Dems: No vote by mail

Democratic Party chief Karen Thurman is pulling the plug on a bid to restage the Jan. 29 presidential primary by mail.

Party leaders had said the vote by mail was their best option to abide by national party rules and see that Florida votes get counted. But the idea was widely panned.

"Thousands of people responded," to the proposal for a mail-in vote, Thurman said in a statement. "We spent the weekend reviewing your messages, and while your reasons vary widely, the consensus is clear: Florida doesn’t want to vote again. So we won’t.

"This doesn’t mean that Democrats are giving up on Florida voters. It means that a solution will have to come from the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, which is scheduled to meet again in April."

See the full letter to state Democrats below in the comments section.

The candidates could reach a negotiated settlement to bring Florida back into the fold, or one of the candidates could secure enough delegates to settle the argument.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that in Lansing, Mich., "legislative leaders reviewed a measure Monday that would set up a do-over Democratic presidential primary.

"The draft legislation included language that would approve spending privately raised funds for the election and setting the date for June 3."

An aide to Hillary Clinton - who won January primaries in both renegade states and supports do-overs - called on Barack Obama's campaign to support a second Michigan primary.

"If Barack Obama's campaign stands in the way of a new vote, he will be putting his own political interests ahead of the people of Michigan," Harold Ickes said. " They deserve to have a voice and a vote in the Democratic party's nominating process. A re-vote is the only way Michigan can be assured its delegation will be seated, and vote in Denver. If the Obama campaign thwarts a fair election process for the people of Michigan, it will jeopardize the Democratic nominee's ability to carry the state in the general election."

Says the Obama campaign: "Hillary Clinton herself said in January that the Michigan primary 'didn’t count for anything.' Now, she is cynically trying to change the rules at the eleventh hour for her own benefit. We received a very complex proposal for Michigan re-vote legislation today and are reviewing it to make sure that any solution for Michigan is fair and practical. We continue to believe a fair seating of the delegation deserves strong consideration."

Comments

[lesley clark]

Dear Florida Democrat,

For a year now, the Florida Democratic Party has tried to comply with the Delegate Selection Rules of the Democratic National Committee.
We researched every potential alternative process – from caucuses to county conventions to mail-in elections – but no plan could come anywhere close to being viable in Florida.
We made a detailed case to the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, but we were denied.
Our Democratic legislators in Tallahassee tried to set the Florida primary on Feb. 5, instead of Jan. 29, but of course, their proposed amendment to House Bill 537 was greeted with laughter and derision from the Republicans who control the state government.
Does ‘537’ ring a bell? It should. It’s the number of votes that separated Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore in Florida in 2000.
It’s the number that sent this country and this world in a terrible direction.
We can’t let 537 – or the Republicans – determine our future again.
President Bush plans to stop in Florida tomorrow to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Republican National Committee’s efforts to elect his successor in November.
The last thing America needs is a third Bush term. Despite the widespread anxiety that working families feel, not to mention the broad agreement among economists that we are in a recession, President Bush and John McCain blindly believe that the economy is strong.
And let me remind you that John McCain endorsed President Bush’s decision to deny health care to thousands of Florida children by vetoing an expansion of the successful SCHIP program. McCain also promises to jeopardize the financial security of Florida seniors by privatizing Social Security. He continually threatens to push Florida’s military families to the brink by keeping American troops in Iraq for “100 years” or more.
This is why we are Democrats, and this is why we must stick together, no matter where this ongoing delegate debate takes us.
Last week, the Florida Democratic Party laid out the only existing way that we can comply with DNC Rules – a statewide revote run by the Party – and asked for input.
Thousands of people responded. We spent the weekend reviewing your messages, and while your reasons vary widely, the consensus is clear: Florida doesn’t want to vote again.
So we won’t.
A party-run primary or caucus has been ruled out, and it’s simply not possible for the state to hold another election, even if the Party were to pay for it. Republican Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio refuses to even consider that option. Florida is finally moving to paper ballots, which is a good thing, but it means that at least 15 counties do not have the capacity to handle a major election before the June 10th DNC primary deadline.
This doesn’t mean that Democrats are giving up on Florida voters. It means that a solution will have to come from the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, which is scheduled to meet again in April.
When this committee stripped us of 100% of our delegates last year, some members summed up their reasoning by saying, “The rules are the rules.” Unfortunately, the rules did not apply to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina when they, too, violated the DNC calendar by moving from their assigned dates.
As the late great Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “We must adjust our ideas to the facts of today… Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.”
The Florida Democratic Party has stuck to its principles throughout this debate. We’ve remained open-minded while never wavering from our commitment to an open and fair election that would allow all Florida Democrats to participate, whether serving in Iraq, retiring in Boca, studying abroad or entertaining at a theme park.
Another late great President –Abraham Lincoln, a Republican – said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
If Democrats heed this wisdom, we will win in November.
America needs a great president again, but a President McCain will settle for the status quo and carry on the disastrous Bush tradition.
President Clinton or President Obama will make history and lead this nation in a new direction.
Let’s remember this as the delegate debate continues. We must stick together as Democrats. The stakes are too high and the opportunities too great.
I will keep you posted on any major developments. Thank you for your concern and your commitment.

Sincerely,
Congresswoman Karen L. Thurman
Chair, Florida Democratic Party

[Kim]

I agree with this decision...a revote would send the wrong message to our state officials that they can get away with doing whatever they want. Instead, I want them to feel the wrath of the millions of Democratic voters they disenfranchised, and that a class action lawsuit should be filed against them for reckless disregard for their state voters' rights when they went against the party rules.

[Keeva]

That latter has more half truths and flat out falsehoods in it than most Hollywood screenplays.

Let me remind Congresswoman Thurman that it was a Democrat (Jeremy Ring) that first introduced the January 29th date. And she should try to remember that all but one Democrat in our failed Legislature supported the idea - as did she.

Using the 2000 election as a battle cry is offensive to say the least, coming from one of the Democratic party's elitist "super delegates." This is a party that has thus far awarded more delegates to the popular vote loser at least twice (Nevada and Texas), disenfranchised 2 big states out of pure arrogance and greed and has a system of super delegates that allows a nomination to be granted despite the popular vote and elected delegates. She can yell about the 537 votes all she wants, but until she moves to do away with the super delegate system and this hackneyed apportionment, she is being disingenuous, to use a kind word.

And she should also recall the echoing silence of protest when the delegates were first stripped and the continued silence up until the party realized that they were heading for a cliff.

And Mr. Ickes' sheer hypocrisy in voting to strip the delegates and then decrying the decision months later when it suited his personal political ambitions is representative of a political party that deserves to fall off a cliff at some point. In case Rep. Thurman has forgotten Mr. Ickes explanation of his change of heart, allow me to quote it here - "Well ,that was different."

It sure was. The Democratic Party I used to belong to represented real people and real democracy. Not this super elitist, fat cat, back room nonsense they now have.

I changed from Democrat to No Party Affiliation many years ago when it became apparent that this party represented only itself. Rep. Thurman's letter only serves to reinforce my beliefs.

[Democrat disenfranchised]

It's over!...both Hillary and Barack have defeated themselves. The party will split on gender, race, and fairness issues. The Jewish vote is split as well. To bring this group together will take a real leader. Do you see any in the democratic party????? Like I said it's over!