Howard Dean, Donna Brazil, and all the other DNC "leaders" circled the state of Florida and opened fire. To bad they shot themselves in the process.
This has got to be one of the dumbest political moves by the Democratic party in recent history. You guys won't realize the impact of this mistake until November.
As much as it pains me to say, don't count on Florida in November. Dems had better count on bringing in Ohio we want to win.
Our distaste for George Bush, the Iraq war, the price of gas, the lack of affordable healthcare - and a host of other Republican problems - won't make up for the months we lost here organizing Democrats around the Democratic candidates. Grass root efforts are virtually non existant here.
If the DNC was smart they would have punished Florida Democrats using the same measures that the Republicans did - by counting half of the delegates. At least Republicans here feel as if they have some say. Democrats can't say that.
They have to make up for alot of lost time.
Dear Roy,
"We have always been the party of promise who stood with the working man and woman, the party of hope who stood with the needy, the party of compassion who stood with the young and the old and the frail. It is who we are. In times like these, we don't need to redefine the Democratic Party; we need to reclaim the Democratic Party"
So spoke john Edwards at the DNC winter meeting in February 2007. (Read the rest of the speech.) Since then, he has remained unequivocal in his defense of the middle class and deprived Americans. Undaunted, relentless and always optimistic he continues to lay out his plan for a better America and insists on giving a voice to the ignored and forgotten. That's why we personally endorse John Edwards for President.
John Edwards chose the path less traveled. Unlike other presidential candidates he has taken on corporate America, and challenged the neo-conservative argument that blames the poor for their condition. John Edwards is the candidate most feared by the powerful corporations because he speaks truth to the power.
If you follow the money you'll find John Edwards has not received millions of dollars in contributions from insurance companies, pharmaceuticals and other vested interests like his opponents.
And the corporate media is virtually ignoring his campaign as they try to force us to choose between his two opponents. Well, we are the deciders!
Within hours you will have the opportunity to make history, the future is ours, and there is no time to waste. We Floridians can make a real difference by coming out in huge numbers to vote for John Edwards. We hope you'll mark your ballot for the real progressive in the race-John Edwards!
In Peace and Solidarity,
Luis Cuevas, Sheldon Packer, Mike Fox
Florida PDA State Coordinators
Nobody is saying that. Have I said that?
It is all Democrats who are harmed here. The DNC just shot themselves in the foot and they don't even know it. Have they not been paying attention the last two elections? Florida is very important in a general election.
What I have said is that the wreckless actions of the DNC are going to SERIOUSLY harm voter turnout here in Florida. The DNC could have responded with more reasoned sanctions such as what the Republicans did and counted half the delegates.
You'll come to appreciate what a mess we are in in November. Pay attention to Michigan and Florida. Unless there is a concerted effort to undo the damage, we have serious problems here.
Do you not get that Republicans have a six month headstart when it comes to campaigning here in Florida?
You guys can live in blissful ignorance if you want the next eight months thinking you have the election in the bag. You are going to have one tough opponent. John McCain is no walk in the park. Then throw in the six months lost time here and in Michigan!
McCain is going to attract quite a few independents and moderates. In these types of elections, you've got to fight for every last vote.
You can act indignant now and pretend there isn't a problem, or you can act responsibly and acknowledge the problem so that Democrats act to limit the damage.
My advice is that they either spend a ton of money in Florida and put lots of energy in this state this year, or they put no money in it and concede Florida to the Republicans. Take that money and put it in other states where there is a better chance. You won't win here without a much larger effort than in 2004.
All thanks to the DNC punishing who? Who was punished here? It's not just Floridians, I can tell you that.
What's needed is a TOTAL overhaul of our system for selecting the Democratic nominee. How about we start by taking away the wildly disproportionate power of two tiny states at the expense of mega-states like Florida?
Show Florida some Democratic love with some much needed attention. National Dems have been AWOL for the last 4-6 months.
A whole bunch of states moved up their primaries to 2/5, and their voices are now being heard.
Virginia, Maryland, and DC all decided to play by the rules -- and now the "Chesapeake Tuesday" states are going to be a significant contest on 2/12.
And now, if Obama and Clinton split the pot on 2/5 and no one has a decisive lead, then some of the bigger states that have primaries in March and April may prove to be just as decisive as Iowa and New Hampshire!
Michigan and Florida could have followed the rules and still had a significant voice, but instead they said "screw you" to the national party, and "screw you" to the states that abided by the rules. The DNC punished them, and rightfully so.
I'll bet you all the money in my pockets against all the money in yours that Michigan and Florida will have delegates seated at the convention -- probably from caucuses that will take place after the nominee is decided. The states just won't have the decisive status that they wanted.
Now, if you really want to talk about fundemental fairness, do something about Iowa, NH, NV, and SC also. Otherwise, you are just singling us and Michigan out. And being a hypocrite. You're not in the Hillary camp are you ;-)