legislature having moved the primary date up, to follow so soon after his beloved Iowa and New Hampshire.

Well, Mr. Dean, Florida matters. With a massive turnout in a state that has a single county that's more populated than the whole state of Iowa, Florida Democrats spoke so loudly that not only could they be heard all the way to California, but by the stubbornly devoted populist candidate John Edwards as well. He beat even Republican Rudy Giuliani to the punch in exiting the race before next week's "Super Tuesday" vote.

Hey, Howard: You and the DNC made idiots of yourselves. And now you have to pray the state forgives you in November for dissing its Democrats in January.

A political earthquake is under way. Edward's exit clears the way for white supporters of his candidacy to now consider Clinton in southern states. That's where Obama's coalition of support has been African-Americans, plus a sliver of white Democrats. And in really big states in other regions -- where she's already ahead in the polls -- Clinton now has retrorockets pushing her to the nomination.

******

[electron_blue]

1. Only an idiot would think Florida didn't matter. Dean is not an idiot.

Something else is going on here.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

2. You might want to add a disclaimer to that:

Matt Towery served as the chairman of former Speaker Newt Gingrich's political organization from 1992 until Gingrich left Congress.

This is someone with a pretty clear agenda, methinks.

[GodlessBiker]

3. You mean Clinton will win because she is the white candidate?

[madfloridian]

4. DU has changed. Now we are quoting right wing sources as truth.

He was Newt Gingrich's campaign manager, a contributor to Town Hall, a very right wing site.

I could post all kinds of stuff if it is ok to use right wing sites.

And you really need to edit down....it is against the rules to post a whole column.

[movonne]

5. Don't blame Dean...look to the Flordia Dems...and point hard...

[suston96]

6. Right wing? It's an opinion piece with an - uh - opinion.

It's about John McCain and about Clinton and Obama. Why is a discussion about the leading candidates, uh - disturbing?

People here quote Southern Political polls when they suit their candidates.....? Huh?

[madfloridian]

7. Because of the spin put on things.

Used to be that sources like Towery were against the rules here. Now everything is accepted from the right wing sources, it seems.

Do some rereading of that.

[suston96]

9. The topic is about both political party candidates. If it favored Obama.....

....Obamatists would be sipping champagne as they posted an k&r'd its contents.

Why are you trying to diss the free and unencumbered process of political discourse?

[madfloridian]

10. Why are you standing by a very right wing writer?

:shrug:

[suston96]

13. Try a little more maturity in your analysis.....

I read 10 newspapers on line every day of several political persuasions. That doesn't mean that I "stand by" their politics. I read for information and I make my own conclusions.

The contents of this piece happen to contain information that I agree with and concerning which I have posted on this and other boards, namely: the DNC made a repugnant, repulsive decision to trash the elections of two large states - Michigan and Florida, with millions of Democrats voting.

I abhor what Howard Dean and the DNC did on the basis of the election rights violations by that stupid and thoughtless decision.

For people to ignore writers - right wing, left wing, or whatever, weakens reasoned analysis of the political world that surrounds us all.

That help? I doubt it.

[madfloridian]

14. See, you are starting from two wrong premises...that I am stupid and that it is the DNC's fault.

I see that when you start from those positions, you change the whole debate.

See what I mean? Right wing writers do that so well. They convince people of things that are wrong.

"Primary bully Florida ought to be ashamed"...four articles catch on to Florida's primary ploy.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1469

My favorite part is from the Palm Beach Post last August.

Friday, August 31, 2007

It's not a very proud time to be a Floridian.

We're looking bad again - and deservedly so. It's over voting. (Surprise!) And this time, a purely self-inflicted

Unfortunately, there's no good way to honey-coat this. Florida's transgression is something that people can understand, even if they have no interest in politics. It's one of those things you learn in kindergarten: Don't cut in line.

In this case, the national political parties have created a lineup of state primaries, spacing out the state-by-state votes on a schedule designed to be politically beneficial to the parties.

Does it make sense? You could make the argument that the early-voting states, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada serve as a kind of spring-training season, where candidates gain credibility, or lose it, before the bigger states with lots of electoral votes weigh in.

The wisdom of the lineup, though, is beside the point. What's important is that without the national parties imposing some kind of order, there would be the kind of anarchy you see at a supermarket when a new cash register opens and a swarm of shopping carts collide trying to get there first.

[madfloridian]

8. Uh, actually, Florida will not matter unless the nominee is known.

You posted it with the Dean hate from the right bolded.

Read the two posts here...the first two.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian

It addresses what is going on here.

[Perky]

11. I know Matt Towery. I have known him since high school in Atlanta

He was an extremely good High School debater who grew up to be a right wing Henchman for Ralph Reed and the Georgia GOP. Now he is tryin to shill as both pollster and pundit.....He is a right wing thug masquerading as something else.
:vomit:

[AtomicKitten]

12. Since nobody campaigned, Clinton won on name recognition alone.

What did she win? ZERO delegates. As is should be. Brava!

Get back to us when there is a real contest with real candidates that really campaign.

[stillcool]

15. Forida State Democratic Party Mattered.

and so did the rules they broke. I think that's why I like the Democratic Party. They still have some principles. Well..some Democrats anyway.