The Left Coaster: Comment on Open Thread

Comments: Open Thread

happy friday all...

since my computer has user error, i copied and pasted this snippet...

Having lost the national elected delegate race, Hillary Clinton now wants to count the popular vote from Michigan in her campaign's efforts to change the rules of the nomination race. It's a fraudulent argument as the Michigan primary ballot did not offer Democrats real candidate choices.

Here is what actually happened. The four top tier Democratic candidates -- Obama, Edwards, Richardson and Clinton -- all pledged to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) they would not campaign in Michigan, after the DNC ruled that Michigan's delegates would not be seated at the national convention because Michigan changed its primary date from February 26 to January 15.

Obama, Edwards and Richardson kept their pledge and removed their names from the ballot. At the last minute, Clinton left her name on the ballot, with the full knowledge that the results would not count. Obama, Edwards and Richardson complied with the rules, while Clinton did not keep her pledge.

Although there was no other viable candidate's name on the primary ballot, only 55 percent voted for Clinton. Instead --

45 percent of Democratic voters cast their ballots as "not-Clinton" - 40% who voted the "Uncommitted" line and 5% who voted for one of the remaining candidates that were not viable.

An additional 27,694 voters did not have their votes counted, most of these likely due to "write-in" votes -- anyone writing in Obama, Edwards or Richardson's name had their ballot ruled invalid and discarded.

"Uncommitted" won more votes than Clinton did in major cities such as Grand Rapids, Detroit, Flint, Saginaw and Ann Arbor. The "not Clinton" vote also won in Wayne (the state's most populous county), along with several other counties. If write-in votes had been counted, the results would likely have tipped against Clinton in several more cities and counties.

Democratic turnout in Michigan was lower than every other state primary except Utah -- a state that gave Bush 70 percent of its vote in 2004.

Recent analysis of the 2008 turnout in other states compared to Michigan's turnout -- indicates that more than 700,000 Michigan Democratic voters, who could have been expected to participate, stayed home rather than vote. They didn't participate because they understood there was no real Democratic election choice in Michigan.

Michigan primary history had previously established a precedent for the 2008 situation. During the contested presidential primary of 1980, the DNC ruled that Michigan delegates would not be seated at the convention because the state was holding an open primary not recognized at that time by party rules. President Jimmy Carter and his challenger, Senator Edward Kennedy both kept their names off the ballot -- they honored the rules.

Clinton did not follow the precedent set by Carter and Kennedy. Instead, the Clinton campaign tried to claim Michigan delegates that were not earned competitively. When that gambit failed, Clinton began counting the popular vote in Michigan as part of her national total.

The facts associated with the Michigan Democratic primary make it clear that Michigan voters were disenfranchised by the election. As a result, the primary vote cannot be considered an honest and valid measurement of the support for any Democratic candidate in Michigan.

Perhaps a fitting postscript can be found in a recent Michigan poll by Lansing-based EPIC-MRA. In that highly respected poll, Obama led McCain 43-41 percent, while McCain led Clinton 46-37 percent. Obama was running a full 11 percentage points better than Clinton in Michigan -- when matched against McCain.

If Michigan had not moved up its original primary date of February 26, a vigorous and fair democratic primary election campaign in Michigan could have taken place. Then the real voice of Michigan Democratic voters would have been heard. All the current evidence indicates that the voters' choice would have been Barack Obama -- not Hillary Clinton.

--lori hansen riegle

Posted by anthony at May 2, 2008 02:43 AM

in other more somber news, the d.c. madam committed suicide after she was convicted and facing 55 yrs.

if i was her mother, i'd release every record debra jean kept. it is shameful that this woman paid the penalty, while the dc fatcats who regularly utilized her services, walked scott free.

Posted by anthony at May 2, 2008 02:51 AM

How bout a complete rundown on Hillary's "spiritual advisors".

After all, wouldn't that be prudent at this juncture?

Posted by chaz at May 2, 2008 03:51 AM

Not campaigning seems like a different thing than removing your name from the ballot. Having your name on the ballot is not campaigning. If removing your name was part of the rules, why did Obama have his name on the ballot in FL? And how does one leave her name on the ballot "at the last minute"? "At the last minute" implies some action. There was simply lack of action on Clinton's part. Perhaps at the last minute she decided to leave her name on the ballot--I don't know. Kucinich, who seems to be the hero of the left, kept his name on the ballot too. And there was a campaign to vote for uncommitted--otherwise people wouldn't have known what that meant.

Now, having said that, I don't think you can count much of anything from MI. FL is a different case though.

Posted by CG at May 2, 2008 04:16 AM

So was it God BLESS us or God BLESSED us?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR_vyHTfqro

Cause I don't see how trying to claim she said "blessed" makes the statement any bitter.

Given the TONE of the statement, if you actually watch the video, the statement REAKS of elitism either way, EH?

Posted by chaz at May 2, 2008 04:31 AM

cg: i cant speculate what the "last minute," means. either way u slice it, she decided to leave her name on the ballot, knowing at the time what the dnc's decision was. now she wants to include mi, when plainly, all the dems didn't vote in the primary. that's my rub, she weants them to count as is, instead of allowing a complete re-vote (that is not financed by her donors). the dnc does need to get off their collective fannies and do something FAIR about fl and mi. it is not up to the candidates to fix this, but the dnc.

Posted by anthony at May 2, 2008 05:03 AM

that should read, she "wants" them to count...

Posted by anthony at May 2, 2008 05:05 AM

from what i read, not everyone (dems) voted in fl either, for the same reasons.

Posted by anthony at May 2, 2008 05:08 AM

I just read an excerpt from Ricardo Sanchez's memoirs from Iraq. Man, he just absolutely crushes Bush, Cheney, Rummy and Rice, not to mention Franks. The Media will do everything possible to downplay this book, and I'm sure Perino will trot out the "disgruntled former employee" line, but Sanchez has put the truth out there as a General on the Ground in Iraq, and it reveals the pure incompetence and scapegoating all the way up to Bush.

Posted by T2 at May 2, 2008 06:50 AM

Phidipides, you are such a sweetie. Thanks. It has been a long haul, but everything turned out to be a blessing.

Posted by Judith at May 2, 2008 07:39 AM

Phidipides, you are such a sweetie.

Glad it's working out! The offer stands.

What was your Mom doing this time? I remember when you had to fly to Zurich because she decided to buy a new Ferrari and tried to access her numbered accounts by going through the skylight like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.

It's about time for the next TLC convention, dontcha know. Keep dates and locations in mind. I'm thinking that if we use fake names and wear fake mustaches we can get into some of the resorts we've been banned from. Maybe we can dress as a Mariachi band. Do you still have that fake mustache you used to get into the poolboy's locker room in Acapulco? Poor things never knew what hit them.

If you get an email from coyote claiming she's been practicing her twirling with a fire baton just ignore it. She previewed her act at the last TLC planning committee meeting. Thank God SoS was sitting next to a high pressure fire hose, although the hotel seemed to regret putting us in the same hall in which they were exhibiting "Great Water Color Paintings Throughout History". It's more of an impressionistic exhibit now, whats left of it.

Posted by phidipides at May 2, 2008 08:45 AM

Hey! I'm getting better! And you weren't complaining, p-dip, when you lost your lighter and needed a flame for your bong!

Posted by iamcoyote at May 2, 2008 09:15 AM

Watching Dumb-Dumb this morning after reading this I thought...he really is the dumbest som-bitch on the planet...I think we are at the half-way post in this moron's last year....something to look forward to!!

Posted by Goyo at May 2, 2008 09:44 AM

Anthony, isn't it convenient that the D.C. Madam hung herself with a plastic wire. I bet there was a collective sign of relief by many politicians.

Posted by Judith at May 2, 2008 01:32 PM

Phidipides, no this time we got a call from the police in Rome saying she was insisting that the Trevi Fountain was public property and that she could wade nude if she wanted. The disagreement became so loud that people approaching the Piazza could hear her. Needless-to-say, she was arrested and is now banned from Rome.

No, I don't have the fake mustache from Acapulco anymore, but the poolboy stayed around for several months. Quite cute, but wanting to wear my silk underwear go to be old.

Iamcoyote still practicing the trick? Thank god Seven of Six was there, as I remember that whole fiasco quite well. It all started out so innocently, but by the time her act ended, we were not only banned at the hotel, but Interpol got into the act and banned all of us internationally.

Maybe we could ask Bush if we could use the Skull & Bones house on the Yale Campus for the TLC Convention. I hear much worse incidents have occurred within those four walls.

Posted by Judith at May 2, 2008 01:58 PM

Iamcoyote, that's not what Phidipides was trying to light.

Posted by Judith at May 2, 2008 03:37 PM

Heh, Judith, I was trying to be kind! Ooooh, S&B! What a great idea. But no more branding, it stings like a sumbitch!

Posted by iamcoyote at May 2, 2008 04:27 PM

Thank God SoS was sitting next to a high pressure fire hose...

That was no high pressure fire hose... that was my water cannon!

Posted by Seven of Six at May 2, 2008 11:27 PM