Quote:
Originally Posted by AGDee
Florida: The REPUBLICAN state congress changed the date for the primary and the Dems had no choice. Therefore, the Dems there should not be punished. All of the candidates were on the ballot. Therefore, their delegates should be seated as is.
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Okay, I very much disagree with this characterization of Florida.
First, just because a state legislature is made up of a majority of another party doesn't mean the state should be held unaccountable. If democrats are angry about what happened, what a great reason to reorganize themselves and petition the representatives to change it for next time. Or else maybe they should have done something beforehand and not just after the race heated up and they realized that "oh my gosh, this primary is actually important and worth fighting over."
Secondly (and more importantly, in my mind) only Hillary Clinton was on the ballot in florida, whereas every other candidate did as the DNC requested and took their name off of the ballot. Additionally, there has been rumors that Clinton DID lightly campaign in that state, and then after she won she was in Florida and declared it her victory.
This isn't a case of disenfranchisement. If either Florida or Michigan wanted their vote to count they should have made sure they followed the rules. Florida democrats, no matter what party their representatives were, should have organized themselves a long time ago if they were so concerned about their delegates counting. It isn't like this predicament was a surprise.
I personally hope the DNC doesn't back down or divides the delegates evenly. If there are "second chances" like this it will just mean there is less incentive for any other state to follow the rules or trust that when the DNC gives out rules at the beginning of a race, that they will stay the same throughout the race.