Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Send them to Bed without Supper

Howard Dean has said that he is committed to having Florida's delegates seated, one way or another, at the Democratic National Convention. The only way I could possibly see this being done in a fair and justifiable manner is to have the delegates seated, but have no vote whatsoever. Florida and Michigan were both stripped of their delegates for moving their primaries ahead of the start date authorized by the Democratic National Committee, and both states knew in advance what the party's reaction would be. Now they come in and say that they are being disenfranchised, when they knew all along what would happen.

My parents once gave my grandmother a magnet that said "If mom says no, ask grandma!" I guess that makes Dean the grandmother in this little comparison. Either way, Florida and Michigan have to be told to sit this one out, and the total delegate count should be reduced by the voting strength of what Michigan and Florida would have been. Florida and Michigan delegates should not be seated in Denver, and their desperate cries for recognition should fall on deaf ears.

I am not saying that the presidential primary system should not be changed, nor am I saying that it is perfect as it stands today. All I am saying is that, given the procedures in place, that every state and candidate was aware of at the beginning, Florida and Michigan knew what the consequences of their actions would be. And they should suffer those consequences. The world may not be a very fair place, but this one should be a no brainer. Even for the Democrats, as they all hold hands and jump off the nearest cliff together.

I love the smell of democracy in the morning. Who's ready for the 2012 campaign to start?

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