I hope this settles down and lets the rules for the party and for the convention take their course. I hope this lets things calm down, and lets cooler heads prevail.
We are electing a presidential nominee, and there are 50 states, not just two. The court in Atlanta will not give a decision until next month, so that is still a factor.
Report: Michigan Re-Vote In TroubleA day after Florida Dems nixed a revote in the state, local news in Detroit is reporting that Michigan's revote is in big trouble, too.
Apparently, Michigan state Senate Dems met behind closed doors today and emerged saying that there are not enough votes to approve a revote, and legislative approval is necessary to making it happen.
Separately, Ben Smith spoke to Obama Michigan co-chair Tupac Hunter, who said that there's "overwhelming" reluctance to approving the revote.
The rub here is that the window is closing rapidly -- if something isn't agreed upon soon, there simply won't be any time for a revote to get the approval it needs. And it won't happen.
The next step is not a decision by any one person. It will go to the committees as set up by the party rules.
This article is one of the best I have seen explaining the roles and make-up of the various committees. It puts it forth clearly and and is easy to understand. It covers the Rules and Bylaws Committee, the Credentials Committee, and their roles leading up to the convention.
This is very long, but worth the read. Just a few snips.
How The Battle over Michigan and Florida is Fought.Less than a year ago Florida and Michigan embarked on a dare. Republican and Democratic Party rulemakers wishing to prevent a cycle of states moving their dates forward and moving the Presidential race into 2007 drew a line in the sand. The states of Florida and Michigan crossed that line and forfeited their delegates on the Democratic side. They thought maybe their contest would influence the race anyway and by the time the convention came around the parties already having settled on a nominee would restore their delegations so that it wouldn’t become an issue in the general. For better or worse on the Democratic side the race continues and Michigan and Florida’s gamble is looking more and more like a bad one.
This has been discussed before. But what I want to focus on is the bodies that will truly decide the question. The Rules and Bylaws Committee, the Credentials Committee, and the Convention itself.
Here is the process as Howard Dean described it this month. From The Atlantic.
DNC Lays Out Choice For Florida And Michigan: Rules, Re-VoteThe words were said clearly, the states spun them, the media spun them to blame those who were trying to keep order in the primary process. It has worked well, and anger is rampant.
Governor Dean's full statement:
"We're glad to hear that the Governors of Michigan and Florida are willing to lend their weight to help resolve this issue. As we've said all along, we strongly encourage the Michigan and Florida state parties to follow the rules, so today's public overtures are good news. The rules, which were agreed to by the full DNC including representatives from Florida and Michigan over 18 months ago, allow for two options. First, either state can choose to resubmit a plan and run a party process to select delegates to the convention; second, they can wait until this summer and appeal to the Convention Credentials Committee, which determines and resolves any outstanding questions about the seating of delegates. We look forward to receiving their proposals should they decide to submit new delegate selection plans and will review those plans at that time. The Democratic Nominee will be determined in accordance with party rules, and out of respect for the presidential campaigns and the states that did not violate party rules, we are not going to change the rules in the middle of the game.
"Through all the speculation, we should also remember the overwhelming enthusiasm and turnout that we have already seen, and respect the voters of the ten states who have yet to have their say.
"As we head towards November, our nominee must have the united support of a strong Democratic Party that's ready to fight and ready to beat John McCain. After seven years of Republican rule, I am confident that we will elect a Democratic president who will fight for America's families in the White House. Now we must hear from the voters in twelve states and territories who have yet to make their voices heard."
Dean has supported changing to
rotating regional primaries, but only after the primary, not now. Others support changing the primaries as well.
It has been a bitter fight with at least one court verdict still being awaited.
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