Our Votes DO Count, Why Not Do This From the Beginning??

Big Surprise.

Florida's Votes Count. The little committee that normally gets unnoticed had the spotlight on them yesterday. They allotted proportionally, with the delegates getting a half a vote each.

Essentially, it's the same arrangement that the RNC made -- they took HALF the delegates from the beginning. We will count all but give them a HALF a vote each. In other words, no difference.

Soooooooooooooooo...

WHY THE HELL DIDN'T THEY DO THIS FROM THE BEGINNING?

Why did we have to endure literally MONTHS of Florida and Michigan bashing; and allow months of ads and op-eds that said Democrats don't count votes. The GOP got a free pass on this, and now Obama is having to play catch-up in two crucial swing states because of the antics of the DNC.

I still think we will win despite ourselves, but let's say we quit shooting ourselves in the foot from now on. K?

No Way to Avoid Brokered Convention: By the Numbers

Here are the options:

• Do not seat Florida or Michigan
  
• Seat them based on the elections that have taken place. Don't assume Obama gets the 55 Michigan uncommitted delegates.
  
• Seat them based on the elections that have taken place. Give Obama the 55 Michigan uncommitted delegates.
  
• Split the Florida and Michigan pledged delegations 50/50. Superdelegates are free to vote as they wish.
  
• Split Michigan 50/50 including supers. Give Florida pledged delegates 1/2 vote, but based on January election. 1/2 vote for superdelegates also. This is supposedly under significant discussion.
  
• Florida and Michigan hold new elections.
  

The guys at 2008 Democratic Convention Watch blog ran the delegate numbers for every option proposed. Check it out.

Bottom line: Unless one of the nominees drops out before the Denver convention, it is going to be months of hitting back and forth until the floor vote in August.

Just like us Democrats. Take an election that should be a shoo-in and manage to screw it all up. Why do we love to shoot ourselves in the foot? The only saving grace is that the GOP is sooooooooo corrupt and soooooooooooo incompetent and soooooooo bankrupt (morally and fiscally) that that alone may save our butts from the fire. Maybe.

Losing Florida Delegates--Screw 'Em

Quicknote: This was published on Tuesday in the Orlando Sentinel. It marks the 7th time one of my letters has gotten published, but more importantly, it marks the first time I was published that had nothing to do with the incompetence of Bush or the GOP.

Florida is too big, too diverse, and too politically balanced not to play a larger role in the selection of our presidential nominees. The state parties need to stick by their guns on this. The worst that can happen is losing delegates to the party's convention, which is silly since the nominee is determined months in advance.

I'd rather have a real voice in our leader than sending delegates to a glorified coronation.