Angry Dems Protest Unseated Florida Delegates

[GaryC 7]

Angry Dems Protest Unseated Florida Delegates

By First Coast News Staff

WASHINGTON, DC -- Chanting "Count our votes!" a group of fired-up Democrats demonstrated at DNC Headquarters, calling for the party to seat Florida's delegates in August.

Rep. Corrine Brown was among those protesting. The Florida Democrat and Superdelegate said they are ready to go to the mat for disenfranchised primary voters.

"We will shut down the convention! Nobody goes in until Florida goes in!"

National party leaders stripped Florida's delegates after the state moved the primary ahead of February 5th, violating party rules. DNC Chairman Howard Dean has said that the delegate dilemma in Florida and Michigan will be settled before the convention. But so far, nothing has been done.

The League of United Latin American Citizens organized the protest. Their legal advisor, Luis Rivera, joined Rep. Brown's call to shut down the convention.

"If the Florida delegation is not seated, we will march on Denver, we'll take all of the buses willing to go to Denver, and we will shut that convention down before it gets started."

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/n...?storyid=108266

[GaryC 7]

Oh! Here is a better version of the story. This is so good! You can't make this stuff up people!!

ANGRY FLORIDIANS

From NBC's Mike Viqueira

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A small but very fired up group of Floridians rallied in the street outside the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters here today, demanding that their primary votes be counted and threatening to literally block the doors of the Democratic Convention if they aren't.

"We will shut down the convention!" exclaimed Rep. Corrine Brown. "If we are not seated, then nobody is going to be seated!"

Brown, a superdelegate pledged to Clinton, addressed a crowd of about 150 who had been bused up to D.C. from Florida this week under the auspices of LULAC, an Hispanic advocacy group. Though Brown and another super who spoke -- Rep. Hilda Solis -- are in the Clinton camp, organizers went out of their way to remove any hint that they favored one or the other Democrat in the race. Many in the crowd wore T-shirts with the name of each Democratic candidate, from Kucinich to Dodd to Richardson to Obama, printed across the back in the shape of a rainbow. There was but one Hillary '08 shirt or button to be seen.

"We're not supposed to talk about that," confided Harriet Meltzer, 83, a member in good standing of the Del Ray Democratic Club, though she allowed that she was, in fact, a Clinton supporter. "What's he going to do when he goes to the Middle East?" she asked of Obama, who she deems to be lacking in experience. "Charm them?"

But others were adamant that this was about right and wrong, not Obama and Clinton. "We've been robbed. I didn't get a say," said Glenda O'Laughlin of Clearwater. "This is a betrayal of our rights as citizens," added Branford Fambro, also of Clearwater.

Protesters eventually turned their ire on Howard Dean, literally calling him out with taunting chants of, "Be a man, Howard!" and "Where is Howard!?"

After organizers went inside to meet with DNC officials, who they got outside to address the crowd was not Dean but Luis Miranda, deputy communications director for regional and specialty media. His promise of Florida representation in Denver was greeted with shouts of "When?" and "How?" He had no details to offer.

Meanwhile, Clinton campaign official Harold Ickes made a closed-door appearance this morning before Clinton supers in Congress, where he told them that HRC would end up winning the popular vote by 300,000, according to a Democrat in attendance. He also told the group the Obama was "writing off Florida" and that the only hope to win the state in November was with a Clinton nomination. Ickes comes up regularly for these outreach sessions.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/200.../30/963364.aspx

[one...two...tree 2,762]

...one reason why this race won't go all the way to the Convention.

[GaryC 7]

...one reason why this race won't go all the way to the Convention.

Heh, if they seat FL then Hillary has more delegates and more popular votes. She would win outright. If they seat FL then MI will want seated. Keep telling yourself that its over in June Steven, it ain't over at all.

Edited May 2, 2008 by GaryC

[no name 1]

Heh, if they seat FL then Hillary has more delegates and more popular votes. She would win outright. If they seat FL then MI will want seated. Keep telling yourself that its over in June Steven, it ain't over at all.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

...one reason why this race won't go all the way to the Convention.

Heh, if they seat FL then Hillary has more delegates and more popular votes. She would win outright. If they seat FL then MI will want seated. Keep telling yourself that its over in June Steven, it ain't over at all.

Nope. It will all be over before then. As much as you enjoy making these scenarios up, it ain't going to happen...because...for the umpteenth time, Obama will reach the needed 2,025 by early June ...or sooner.

[GaryC 7]

...one reason why this race won't go all the way to the Convention.

Heh, if they seat FL then Hillary has more delegates and more popular votes. She would win outright. If they seat FL then MI will want seated. Keep telling yourself that its over in June Steven, it ain't over at all.

Nope. It will all be over before then. As much as you enjoy making these scenarios up, it ain't going to happen...because...for the umpteenth time, Obama will reach the needed 2,025 by early June ...or sooner.

And for the umpteenth time reaching 2025 does not give him the nomination. That only happens when 2025 delegates cast their votes in Aug. What part of that can't you comprehend?

[no name 1]

...one reason why this race won't go all the way to the Convention.

Heh, if they seat FL then Hillary has more delegates and more popular votes. She would win outright. If they seat FL then MI will want seated. Keep telling yourself that its over in June Steven, it ain't over at all.

Nope. It will all be over before then. As much as you enjoy making these scenarios up, it ain't going to happen...because...for the umpteenth time, Obama will reach the needed 2,025 by early June ...or sooner.

And for the umpteenth time reaching 2025 does not give him the nomination. That only happens when 2025 delegates cast their votes in Aug. What part of that can't you comprehend?

Too much Koolaid.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

...one reason why this race won't go all the way to the Convention.

Heh, if they seat FL then Hillary has more delegates and more popular votes. She would win outright. If they seat FL then MI will want seated. Keep telling yourself that its over in June Steven, it ain't over at all.

Nope. It will all be over before then. As much as you enjoy making these scenarios up, it ain't going to happen...because...for the umpteenth time, Obama will reach the needed 2,025 by early June ...or sooner.

And for the umpteenth time reaching 2025 does not give him the nomination. That only happens when 2025 delegates cast their votes in Aug. What part of that can't you comprehend?

ohhhhhh brother...not this again. Gary, yes, he'll be the presumptive nominee and yes, we're all throwing up hypotheticals, however - mine is not only the most logical scenario, it's what the leaders of the Democratic Party are saying will happen. I've just got to step away from this and put this in perspective....you are projecting what you hope will happen because you agree that it would destroy the Party.

[GaryC 7]

...one reason why this race won't go all the way to the Convention.

Heh, if they seat FL then Hillary has more delegates and more popular votes. She would win outright. If they seat FL then MI will want seated. Keep telling yourself that its over in June Steven, it ain't over at all.

Nope. It will all be over before then. As much as you enjoy making these scenarios up, it ain't going to happen...because...for the umpteenth time, Obama will reach the needed 2,025 by early June ...or sooner.

And for the umpteenth time reaching 2025 does not give him the nomination. That only happens when 2025 delegates cast their votes in Aug. What part of that can't you comprehend?

ohhhhhh brother...not this again. Gary, yes, he'll be the presumptive nominee and yes, we're all throwing up hypotheticals, however - mine is not only the most logical scenario, it's what the leaders of the Democratic Party are saying will happen. I've just got to step away from this and put this in perspective....you are projecting what you hope will happen because you agree that it would destroy the Party.

She will never give up.

[no name 1]

Griffin says Michigan and Florida delegates ‘will be seated’

By Kevin Agnese

Janice Griffin, a member of the Democratic National Committee’s Credentials Committee, told PolitickerMD.com that she expects Florida and Michigan’s delegations “will be seated” at the Democratic National Convention. As a member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee, Griffin voted last year to strip Florida and Michigan of their delegates.

When asked how those states’ delegates should be allocated between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Griffin said, ““I have not had time to think about it yet.”

Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates after the states moved their primaries to January, in violation of Democratic Party rules.

“The rules were really clear,” Griffin said. “It was very important for us to have a calendar (for nominating contests).”

In 2006, the Rules and Bylaws Committee declared that only four states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina would be permitted to hold primaries or caucuses before February 5.

Both states did hold primaries this year, but with differing levels of participation from the campaigns.

Obama removed his name from the Michigan ballot, while Clinton did not. She carried the state with 55 percent of the vote, though a whopping 40 percent of the electorate voted “uncommitted.”

In Florida, both candidates appeared on the ballot but agreed not to campaign in the state. Clinton prevailed with 49.77 percent of the vote to Obama’s 32.93 percent.

The Clinton campaign includes votes cast in Florida and Michigan in its claims that Clinton is winning the popular vote and argues that those delegates should be seated – turning the spotlight on the Credentials Committee, as it must decide what to do.

The committee is comprised of 186 members who cast 183 votes; members representing American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and Democrats Abroad each cast one-fourth of a vote.

One hundred sixty-one members will be distributed based on the primary and caucus results, while an additional 25 have already been picked by DNC Chairman Howard Dean.

Clinton superdelegate Michael Steed, Griffin, an Obama superdelegate, and Mayor Sheila Dixon of Baltimore were chosen by Dean to represent Maryland on the committee. Dixon, an Obama supporter, is not a superdelegate.

In early April, the DNC announced that Florida and Michigan members would be seated on the Credentials Committee, but ruled that the Florida representatives on the committee would not be allowed to vote on the question of whether to seat their delegates.

Alexis Herman and Jim Roosevelt, the co-chairs of the Credentials Committee, along with members Ralph Dawson, Tina Flournoy and Griffin have voted to strip Michigan and Florida of their delegates.

Several media outlets have looked at the make-up of the Credentials Committee and report that it is highly unlikely that there would be enough support for the Clinton campaign’s plan to seat Florida and Michigan’s delegates according to the primary vote counts.

http://www.politickermd.com/kevinagnese/19...-will-be-seated

Edited May 2, 2008 by illumine

[one...two...tree 2,762]

She will never give up.

It's ok to fantasize, Gary, because that's all you'll be doing when it comes to who will be our next president. You're keeping it fun though.

[GaryC 7]

She will never give up.

It's ok to fantasize, Gary, because that's all you'll be doing when it comes to who will be our next president. You're keeping it fun though.

[no name 1]

She will never give up.

It's ok to fantasize, Gary, because that's all you'll be doing when it comes to who will be our next president. You're keeping it fun though.

Edited to add: What Obama supporters think about Hillary post-Wright

Edited May 2, 2008 by illumine

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Heh, if they seat FL then Hillary has more delegates and more popular votes. She would win outright. If they seat FL then MI will want seated. Keep telling yourself that its over in June Steven, it ain't over at all.

That's cute. So, Hillary needs to change the rule of the game - rules that she helped set and supported - after it's been played in order to make a case that she won? That's really cute. It's also useless because it ain't going to happen.

I love this cartoon. It's hilarious.