‘Ooh, punish us some more.’

[William769]

Chicago Tribune Editorial

August 29, 2007

Wet noodles weren't on the menu, so Howard Dean and his Democratic National Committee had to lash Florida Democratic leaders with something even wimpier. Defy our rules for scheduling presidential primaries, the DNC threatened the Floridians, and we won't seat your delegates to our 2008 national convention in Denver. To which Florida Democrats logically can respond, "Ooh, punish us some more."

With this episode, America's near-nationwide exercise in jealousy has delivered the body politic to a new level of chaos. All because so many state parties are desperate to crowd to the front of an already front-loaded nomination calendar.

Big problem. At a time when presidential candidates are struggling to interest ordinary voters, Democratic leaders in particular are increasingly distracting those voters with the kind of internecine combat on display Saturday in Washington. Imagine the joy of Florida Republicans as they ponder what the Democratic disarray could mean when the last chad is counted in 2008.

Many national Democrats have long resented the primacy of Iowa and New Hampshire in the nominating process and wanted more minority representation in the early voting. So, for this election cycle, the party voted to let South Carolina and Nevada advance the dates of their contests, both now slated for January. But the party barred Democrats in other states from holding primaries or caucuses before Feb. 5. Florida's GOP-led legislature then moved that state's primary to Jan. 29 -- and, in the eyes of national Democrats, the state Dems didn't put up much of a fight.

Hence Saturday's confrontation, with Florida Democrats visibly startled that the DNC would enforce its own rules by threatening not to seat a Florida delegation at next August's convention -- the harshest penalty available.

http://www.fladems.com/content/w/ooh_punish_us_some_more

[ronnykmarshall]

1. This is so damn stupid.

What the hell is the DNC trying to pull?

[William769]

2. If you ask me I think they are trying to hand the GOP the next Presidential election.

[PurityOfEssence]

3. Start more threads! Start more threads! Only YOUR pain matters.

Florida demands to bring the rest of the country to heel and rages like a victim when we don't obey.

It's like that line from "The Boss Monster from Hell" in an old Matt Groening cartoon:

"How DARE you duck when I throw things at you!"

Don't just sit there fuming at your thwarted schemes for superiority, start some more threads. Suck up ALL the bandwidth. What swine we are to not stop the earth turning on its axis and bend our every effort to making sure your state gets to do as it pleases in defiance of its agreements. Only inferiors are bound by their words of honor.

By all means, scream and rage and kick the walls. Hold your breath 'til you turn blue, that'll show us.

[William769]

4. I have started three threads all from different sources.

Where is your outrage on all the threads in opposition to this? :eyes:

[ronnykmarshall]

5. Try hide thread and ignore