The Mailing List
When Michigan announced its plans for an early primary both parties took action against the state. The RNC immediately took half of Michigan’s delegates away and the DNC protested by warning that the state was in danger of losing all its delegates. Furthermore, the DNC and the major candidates (Clinton, Edwards and Obama) agreed not to campaign in the state. Some candidates, Edwards and Obama among them, in further siding with the DNC yanked their names from the ballot. Clinton and others did not. Malvolio was pulling out her hair already. It was only October and they were going to screw it up!
At this point no one (including me) thought the primary would go forward. Now, there are some pretty strong factions in this state that back Clinton, including super delegates Jennifer Granholm, Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin. It was an obvious advantage to their candidate to hold an early primary in the state. This however was not the main or only impetus behind this move. Included in the law that established the new primary was this little ditty – election workers were required to make a list of all those who voted in the Michigan Democratic and Republican primary election and submit them direct to the DNC and the RNC respectively. That’s right folks, both parties wanted a mailing list!
It’s certainly possible that powerful Clinton backers in the state advised Hillary that the primary would go forward. South of Lansing, in Detroit, however there were also powerful Obama fans, who were most likely doing everything in their power to stop it. These do not include Mayor Kilpatrick and his mother Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who are most likely Clintonites, but no doubt will back the hot hand.
Opposing hizzoner and Mom are super delegates the Conyers, Detroit Councilwoman Monica (like Ms. Kilpatrick, she also has been known to use her fists on other women) and Senator John, who were to later run radio ads instructing voters to choose “uncommitted” on the ballot in order to cast a vote for Obama (elsewhere in the state others were to do the same for Edwards). The problem for the Conyers was that Mark Brewer, the Michigan Democratic Party Chair, former Edwards man and in all likelihood now an Obama backer wanted the list too. In effect what the Michigan Democrats and a DNC – that can’t seem to keep it’s puppies in the box – had done was to ensure that the Michigan Democratic primary was a farce.
This primary should never have taken place. The Michigan Circuit court ruled that the law establishing the new primary was unconstitutional. Aw, no mailing lists. Judge Blocks Michigan Primary This should have been the end of the story. It wasn’t. The GOP of the state, not to be outdone, took it to the Republican majority, Michigan Supreme Court where the arguments were contentious and Justice Cavenagh, in the minority stated "The very idea of supplying lists of voters to private parties, when the voters must either be on the list or not vote, strikes me as an abuse of the public franchise," That is how Michigan Democrats ended up with a messed up primary and though many in Detroit worked furiously to get Edwards’, Obama’s and the other’s names back on the ballot, it never happened. Obama and Edwards could have registered as write in candidates and did not. Instead voters were instructed to vote “uncommitted” if their choice was for either of those candidates. Clinton stayed on the ballot in a meaningless primary thinking she would need Michigan to win the national election. All along Brewer assumed that eventually the delegates would be seated 55% for Clinton and 40% uncommitted.
In my eyes, once Obama, Edwards, Richards and Biden took their names off the ballot any chance at a fair vote ended. Clearly Michigan Democratic leaders deserve whatever they get; I’d like to personally throttle them all! Clearly Clinton’s name being on the ballot gave her an advantage, but she was already way ahead of the polls in the state 49% to Obama 15% and Edwards 12%. The remaining and lesser known democrats benefitted as well. There was no advantage for the missing democratic front runners to register as write-ins. They would have lost. Democrats in Michigan had their own agenda the Clintonites, Obamites and Edwardsians, but all they got was their precious, tax-payer funded mailing list.
There are no angels in politics.
At this point no one (including me) thought the primary would go forward. Now, there are some pretty strong factions in this state that back Clinton, including super delegates Jennifer Granholm, Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin. It was an obvious advantage to their candidate to hold an early primary in the state. This however was not the main or only impetus behind this move. Included in the law that established the new primary was this little ditty – election workers were required to make a list of all those who voted in the Michigan Democratic and Republican primary election and submit them direct to the DNC and the RNC respectively. That’s right folks, both parties wanted a mailing list!
It’s certainly possible that powerful Clinton backers in the state advised Hillary that the primary would go forward. South of Lansing, in Detroit, however there were also powerful Obama fans, who were most likely doing everything in their power to stop it. These do not include Mayor Kilpatrick and his mother Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who are most likely Clintonites, but no doubt will back the hot hand.
Opposing hizzoner and Mom are super delegates the Conyers, Detroit Councilwoman Monica (like Ms. Kilpatrick, she also has been known to use her fists on other women) and Senator John, who were to later run radio ads instructing voters to choose “uncommitted” on the ballot in order to cast a vote for Obama (elsewhere in the state others were to do the same for Edwards). The problem for the Conyers was that Mark Brewer, the Michigan Democratic Party Chair, former Edwards man and in all likelihood now an Obama backer wanted the list too. In effect what the Michigan Democrats and a DNC – that can’t seem to keep it’s puppies in the box – had done was to ensure that the Michigan Democratic primary was a farce.
This primary should never have taken place. The Michigan Circuit court ruled that the law establishing the new primary was unconstitutional. Aw, no mailing lists. Judge Blocks Michigan Primary This should have been the end of the story. It wasn’t. The GOP of the state, not to be outdone, took it to the Republican majority, Michigan Supreme Court where the arguments were contentious and Justice Cavenagh, in the minority stated "The very idea of supplying lists of voters to private parties, when the voters must either be on the list or not vote, strikes me as an abuse of the public franchise," That is how Michigan Democrats ended up with a messed up primary and though many in Detroit worked furiously to get Edwards’, Obama’s and the other’s names back on the ballot, it never happened. Obama and Edwards could have registered as write in candidates and did not. Instead voters were instructed to vote “uncommitted” if their choice was for either of those candidates. Clinton stayed on the ballot in a meaningless primary thinking she would need Michigan to win the national election. All along Brewer assumed that eventually the delegates would be seated 55% for Clinton and 40% uncommitted.
In my eyes, once Obama, Edwards, Richards and Biden took their names off the ballot any chance at a fair vote ended. Clearly Michigan Democratic leaders deserve whatever they get; I’d like to personally throttle them all! Clearly Clinton’s name being on the ballot gave her an advantage, but she was already way ahead of the polls in the state 49% to Obama 15% and Edwards 12%. The remaining and lesser known democrats benefitted as well. There was no advantage for the missing democratic front runners to register as write-ins. They would have lost. Democrats in Michigan had their own agenda the Clintonites, Obamites and Edwardsians, but all they got was their precious, tax-payer funded mailing list.
There are no angels in politics.
Comments
Hmm.
Posted by: m | June 8, 2008 07:51 AM