Governor Crist and Governor Granholm team up....seat FL and MI delegates.

[madfloridian]

I am amazed at the twists and turns in this little scenario. I notice Crist does NOT offer a do-over now, just says seat them. Amazing. Hillary needs both states in order to move ahead in delegate count, one will not be enough. Looks like good old Charlie is playing along.

Crist pushes to get Florida, Michigan delegates seated at conventions

Charlie holds a press conference.

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Charlie Crist issued a joint statement with his Democratic counterpart in Michigan today, urging both political parties to recognize the results of the states' January primaries and seat delegates at the national conventions.

At a hastily called news conference, Crist said he had spoken with Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson about the Florida and Michigan delegate situations. Because both states violated rules forbidding them to choose delegates before Feb. 5, the Republican National Committee has cut their delegations in half and the Democratic National Committee has refused to recognize any Michigan or Florida delegates.

The joint statement said "it is reprehensible that anyone would seek to silence the voices of 5,163,271 Americans" -- the number of voters in both parties for the Jan. 15 Michigan balloting and Jan. 29 Florida primary.

The size of Florida's Republican convention delegation -- 57 or 114 votes -- won't matter to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has clinched the GOP nomination. But Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., led the Florida primary and was the only candidate on the ballot in Michigan -- so she has urged the DNC to recognize those state delegations.

They are playing to win.

They are going against the party rules, even though Dean spoke out twice this week about those two states. He said they could not change the rules in the middle of the primary.

DEAN: My job is to follow the rules, to follow the rules regarding what states have done and if they're eligible or not and to follow the rules regarding super-delegate. Everybody knew what the rules were when they got into this. So to change the rules in the middle of the game is clearly unfair, no matter what candidate it benefits.

Once you start the game, you can't change the rules, because everybody knew what those rules were. They knew that there were 20 percent super-delegates. They knew that Florida and Michigan delegates couldn't participate in the nomination. And to change those rules, you either have to have a nominee who agrees to it or both campaigns that agree to it. And I don't think that's going to happen.

CNN Transcript

Crist and Granholm, working together to undermine the DNC.

[Justitia]

1. They don't think the rules apply to THEM, just the rest of us. -eom

[ThomWV]

39. That is exactly the point - it is no one's fault but their own they opted out of the system

No one forced them to have their vote early, they thought they would benefit from it. The Party set up the rules, they broke them. End of story.

[LSparkle]

2. Hey, Jennifer Granholm, "uncommitted" is not a candidate

I can't believe she's pushing for this ... I can understand Florida to a degree (at least all the candidates' names were on the ballot), but ... MICHIGAN?

:eyes:

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

20. Granholm endorsed Clinton a while ago

So it makes sense she'd want the delegates seated. If she was pro-Obama, would she want the delegates seated?

[madfloridian]

31. She endorsed Hillary the day after she signed the bill.

The very next day.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

3. Crist, are you a Democrat now?

No? Then fuck off.

[TwilightGardener]

6. The GOP wants Clinton to win the nom. That's very clear.

on edit--that's why possible-McCain-VP pick Crist is pushing for this.

[msongs]

is that why obama says we must reach out to republicans LOL nt

[madfloridian]

12. We DO have to reach out to Republicans....moderate ones.

But that is not what this is about. This is about undermining the authority of the DNC. That is what it is about.

[yowzayowzayowza]

27. Thx for stayin on top of this madfloridian.

Watta tangled mess. We still have the convention committee review of this issue to look forward to. Ug.

[madfloridian]

30. It's a power play by her campaign to undermine Dean's authority.

It makes me furious.

[havocmom]

42. Especially maddening as the Dean 50 State Plan has been shown to work

and McAuliffe's 'piss on the Heartland' methods are the part of the problem the Clinton Campaign has created for themselves. Add to that the fact that they STILL don't see the problem with the old plan and we see they don't deserve to win, and they won't win without changing the rules now that the game is almost over.

McAuliffe is like a vampire, he seduces others to their own demise do he can exist. The party needs an to throw light on the monster.

[havocmom]

40. Yep. Moderates in the GOP are not happy with their party's course the past decade or better either.

And I hear life long Republicans say things like: if this is what the Republican Party stands for, I guess I am not a Republican.

There is talent across the spectrum in America and we will need as much of it as we can gather to restore the nation.

Plus, really getting past the unnatural party divide that has been deliberately created is the only way we CAN start to restore the nation.

[Fresh_Start]

4. Yeah, its unreasonable for Governors to want their citizens votes counted

BTW Crist is not a Democrat and he's speaking to both the GOP and the Democrats about the dirty dealing with the citizens votes.

[madfloridian]

23. They are undermining the authority of the DNC under Dean.

It is being done to show Hillary's boss of the party.

http://www.thenation.com:80/doc/20080317/berman

[Fresh_Start]

34. The Governor of Florida or Michigan does not answer to Dean

they answer to their own citizens.

[madfloridian]

36. There is a Supreme Court precedent .....the DNC controls primary rules.

Except in FL and MI whose rules are different than any others.

:sarcasm:

[babylonsister]

5. How can they even attempt to justify this

when names weren't on ballots and campaigning was forbidden? How would all those uncommitted votes in MI be counted? How can this even be considered democratic? I sincerely hope Dean sticks to his guns.

[madfloridian]

9. They can NOT justify it at all.

Crist is playing along with Hillary's campaign, and in the process helping John McCain gain more time while the Dems are fighting.

[KaryninMiami]

7. Unfucking believable. It is reprehensible to change the rules AFTER the game is played.

I hope Dean stays strong on this- if they simply seat these delegates, it will disenfranchise those millions of voters who were told our votes would not count. Fuck you Charlie Crist and the same to Bill Nelson. How DARE They interfere? It's bad enough the FL democratic party threw us under the bus- now this too? Geeeez

[Holly_Hobby]

8. This is a crock....

What is the GE going to be like?

Democracy, my butt.

[madfloridian]

10. This will give Crist's guy McCain more time while we attack each other.

Think about it. Charlie boy is no saint. He is not doing this for fun.

[Mojorabbit]

28. I saw him on television

last nite saying he was fine with Florida having another primary. This would be my ideal solution.

[madfloridian]

29. No, there will be many who will not go along.

And this insistence on the FL delegates will cost Hillary in the general if she is the nominee because of them.

Just toss Dean out on the street now...forget who does the rules. Just do what hillary wants.

[DJ13]

11. Dear Florida and Michigan

Suck it up, you thumbed your noses at the Democratic Party and paid the price.

Stop whining, and crying.

You can vote when everyone else does in the GE.

Signed,
Howard Dean




:sarcasm:

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

21. That's Dean's position

and I hope he holds that line. Don't seat them. Rules is rules.

no sarcasm.

[madfloridian]

13. This is going to backfire on Crist....Rubio says hell no to new vote.

This is the most transparent effort between the superdelegates of Hillary and our governor. A Florida blog calls them out on this.

He does it well. Folks, this is stooping pretty low for Democrats to enlist Republican governors to do their dirty work against Dean.

"At this moment, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican, is holding a news conference to issue a joint statement with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, saying it’s unacceptable that the national political parties are penalizing both states over their presidential primary date by refusing to count their national convention delegates.

The statement the bipartisan executive duo agreed to uses strong words like “reprehensible” and “intolerable.” Their message to the parties: “Seat our delegates.”

But other than issuing a strongly worded statement, it’s unclear what, if anything, the governors—particularly Crist—can or will do about it.
They have no control other than moral suasion over the national parties. Crist, despite news reports to the contrary, has never said he favored having the state pay for another Democratic primary in Florida—one much-discussed solution. Given the state’s budget crisis, it’s extremely unlikely the GOP-controlled Legislature would spring for the double-digit-million cost.

State House Speaker Marco Rubio, in his own news conference, just underlined that point, saying he’s not interested in paying for a new vote. "

Crist and primary shenanigans

I told you so. This is all a big ploy and it is just so ugly.

Show me where Charlie Crist offered to "pay" for a new Democratic primary?

BLITZER: And you heard Governor Crist of Florida just tell me moments ago he's ready to go ahead and support a redo here in Florida, a new primary, which the taxpayers would pay for if the Democrats want that, in order to make sure that Florida Democrats -- 1.7 million of whom voted -- actually could be seated and have a say at the Democratic convention.

Are you ready to accept his offer right now?

DEAN: Well, it's not him to offer that, but that's a very helpful thing for him to say, because money is an issue here.

This is pathetic.

[TomClash]

14. Two peas in a pod

Granholm should concentrate on trying to help the economy of her state - worst in the nation. She's Hillary supporter.

Crist is just helping McCain, who can't choose him as a running mate because everyone knows he's gay and the Christian Right can't brook that unless the closet door is closed shut.

[madfloridian]

15. From The Nation....undermining the DNC

"On a number of occasions during this cycle, the Clinton campaign has
questioned the DNC's authority. The first split came during the Nevada
caucuses, when Clinton allies challenged the DNC over the validity of caucus
sites that they thought favored Obama. The courts ruled in the DNC's favor,
but the showdown in Nevada looked like small potatoes compared with the
growing debate over whether to seat the Michigan and Florida delegates. The
Clinton campaign's PR blitz in favor of seating them was a clear affront to
Dean's leadership. "The DNC rule is the rule, and it's not going to change
just because Clinton says we're going to change it," says one Dean
confidant."

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080317/berman

[shraby]

16. I was under the impression that this was a Democratic

Party ruling. The Governors should keep their noses out of party rules. Particularly a Republican governor.

[madfloridian]

17. I agree.

.

[AzDar]

18. Sleazy.

[madfloridian]

19. Yes.

.

[AikidoSoul]

22. And dangerous

very dangerous

[Sancho]

24. Welcome to Florida....

where we have never had rules!


:dem:

[madfloridian]

25. And if we had them, they were different from day to day.

:hi:

I hope Hillary keeps pushing this....it will be painful, but Dean will win this battle.

[Ashy Larry]

26. Granholm?

Just more Canadian meddling in our primary process.

:P

[knitter4democracy]

32. For crying out loud, Jenny, we know you love Hillary.

If you really love our party and state the way you say you do, Gov. Granholm, you'd make the state party do a caucus so that everyone would vote this time and actually get counted properly. We have a better chance of getting our delegates seated if we at least try to have a real election.

[smiley_glad_hands]

33. Basically she needs to cheat to win. eom

[madfloridian]

35. I am thinking of the power of the media pushing this for her.

It is all over the media, the internet.

It does not matter at all that Florida did it to override the authority of the DNC and make themselves more important.

Nothing matters once the media gets hold of something.

Nothing I have written matters....she will get her way. Power always does.

:shrug:

[madfloridian]

37. Guess what. They started the media thingy without talking to the DNC

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1888

They bypassed Dean on purpose....to get media attention.

[Dr. Strange]

38. Not surprising.

They aren't going to get their legislators to admit they screwed up. And Dean isn't going to pretend that the legislators aren't to blame. So take it to the media and try to sound like they're doing it "for the voters."

[SoCalDem]

41. Gee whiz.. are any Obama supporters allowed in the negotiation or is it

a private meeting??

All the people I have seen on TV, talking about it, are curiously HRC supporters.. makes one wonder :rofl: