I am betting Florida does not budge on its primary date.

[Perky]

Here is what AP is saying:

Florida Dems Could Lose Say in 2008 Race

By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Florida Democrats would forfeit their votes in selecting a presidential nominee unless they delay their state election by at least a week, the national party said in a stern action Saturday meant to discourage others from leapfrogging ahead to earlier dates.

The Florida party has 30 days to submit an alternative to its planned Jan. 29 primary or lose its 210 delegates to the nominating convention in Denver next summer.

The state party chairwoman, Karen Thurman, said she would confer with state officials about the ultimatum. "It's going to be a difficult discussion," she said, because Floridians are wary of having their votes taken away.

Elected officials in Florida have said they would consider legal action and a protest at the convention if the national party barred the state's delegates.

There is general agreement that the eventual nominee will seat Florida's delegates rather than allow a fight at a convention intended to show party unity. But the decision by the Democratic National Committee's rules panel could reduce Florida's influence because candidates may want to campaign in states where the votes are counted.

Florida party officials said they originally opposed the early primary date, which covers both the Democratic and Republican primaries. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed the change and the GOP governor signed it into law in an effort to give the state a more prominent voice in national politics.

But Florida Democratic leaders now are committed to the state-run election because voter participation would drop drastically if Democrats held an alternative contest.

Members of the DNC rules committee expressed skepticism that Florida Democrats did enough to stop the change and they approved the harshest penalty



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In other words....It really come down to whether or not Candidates will campaign in a state where the delegates are ultimately in jeopardy but still could wind up serving as a where someone locks up the nomination.... Edwards has already said that he will campaign wherever there is a primary so the other camapigns will have to follow suit.

That measn the risk and rewards are the same for everyone... so there is no reason not to campaign there. If ultimately Floridae is not going to be disenfranchised any way. I bet they stay put.

[Colobo]

1. What should Obama do?

[Perky]

2. If Edwards campaigns there Obama has to as well no real choice.

[Debi]

7. Edwards has said he'll campaign in DNC sanctioned states. n/t

[Perky]

10. Not what he said a couple of days ago.. and the others are following suit

Advisers to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has a wide lead in Florida polls, said she will go wherever elections are held. Sen. Barack Obama, who was campaigning in Miami on Saturday, said: "The national party has a difficult task, which is to try to create some order out of chaos. My job is really not to speculate on how to make it all work. I'm a candidate, I'm like a player on the field. I shouldn't be setting up the rules."

[Debi]

22. The quotes in the blog posted above are from Wed-Friday of this week

The blogger specifically went after Edwards for his comments in Nevada and Clinton's comments regarding Florida. Seems if the candidates are informed by states that follwed the rules that they'll be punished in those states they may re-think giving the rule-breakers their time.

[Debi]

3. Campaign in the DNC sanctioned states and obey the calendar created

in 2005

http://blogs.dmregister.com/?author=64


Senator Barak Obama: “Over the last six months, I have spent 36 days in Iowa, and each visit has only reinforced my commitment to the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses. The tradition of retail politics is alive and well in Iowa and should play an important role in choosing our party’s presidential nominee. I look forward to continuing to travel across the state, talking with local Iowans about the important challenges facing our country and building a grassroots movement that will send Washington a message that the American people are ready for change.”

[Perky]

4. The calendar is not created yet.

Not until December.

[Debi]

6. The calendar was created in December of 2005 by the DNC Calendar Commission

Florida (and maybe Michigan) are messing with the calendar - a calendar that was created over a one year period with as many as five votes taken by DNC members and DNC Rules and By-Laws Committee Members.

[Perky]

8. That is incorrect

22 states have moved to Februiary 5th in the last six months.

[Debi]

23. The calendar was created then - the states have chosen to move

however there is no penalty for states that move up to February 5th - only in front of the Feb. 5 date.

All the states that moved up did was create a national primary - where do you think the campaigns with big bucks are going to campaign? California/New York/Illinois - all the other states combined don't equal the delegate count of those three states. (maybe New Jersey or Georgia will get some attention but the other states will be ignored).

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. I couldn't hardly care less.

Most Florida Dems are Old guard, Dinos. Yuck, I spit on them.

[kdmorris]

12. I'm assuming you mean

Most Florida Democratic Officials? Or are you painting the entire state, millions of Democrats, as DINOs?

Are you spitting on me?

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. Frankly, in Florida, I would go so far to say that if you're not a progressive,

and you've lived in this state for ten or longer years, chances are you've been infected by the old guard Dems. The kind that make their lives easier by partnering with Republicans, usually through business organizations. It's not uncommon that the two parties come to agreement, planning ahead where they will or will not run for office, allowing certain parts of Florida without any hope of challenge from the opposing party. Thus, those Democrats who do weasel their way up the ladder, are not really the kind that will make the kind of waves we're looking for on this newsgroup.

My heart goes out to every progressive Dem who has fought against them, and has discovered this different breed of Dem.

[kdmorris]

15. Oh, well, I'm pretty progressive

And yes, most of our elected officials are DINO's. Despite letter writing campaigns and basically begging, all of my state representation voted for this insanity. And they are all Democrats.

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. It's time to call them out.

The way this breed operates, they're worse than the mob in small municpalities. You bare your soul to them, and they laugh it up with their Republican golf buddies at the Country Club.

[TSIAS]

16. I agree

I'm a liberal Democrat, but I come from South Florida.

Many Florida Democrats are like Congressman Allan Boyd. They are registered Democrats and may support us at the local level, but tend to vote Republican for President.

Karen Thurman is another example. Is the head of the FL Democratic Party, but works for GOP boss Al Cardenas on the side.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. Karen Thurman is shameless.

[rzemanfl]

21. You and the horse you rode in on pal. n/t

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

9. ANY campaign that assumes that voters are already disenfranchised and avoids

Florida, or any other state, for that reason is not a candidate for whom I'd vote for.

They should be working to insure that U.S citizens are not caged and are able to vote.

This wholesale disruption of the nomination process is not being driven by the American people. MKJ

[Perky]

11. Hillary and Obam will both campaign in FLorida

Advisers to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has a wide lead in Florida polls, said she will go wherever elections are held. Sen. Barack Obama, who was campaigning in Miami on Saturday, said: "The national party has a difficult task, which is to try to create some order out of chaos. My job is really not to speculate on how to make it all work. I'm a candidate, I'm like a player on the field. I shouldn't be setting up the rules."

[IndianaGreen]

14. A bunch of Beltway party hacks think they are smarter than the voters

We should support whatever the Florida Democrats want, and give our collective middle finger to the DNC.

[madfloridian]

18. IG...the DNC is far above our Florida Democrats

The Florida folks are in identity crisis as to whether they are donkey or elephant.

[Debi]

24. Does that including the Florida DNC members?

The DNC isn't made up of Beltway party hacks - it's made up of representaives of each state.

[cobalt1999]

20. and they shouldn't budge.

Bring the backroom bullshit to a head. Amazing how many progressive support committees and career politicians over the rank and file democrats that are tired of not seeing any changes.

It's no surprise ANOTHER DNC committee voted to protect the decisions of the first DNC committee. Those backrooms must be pretty smoky by now.

[LBJDemocrat]

25. I'm conflicted

On the one hand, Florida is the state that almost always goes with big-money, media-backed candidates.

On the other hand, I'm getting tired of Iowa holding the rest of the country hostage so that the government can subsidize their fucking corn for ethanol, jacking up the prices of food for consumers as well as manufacturers of products that rely on grains. Really tired of it.