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Homework for tomorrow. (Updates on meeting-before-meeting)

By V on May 31, 2008 at 1:31 AM in DNC, Delegates, Democracy, Democrats, Disenfranchisement, Florida, Howard Dean, Michigan, Voter Enfranchisement

UPDATE: There was a meeting-before-the-meeting that went until 1:30 am. [AP report.]

People who attended said no deals were reached, although there was a widespread sentiment that they should try to come up with some resolution that would put the issue behind them.

ABC news is also reporting a bit on it:

Democrats went behind closed doors until 1:30 am ET on Saturday but they did not reach their goal of developing a unified proposal regarding Michigan and Florida.

28 of the 30 members of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee were joined by DNC Chairman Howard Dean for the marathon dinner meeting which took place in a hotel ballroom at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

“It was a full discussion, we’ll see what happens,” said Clinton adviser Harold Ickes. “And I think there was some agreement on some issues and still some disagreement on others.”

The key sticking point is how to allocate delegates in Michigan where Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., took his name off of the ballot.

There appears to be more agreement on how to proceed with Florida.

The most likely scenario is for the Sunshine State’s entire delegation to be seated — each member with 1/2 vote.

The exhausted DNC members are scheduled to reconvene publicly at 9:30 am ET. They will hear from the presidential campaigns, state party officials, and party members challenging the DNC’s decision to strip Florida and Michigan of all delegates.

“There will probably be a little, sort of, tussling — but we’re Democrats, you know we sort of do that,” said Allan Katz, an Obama supporter and committee member from Florida.

This video below is lengthy but a good prep for understanding what will happen today. You will get to see some of the committee members in action. My summary? Committee spends way too much time worrying about protecting bogus process they’ve created instead of trying to win the General Election. It’s as if they chose to electrocute themselves because of a parking ticket.

The committee worked very hard to design what it thought would be an improvement to the primary timing and process. Unfortunately, with the benefit of hindsight, we can see that the system is beyond broken — it’s a friggin’ disaster. Obama gamed the system to try to win the nomination by leveraging the weirdness of red state caucuses. Two key swing states are snubbed and likely lost to Dems in the GE. The popular vote winner, and winner of the key swing states in the primaries, is on the verge of defeat. 3 percent of the primary voters will get a 15 percent say at the nominating convention. Etc. Etc. Etc.

HOPE this pack of B-crats see the light tomorrow. At the very least they all owe us a great big apology for the mess they created — well intentioned or not.

  • Kinky Ogremann

    Thank you so much for posting the video!

    • standard

      Please contact the media and tell them we want to watch the Americans who took the time to be at a bus station at 3AM so they could fight for OUR DEMOCRACY that the DNC is trying to destroy.
      Because there are always important reason to take people’s votes away.
      Tell CNN to get a camera on our people!
      I was sure hoping to see them on C Span, but all I’m seeing is a crawl over text.

  • Kinky Ogremann

    I’m sorry – video was too boring – could only sit through 2 minutes before nodded off…
    Go all Hillary supporters tomorrow! Represent for Democracy! Thank you!

    • http://v4hill.com v4hill

      Expect more of the same tomorrow…

  • painkillerJayne

    I’m sitting here wondering what is wrong with our Country that so many people would endorse a candidate that goes to a hate mongering Church. Has the DNC lost their mind? Has America lost her mind?
    When did it become accecptable to be this way?

    people need to use google a little more and find out about the real Barack.I don’t think it is pretty.

    I hope Hillarys burns Denver.

  • Gary McGowan

    Florida Demands Representation (FDR)

    Position Document excerpts…

    Florida voters turned out in record numbers. In fact, more than 1.7 million Florida Democrats cast a ballot that day, the highest turnout ever for a Democratic primary election.

    …all Democratic candidates were on the ballot…all candidates were well known to the voting populace.

    Of Florida’s 67 counties, Clinton won 48; Edwards won 11, while Obama won 8. The resulting number of delegates: 67 for Clinton, 41 for Obama, and 15 for Edwards.

    As Americans and voters in this great democracy, we believe that when called upon to vote, we do. We regard this right and the resulting outcome as sacred–that it counts! How often we hear public service announcements reinforcing the idea that every vote counts.

    Instead, we are subject to autocratic rules and insolence by Democratic Party leaders …their rules are more important than the voices of millions of voters.

    It is beyond comprehension that after spending more than $20 million in consort with 1.7 million voters who exercised their Constitutional right to vote the DNC continues to dig in its heels …

    .
    Florida Demand Representation (FDR) is dedicated to one cause: protecting voters’ rights and civil liberties.

    We are not funded. We are not tied to any campaign.
    …our volunteers are from all political persuasions. Whether Democrat, Independent, Republican or member of a minor party.

    .
    Over 230 years ago, 13 colonies, each with different charters, goals, and citizenry, banded together to fight for the principle of representation. While the odds were against them, their belief in their cause propelled them to victory. Today, their victory is ours to protect!

    Go to our website and download our petition. Forward our website to your friends and ask them to do the same.

    Attend one of our statewide rallies on May 31, 2008.…

    We need your support and we need it quickly–our democracy is at stake.

  • http://www.12counts.com iam0nly1

    Thanks V for posting the video. I watched it in full, and was even disappointed when it ended in the middle a thoughtful comment by a gentleman discussing his discomfort with the penalties that Hammond (the guy who introduced the motion) laid out.

    It seemed abundantly clear that many on the panel had their own agendas and were never going to consider voting against the motion: they were more focused on preserving the precious calendar they supposedly worked so hard on.

    Further, the committee member from DC was particularly transparent. She clearly had a personal vendetta against Florida because she felt that they at one point, at some meeting, voted against DC having representation. That is no basis for silencing the 1.7 million Florida Democrats! Petty, personal politics should not decide which voters have a voice and subsequently the outcome of presidential nominating contests.

    I will be waking up early to watch and I will be taking down notes and names. Perhaps the committee will refrain from personal politics and self-righteousness when they know that millions, especially the voiceless in MI and FL will be watching. The General Election rests on the events of tomorrow. I fully expect that should the RBC not head the voices of the voters that Hillary will take this fight to the Convention, and no one can be blamed except the DNC, the RBC and the Obama campaign.

  • http://liberalrapture.com scott in jupiter

    Anyone else see the irony in this story? Here we have the DNC representing the party of the superior propeller heads who have seen this coming for months. Waiting till the day before the test to pull an all-nighter.

    • Nellie

      Having taught at the college level – you are right!

      The “party” students finally sober up and say OMG it’s finals and my father will kill me if i don’t graduate.

  • Betty

    And is it true, only 2500 Iowans showed up to vote?

  • ndenial

    I just watched the whole video. I agree that these members seem to have their own agenda. I thought the case presented was more than compelling. The responses to that case seemed pre-written. They were never going to change their minds. What I found really interesting is that this was in 2007, and the gentleman named Allan in his final statement says “Florida needs to bring a full delegation to the convention” He goes on to state that for Florida to find itself with “no delegates or whatever they end up with” would work against trying to bring Florida into the Democratic column. I just saw the same gentleman on CNN as an Obama supporter. Guess what? He’s not for full delegation seating anymore!

  • Peep

    Just confirms that Obama is running his campaign based on fear and hate we have seen these mob gang antics on display from his team all along, before though they would have added Hope and Change in the threat, in fact that’s all we have seen. Look we ARE not afraid and my belief is that we can go toe to toe where required, threatening violence and in sighting violence, as this threat implies, may require a quick read for the Obama campaign of some real law. They might worry that if they through these rants,indeed Cause domestic violent acts against the people or properties by advocating civil unrest then this interview will be exhibit 1, in both criminal and civil actions against them and should be. We are not going to be bullied or frightened out of the electoral process with their name calling their natsyness, their drama and their silly intimidations or their faux math or their Party corruption, it just dose not matter to the We in this country who believe ourselves empowered.

    What this Electorate needs to cull from this Dem Primary is that the Political Parties BOTH and the Press are untrustworthy incapable of reporting, discussing any topic of Governance, an individulas capability to Govern, or ethical Politics of any kind. It was the PRESS and Party’s that still tursted by somethat brought us George Bush, never forget and never forgive them recall he also tingled their legs, and now Iraq and 4,000 dead US soldiers, and tens of thousand innocent Iraqis slaughtered and a 2 Trillion dollar price tag debt and defict on our dime.
    These two establishments, Political Party’s and Press, are now the enemy of the People’s Interest. They choose to place their needs first before good governance, after all good governance dose not bring ratings and Party’s low information petty wedgies that divide. Don’t believe for a second We are fooled, Women the largest demographic in the electorate, at least have sprung into action and for the first time will become an aligned power and make no mistake we will defeat Obama and any other Bush type inexperienced fringe partisan puppet these corrupted Parties put forth.
    How sad is it that the Democratic Party of all Party’s, had to fix its own race by suppressing voter’s voice and distributing delegates again suppressing voters voices, what a fraud what a shame what a betrayal!

  • MEchelle Hates America!

    Start listening at 21:00 for a few minutes if you’re easily bored.

    The first take away is that they wisely chose to settle for a paper trail ballot in a state with a Republican controlled legislature demanding an early primary.

    The second take away is that a caucus is undemocratic as it disenfranchises voters.

    The third take away is that the Big Tent party has become a carnival freak show and is cotrolled by con artists, the demented, and mental midgets.

    The fourth take away is to vote for John McCain and Dems or Republicans you have personally researched down ticket.

    The final take away is to begin steps pulling sane members from all parties into a third party for 2012.

  • Zee

    I was wondering if the protesters were going to be shown.

    I remember many protests were we got zero coverage…one protest in particular at Fanueil Hall, where they had a camera on the few of us who went around the side of the building to try to catch the scoundrel we were protesting as he left.

    When the reporter spoke to us I asked her if they were ever going to train the camera on the huge mob in front of the building…or just show us to make it look as if only a few people showed up. I noticed they never did turn the camera around.

    • Kinky Ogremann

      Yes – the media sets the narrative – thank god for youtube and radio shows where you can call in and give the truth.

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