So...Howard Dean came out today and wouldn't endorse Do-Overs for Florida and Michigan.

Dumb.

Frankly, the original penalty of the DNC was dumb: let's penalize and alienate voters from two important states so they'll be even less inclined to vote for our candidate in the general election. Great plan.

Yep, I agree that the rules were the rules, and we can't support any state just doing what it wanted to in setting the timing for their primaries, but draconian penalties don't do anybody any good. FORCED Do-Overs should have been built into the penalty, thus giving the states an opportunity to contribute to the primaries; they should've put the onus on the states.

Even worse, Florida Democrats had NOTHING to do with their Republican State's decision to move up the primary, so we're punishing them for something that wasn't even their fault.

As I said, dumb.

How many ways can we continue to shoot ourselves in our feet? I'm sure there are more out there, but this one's a real winner.

Somebody suggested that I want a Do-Over because I want more delegates for MY candidate, Sen. Obama. They couldn't be MORE wrong.

I don't like caucuses, either, and they've been very good for my candidate.

I believe that a vote is a vote, that NO ONE VOTE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANOTHER.

I hate the idea of super-delegates, too, even though I understand that they're there to protect the voters from themselves. But, like all systems, it can be abused and corrupted...and we're seeing that now.

Personally, not that I get a vote in this regard, I wish that the candidate with the greatest number of legitimate pledged delegates would get the support of ALL the super-delegates, because if he or she doesn't, half of our party will feel disenfranchised.

Thomas Jefferson, the founder of our party, believed that a win by one vote should be the same as a unanimous vote.

I support that concept.

Let the voters vote in fair and equal contests, especially in Florida and Michigan.

And Howard Dean needs to remember who he works for, and he should start working on our behalf, instead of against us.

How on earth can his decision to not endorse Do-Overs be good for our party?

Dumb.

--Lee

Post edited by: Lee Nordling, at: 2008/03/06 11:30