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State-Run, Party-Funded Primary Being Floated In Michigan
A proposal now being considered for the Michigan primary is that the mulligan primary would be an otherwise normal, state-run contest, but with the state Democratic Party reimbursing the state for roughly $10 million needed to run it.
This idea had previously been viewed as unfeasible, but the Detroit Free Press says it was given new life when Govs. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and Ed Rendell (D-PA), both Hillary Clinton supporters, offered to help raise the money for new contests in Florida and Michigan.
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Something tells me were going to be hearing a lot of "heart felt" apologies by all these Hillary surrogates this fall. She sure seems to have a lot of company on her "suicide" mission.
100 REASONS NOT TO VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON
March 13, 2008 9:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
The unfortunate thing about this is that when you combine the costs of redos in Michigan (10M) and Floridat (10-12M) that makes 20-22M that the DNC will not be able to spend helping to elect the eventual nominee. Pretty sad.
March 13, 2008 9:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder if Jon Corzine (the multi-millionaire) would be willing consider the two states separately. FL is certainly fertile ground for his candidate, but MI looks like a tie. If FL can't get it's act together (I said that with a straight face, wow), they may be unable to do a re-vote and at least all candidates names were on their ballot, so they may have to go to the Credentials Committee. But if MI can get an actual primary together and Corzine pays for it, they may be out of the woods and we likely end up with a near 50/50 split. I predict FL will never get a re-vote off the ground and will have to go the credentials route.
March 13, 2008 10:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
The District Conventions to choose delegates in Michigan is March 29. So if those go on and Hillary's delegates are selected along with the Uncommitted, what happens to those results if we have a another Michigan Democratic primary after that date? We'll have to do another round of District Conventions and put off the State Convention until its done. I have the distinct feeling that when I show up for my District Convention we're going to do the re-do right there in the form of a Caucus. Who's idea was it to move up the primary date in Michigan? Oh yeah, the GOP.
March 13, 2008 10:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
You can not have Corzine and Rendell involved in any Primary funding. That would clearly be a conflict of interests, as they are both Clinton Activists.
It would actually be Clinton Campaign funds being diverted to control a State Primary. That stinks to high heavern.
It would be just a back door way for maxed out Clinton donors to give more money to her campaign.
Reject and Denounce it.
March 13, 2008 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am 100% for this if they use state party money, and raise funds in the state for this. I am not gor them using DNC money however, which could dripple the Dems in Congressional/Senate Races. I hope some wealthy Hillary supporters will put their money to good use and pay for the primary. Then she can win by a little, or loose by a little and finally shut up about it. It won't effect the race much.
March 13, 2008 10:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Let's get on with it. The sooner the better. I am tired of this whining by the clintons. If they don't do a revote, the clintons will be whining for years, even though a revote won't materially change the situation.
REVOTE NOW!!!!
March 13, 2008 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
The whining won't end until they've stolen it. I'm starting to fear they will.
March 13, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Heron - Don't despair. MI may have a revote, and likely something of an even split. Mark my words, FL will never get a re-vote off the ground, it's a legal impossibility. Camp Clinton is only stalling to buy more time. They are pushing the Dem establishment with the argument that they are appealing to large numbers of Dem voters, and need more time to make their case. For the time, Dem leaders are holding off on taking sides to end this. Pelosi, Reid, Richardson and possibly Gore are definitely looking to Obama to lead the party in a new direction. They are simply waiting until the Clintons can no longer get up off the canvas to declare them dead (and rejoice). There is little love for the Clintons, but their fund-raising and party building and political skills are still worth something, but they are the past, and the past is fading. Hang in there, and dare to allow hope to fill your soul (it actually feels good).
March 13, 2008 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
If it's legally acceptable for private parties who have publicly endorsed a candidate to fund the elections, then go for it.
It'd be nice if some Obama supporters added to the pool, I guess, just to keep things equal.
March 13, 2008 11:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Emma - I'm sure Obama would contribute (probably half). The point is that there is still no workable DNC approved plan, only vague ideas whose legal status is undetermined. You can't be for or against something until there is something concrete on the table.
March 13, 2008 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's a good point. I guess it would be premature for either campaign to aggressively endorse a re-vote until the specifics of that vote have been outlined.
It's easy for me to say, "go for it!" because I don't actually have to review all of the fine print and keep everything fair and legal.
Thank goodness.
March 13, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Clinton defied her own party in 'running' in the MI and FL primaries.
She should not be allowed to benefit from that. Nor should she be given a loophole that lets donors punt more money to her. Nor should the Democratic Party be compelled to spend millions of dollars better spent on trying to defeat McCain.
Dean: Either divide the delegates in half and seat them, or stick to your guns, and DON'T seat them. But these ad hoc, eleventh hour, cost-incurring, party-dividing antics cannot be allowed to continue.
March 13, 2008 12:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks. I needed a pep talk.
March 13, 2008 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't there something horribly disturbing about any candidate's money men financing a redo election to benefit their candidate? I thought Bloomberg would be the one to try and buy the election.
Second, why on Earth would any state party listen to the DNC going forward if Florida and Michigan are not punished for violating the party rules? 2012 primaries will probably be held in 2009 at this point.
March 13, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
The idea of using campaign cash to fund a revote stinks. Conflict of interest. That should be a non-starter. Ditto Corzine's money.
March 13, 2008 1:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
This was the last left website on my bookmarks and it is now deleted because your anti Hillary bias is to much for this Edwards supporter. Your headlines read like a true OPM headline should, my hope is you all are happy at running off half your audience, half your activists, half your supporters. At least now there will be no dissent here in Obama land. Enjoy.
PS: I think the Headline should be : Instead of "What Ferraro Might Say" it should be " What a journalist might say". Of course you will not see one here, a true journalist that is .This place has turned into another Huffington " anti Hillary " Post. Obama drival all the time, nothing to outlandish to support Obama.
March 13, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well . . . if Obama should win the nomination, supporters of Sen. Clinton are always free to vote for John McCain.
After all, he's crossed the CiC threshold as she defines it; he's committed to the very same interests she is; she made it clear on CBN that she is yet filled with the Spirit and the Blood of the Lamb; and most important of all, she's resolved to win the War in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and anywhere else that harbors terrorism (terrorism, of course, is defined by our rulers as any social development model inimical to US business interests; you know, the ones that pumped all kindsa cash into her campaign back when she was Madame Inevitable).
That's right. Sen. Clinton is not some milquetoasty fraidy cat obsessed with childish questions of morality; nor is she an unreconstructed anarchist of doubtful religious leanings like Sen. Obama (who . . . as far as we know . . . isn't going to turn the US into an Al Queida stronghold the minute his hand gets off the Koran at his inauguration. No, she's a serious states(wo)man who knows what function a President of these United States is obligated to fulfill.
With this in mind, I can readily see how most Clinton supporters (those who believe she's the more responsible of the two candidates) could readily accept a McCain presidency in spirit, if not exactly in form.
March 14, 2008 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here here, acnnc.
God forbid that I like both candidate, but support one (Sen. Clinton) more than the other.
It is interesting, for all this talk about how "Shillary/Billary/Hillbot/Monster/President Clinton's Gilrfriends Wife/Mrs Clinton" is destroying the party, you newbies sure do have a lot of nerve telling me, a lifelong supporter (and straight ticket voter) of the Democratic party how you "can't understand why ANYONE would support THAT woman." In other words--Obama supporters are allowed to hate Clinton (and Clinton supporters?) but you rarely see it the other way around.
I'll vote for Obama in November when he wins the nomination. And I, along with half (perhaps more) of the Democratic party will support Sen. Clinton as a Senator, near Presidential candidate, and Senator from New York.
So, to borrow a page from your own book regarding who is pitting Democrats against fellow Democrats: Clinton haters, you can all go to hell.
March 13, 2008 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
How can they do this? Michigan doesn’t even have party registration, so how the hell do they think a revote can be done fairly?
If they revote, it means that GOP voters in the state who have already voted, can now also have the chance to vote for who they want McCain to go up against in the general — and we all know they want Hillary. If they revote, it means that Democrats could very well be leaving the winner of our primary up to Limbaugh’s Dittoheads.
This would be criminal.
March 13, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
can we set the record straight, please, worddancer and all you other anti-Hillarys out there?
>>"Clinton defied her own party in 'running' in the MI and FL primaries." well, kinda.
Clinton did "defy her party" by leaving her name on the Michigan ballot. however, both Clinton AND Obama "defied the party" by leaving their names on the Florida ballot. neither one of them did anything like "run."
in Michigan, where I live, Clinton beat "uncommitted" by some 20 points. that means Obama and Edwards TOGETHER lost to her.
if the DNC wants to punish Michigan Dems by not counting our votes, so be it. but millions of people came out and voted, and it would be wrong--not to mention incredibly expensive in a state that's flat broke--to have any sort of re-vote.
I am from a Democratic family and have never voted Republican for president. I want to support whoever is the nominee of my party. but the rancor from the Obama camp--and its minions like worddancer and others on this site--is really getting to me. I am starting to think McCain isn't such a bad choice after all.
March 13, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
How many people bothered to show up and vote in the Michigan primary?
I certainly wouldn't have after I had been told by the Democratic National Committee that the VOTE WOULD NOT COUNT.
But if I HAD showed up to vote, Gretz, I wouldn't have been voting for Obama.
The fact that you think that McCain isn't 'such bad choice after all' if Hillary's campaign is not allowed to prevail makes it clear just how sharp the arrows in your quiver are.
So I will make the point plain: people who actually care about democracy, fairness and procedural integrity object to having the rules changed after the fact to the benefit of one candidate and the prejudice of others. It would be objectionable if done by ANYONE. It happens to have been done by the Clinton campaign which--sadly--has grown more distasteful on almost a daily basis.
I may be a Democrat (at the moment), but I have been a democrat my whole life. That will never change.
And it's as a democrat that I object to post facto rule changes and ones that are patently unfair.
March 13, 2008 6:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have a question. Would this be an open primary or could Republicans vote in this primary?
March 14, 2008 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Seat the Florida delegates according to zany "Clinton Math", and hold a free and fair election in Michigan.
The first benefits Clinton, and the second benefits Obama.
Hillary Clinton will rely on Jennifer Granholm to help her carry Michigan.
Considering Granholm's piss-poor performance as governor, and her real similarities TO Hillary Clinton, I think Obama probably takes Michigan.
Clinton gets Florida, and Obama fights (and wins) Michigan. Fair. Fair enough.
March 14, 2008 12:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that what's proposed by Hillary's DLC ally Gov. Granholm is a Diebold election in a state with a Clinton-controlled board of elections.
http://www.michiganelectionreformalliance.org/resources.html
Let's just say that Diebold voting systems present a temptation to a motivated board of elections. Winning a nice chunk of the Michigan delegation is obviously pretty important to Hillary and I'm sure that's not lost on Governor Granholm. Obama may well win the votes and lose the reporting.
Nothing about a Michigan redo will be fair unless the DNC controls and monitors the election from start to finish. If the DNC signs onto this that should be Item One in any agreement with the two campaigns.
March 14, 2008 1:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that what's proposed by Hillary's DLC ally Gov. Granholm is a Diebold election in a state with a Clinton-controlled board of elections.
http://www.michiganelectionreformalliance.org/resources.html
Let's just say that Diebold voting systems present a temptation to a motivated board of elections. Winning a nice chunk of the Michigan delegation is obviously pretty important to Hillary and I'm sure that's not lost on Governor Granholm. Obama may well win the votes and lose the reporting.
Nothing about a Michigan redo will be fair unless the DNC controls and monitors the election from start to finish. If the DNC signs onto this that should be Item One in any agreement with the two campaigns.
March 14, 2008 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope this is just another press release from the Clinton campaign's outpost in the office of Governor Granholm.
I hope nobody will have the cojones to ask me for a donation to pay for a primary that will be CONTROLLED BY A CLINTON ALLY.
The DNC should not agree to this. This is insane. Ten million? Do you suppose the Democratic party could use that kind of money, oh, say, in the general election?
Chris Dodd has the only fair and sane solution. Split the Michigan and Florida delegations 50-50 and seat them.
In Adult World, we call that Logical Consequences. Next time, follow the rules.
March 14, 2008 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
We should all contact Hillary Clinton at www.hillaryclinton.com and the DNC at www.democrats.org and remind them that:
- Hillary pledged not to "campaign or participate" in MI and FL
- Hillary did not object to the rules up front
- Hillary admitted that the votes would not count when the primaries occurred
- Hillary's current claim that the votes in MI and FL were fair, legal and should be counted is outrageous, because they weren't and her shallow motive is clear based on her previous actions and remarks.
- in order to uphold the rules, the MI and FL primaries cannot count.
- revotes would drain precious contributions needed for the general election
- revotes would be incredibly expensive relative the number of delegages that might go to one candidate or the other (if OH and TX are any indication, $2-$3 million dollars per delegate)
- as a compromise, in order to seat delegates, they should be split 50-50
- Hillary, the state representatives who ignored the rules and the voters should be happy to have their delegates seated at all, based on the fact that the rules were well known.
- Hillary should be thankful she isn't fined for campaigning.
March 14, 2008 1:32 PM | Reply | Permalink