Yes, the Democratic primary last night in Michigan was a beauty contest -- the delegates selected to represent their candidates will not be seated at the convention in Denver -- but it is something of a story that 45 percent of that primary's voters cast ballots in favor of alternatives to Clinton, including a sizable portion of them to uncommitted delegates.
Essentially this means that over 264,000 Wolverine State Democrats took time out of their day yesterday to vote against Hillary Clinton --voting uncommitted or for Kucinich, Dodd, or Gravel -- even though it didn't matter for much of anything.
The Washington Post picked it up on page A7 of the January 16 paper and Congressional Quarterly reported story on its Web page, noting the Clinton campaign heralded the victory with triumphant rhetoric even though her delegates will not be able to vote for her nomination at the convention:
Despite these circumstances, Clinton’s campaign declared a significant victory. “Tonight Michigan Democrats spoke loudly for a new beginning,” Clinton Campaign Manager Patti Solis Doyle said in a statement. She added: “Your voices matter. And as president, Hillary Clinton will not only keep listening, but will make sure your voice is always heard.”
CQ's Marie Horrigan later noted that Michigan Democratic Party officials hope to get the DNC to reverse its decision and credential the delegates:
Although the national party has stripped the state of its delegates, Michigan Democrats insist they will have their full delegation restored at the national convention in Denver because of Michigan’s importance as a battleground state in the general election.
[State Democratic chairman Mark] Brewer added that the skewed turnout for the primary was not an omen for the partisan contest to come. “I can tell you regardless of turnout tonight there’s enormous energy among Democrats in this state just as there is elsewhere in this country, and I expect that we’re going to have record high turnout in the fall,” he predicted.
Of course, if that's ultimately the case, and if the nomination wasn't sewed up by either Obama or Clinton, those undeclared delegates could prove crucial to settling the nomination.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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That sounds like a lot of
January 16, 2008 - 14:34 ET by USA4freedomThat sounds like a lot of P/O people.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
Ticked Off in Michigan
January 16, 2008 - 16:42 ET by ecnirPI live in Michigan. I am ticked off beyond belief at this situation. First, we've got Democrats running this state into the ground. Then they move the primaries up and incur the wrath of the national parties, so much so that the Republicans only get half their delegates counted at the convention and the Democrats none. Knowing this, the state goes ahead and holds the primary vote anyway. We are in really tough fiscal shape here in the state, and there was no point to allowing Democrats to use an expensive electoral system yesterday to do this. And to hear that the Democrat party is lobbying to get those delegates recognized after the fact. Are you kidding me? The people of Michigan who chose not to vote because they had no options and no reason to are going to be told after the event that they should have because now the Democrats are going to decide to count the results anyway...and look, only Senator Clinton actually got delegates! This is manipulation of the worst sort and should be a national stain on the legitimacy of our electoral process. Criminy! Grieve for us, other 49ers.
for or ?Michigan
January 16, 2008 - 15:17 ET by docbThis is telling in that it serves to inform us of the lengths that voters will go to- to state their dislike/ distrust of hillery clinton. It also exhibits the arrogance of that candidate to have not removed herself from the ballot, there and in Florida, when the agreement was to do so. To guess that there will be few crossover ballots cast for Clinton is one thing but to be shown uneqivically the divisiveness of this candidate is without parallel. We democrats must remind ourselves what the mission is: To Win.
It will be at our own peril that we bring to the general election someone that close to 50% of our own party will not support.
Where is JJ ?
January 16, 2008 - 15:25 ET by JayTeeWhere the Heck is Jesse Jackson on taking the Democratic party to Issue for "Dis-enfranchising" all these Michigan Voters ? ?
This is a ready made March........Where is he ? ? They Stiffed the whole State, they didn't even let a Black man on the Ballot (Hussein) ..... Where is JJ and Company coming to the Defense of the People of Color in Michigan ? ?
"Barack Obama is a Powerful Speaker—And so is My Bose Bass Amp" Doug Giles
To be fair, Barack Obama and
January 16, 2008 - 15:33 ET by Ken ShepherdTo be fair, Barack Obama and most of the others didn't care to be on the ballot since the DNC said it would deny the delegates seats at the convention. So no one really campaigned there, although Clinton was fine with her name remaining on the ballot.
michigan
January 16, 2008 - 16:16 ET by docbRiegle accuses Clinton campaign of manipulating Michigan Dem ballot
January 15, 2008
Former U.S. Sen. Donald Riegle had harsh words for the only viable Democratic presidential candidate on Tuesday's primary ballot that he called "rigged" and a "manipulation by the Clinton machine."
Riegle, who now lives in Washington D.C., stopped in his hometown of Flint on the eve of the primary Monday to encourage Democratic voters to vote "uncommitted" if they support a candidate whose name isn't on the ballot.
That will help get delegates for the other candidates in the Democratic National Convention. Write-ins for candidates who withdrew names won't be counted.
Riegle accused U.S. Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y of taking advantage of Michigan's early primary that broke convention rules by staying on the ballot after what he says was an agreement that all Democratic candidates withdraw names.
"It reminds me of the old Soviet Union. This is a tactic that should not happen in a democracy," said Riegle, who also spoke in Detroit and Lansing the same day on what he said was "a scam ballot."
"It's an absolute fraud. They very clearly waited until others had followed through with the agreement and then didn't follow through with it. This was not an accident. This is a very deliberate manipulation of the ballot."
But supporters defended Clinton, pointing to Florida, another state where convention rules were broken for an earlier primary date as an example of where candidates U.S. Sen Barack Obama and John Edwards chose to remain on the ballot.
Ron Duncan, chairman of the Genesee County Democratic Party and Clinton supporter, said Obama and Edwards likely withdrew names because they were behind Clinton in Michigan polls and the situation worked in their favor.
"I respect Mr. Riegle's opinion and everything he's done," Duncan said. But "to me, it's a choice Clinton made to stand up for Michigan and not to bow down to a national democratic committee. This was a personal choice each one of them made."
Riegle, who has not officially endorsed any candidate, earned fame when while in Senate he championed freedom of immigration on behalf of Jews in the then-Soviet Union. He switched from the Republican to Democrat side in 1973 because of disillusionment with the Nixon era and Vietnam.
"It destroys people's faith in democracy," he said of the primary, urging Democrats against voting on the Republican ballot. "That ballot is destroying the will of the people."
"<i>-- the delegates
January 16, 2008 - 16:46 ET by TeeDee"<i>-- the delegates selected to represent their candidates will not be seated at the convention in Denver -- </i><p>So, essentially, it was meaningless that herself won, unless, of course, the delegates are allowed to be seated, which doesn't appear likely, but it could happen.
Not only has this been The. Longest. Presidential. Election. Ever., it's also been the strangest.
"It isn't that liberals are ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so" - Ronald Reagan
Watch for an attempt to re-instate these delegates
January 16, 2008 - 23:18 ET by Hunter12If by some strange fate Hillary should go to the convention with a delegate total close to what she needs for the nomination, you watch the back room dealings kick into high gear to get these Michigan delegates re-instated. "To not count these delegates disenfranchises the predominently black votes of Michigan, especially in the Detroit area."
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Sir Winston Churchill