Florida Dems pick Kendall Coffey to challenge the DNC..."Echoes of 2000"

[madfloridian]

Only this time we are not fighting the Republicans. We are fighting against our own. I suspect what's going on, but I refuse to put it into words. It saddens and embarrasses me for my state.

The worst part is they are playing to the crowd on this. They are playing Bush's game. They tossed out the lie that Dean and the DNC stole their votes. It is the same game that Bush played going into Iraq. They have the "crowd" on board with them because so many don't know the full story. I think it could permanently drive many away here.

Echoes of 2000

Echoes of 2000

Something about this sounds familiar: Florida Democrats have picked Kendall Coffey, the Miami attorney who took the lead for Al Gore during the 2000 recount, to challenge the Democratic National Committee's decision to relieve the state of its delegates at the 2008 presidential convention.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, Florida's top House Democrat, say they plan to file suit next week to force the DNC to recognize Florida's Jan. 29 presidential primary. The DNC voted last month that Florida must forfeit its delegates because the primary will be held before the allowed date of Feb. 5.

Nelson said the suit raises questions involving due process, equal protection, freedom of speech and the Voting Rights Act. Because the state Legislature voted to move the primary, Nelson said he believes it’s unconstitutional for the DNC to fail to recognize it.

"I believe the case law in our complaint will show that that supersedes the right of the party to dictate who does what," Nelson told Buzz this afternoon.

The lawsuits don't end there. The whole thing is a farce. Florida started a propaganda war against Howard Dean and the DNC...and they are not going to stop it. It was their fault, they are not telling the truth, and the people of the state are paying for their arrogance.

Florida's ploy was caught by many, but they say if you keep repeating the lie over and over it soon becomes common knowledge. They could have kept the delegates if they had stood up to the GOP, but instead they chose to play along to be "relevant."

Four articles catch on to Florida's primary ploy.

"Primary bully Florida ought to be ashamed"

Perhaps Steve Geller is right. They are beginning to look like The gang who can't shoot straight. Unfortunately the damage is being done through their spin and propaganda.

There is just something so odd about choosing Kendall Coffey. Something very wrong with it.

[madfloridian]

1. The 1981 Supreme Court ruling for the DNC

http://supreme.justia.com/us/450/107/case.html

[Birthmark]

2. I can not for the life of me...

...figure out why the DNC wants to sacrifice 25 Electoral Votes. I guess it's their party, though.

[madfloridian]

3. Nothing I write matters. Nothing I say matters. Florida won with spin.

:shrug:

[Birthmark]

7. To the average voter...

...it looks like nothing more than DNC bullying. Doesn't matter whether it is or isn't. That's how it will be perceived by a large number of voters. From there, it's a short journey for them to say, "Well, if the Democrats don't want my primary vote, why should I give them any vote?"

Unless the DNC backs down or does a MUCH better job of telling their side, FL will go Republican in 2008.

[madfloridian]

8. That is what I said...Bush tactics...play to the uninformed.

Thanks for verifying my thoughts. Florida Dems have launched an attack on their own party and you are defending them even though the ones following rules are the DNC.

It is called playing to the LCD...the Lowest Common Denominator and hoping no one notices.

[Birthmark]

11. So explaining = defending?

Then shouldn't we get all those Nazi-defending history teachers outta our schools? :)

[madfloridian]

13. I have no clue what you are saying.

.

[Birthmark]

21. Roger on the "no clue"

You said, "Florida Dems have launched an attack on their own party and you are defending them even though the ones following rules are the DNC."

I have neither defended nor condemned anyone. I merely gave my opinion on what the ramifications of the DNCs decisions were likely to me and provided the reasoning behind my conclusions. I really don't have a horse in this race one way or the other.

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. You got their number, MadFloridian.

[JDPriestly]

26. Don't worry. The DNC will not maintain their stance.

A compromise will be reached. That's what lawyers do.

The important thing is that no other state puts its primary even earlier than Florida. As long as Florida turns out to be the first primary, things will be OK.

Florida's changing the rules throws the whole system off kilter. The candidates start planning their schedules and visiting the early primary states long before the primary season. Florida's changing the date means that Floridians will be voting in their primaries without the benefit of really getting to know the candidates. Also, while it will be nice for Florida to get in the first word, Florida (like my home state of California) is too large to be a sort of petri dish for primary purposes. Unlike Iowans or those who live in New Hampshire or even Nevada, the individual voters in Florida will not meet the candidates up close and personal. Many Floridians will be voting based on TV ads, name recognition, and similar factors. It's a shame that Florida decided not to play in the same game as the rest of the U.S. But, don't worry, Floridians will not lose their votes. A compromise will be reached. What kind of compromise would you suggest?

Or -- alternatively, do you want to start a competition among the states for who gets the first primary? Maybe we should just hold the first primaries right after the presidential election and before the president is inaugurated? Because that is where we are headed if states start competing for the first primary slot.

[madfloridian]

31. There are too many lawsuits going on for me to be able to answer you.

I frankly think Florida is acting like a horse's ass. If Geller really does sue IA, NH, NV, and SC...that will be the icing on the cake.

I don't care if they compromise, I would rather the DNC stood firm after all the threats to their fundraising and three effing lawsuits.

[lojasmo]

12. When was the last presidential election in which Florida's electoral votes went to a democrat? EOM

[JDPriestly]

27. Clinton 1996

Before that Carter 1976
Before that Johnson 1964


http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=226809

[lojasmo]

30. Thanks! EOM.

Florida democratic is willing to lose their seats as a result of not following the rules.

Let them go.

[movonne]

4. This whole thing is orchestrated by the DLC to get rid of Howard

Dean... the people working for Hillery
do not want progressives or Liberals in any position of power...there will be a one party system..there has been a coup in this country and we of the progressive and Liberal are fighting hard to hang on and I sure hope we do..The DLC has pretty much emerged into the neo-con way of thinking..war, war and more war..

[Demeter]

6. That Would Be Too Organized for the DLC

I think rather it's Dr. Dean trying to herd cats (without tuna fish).

[madfloridian]

9. He is following rules Florida voted for and accepted.

It is that simple.

[flyarm]

18. that is it in a 100% nut shell!! bingo..you win!!..you have got it!! thanks eom

[blm]

28. BINGO - they are doing this to usurp control of DNC as soon as she looks to be the nominee.

We have predicted this since Dean became chair, and Carville proved us to be 100% on target when he played the hand too soon after the Nov election.

[madfloridian]

5. High-Profile Attorney Joins Democrat Fight For Delegates..working for free.

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB6JUBK57F.html

I am asking myself...what better way to take down a party committee than to file one lawsuit after another. Expensive lawyers, big lawsuits.

All because that committee stuck by the rules that Florida voted for before.

I am not sure there is any good outcome to any of this.

I despise Bill Nelson, Alcee Hastings, Wasserman Schultz and all the others who are pulling something over on Florida voters.

Karen Thurman allowed the Congressional Democrats to take all of it over, and now she has lost control of the process.

Since the Florida party sent out emails to hurt the DNC fundraising...I sure hope someone defends the DNC for free.

All kinds of random thoughts in my mind today. Not happy ones at all.

[JI7]

10. too bad they didn't focus this hard on beating that asshole Jeb

when he ran. and ofc ourse they still have a republican governor.

[madfloridian]

14. Actually many of the Florida Blue Dog Demcrats supported Jeb.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1475

I never knew it at the time, but we wondered by Bill McBride didn't campaign right near the end. Hindsight shows a new side to it all. Reno might have won.

[madfloridian]

15. I have noticed something very odd.

None of the major bloggers have taken a stand on this issue. Well, one did...he cheered Florida on.

Voices are being hushed here if one speaks out too much...or should I say they are trying.

The rules were made by a committee, the 447 plus members voted..including Florida. Florida broke the rules they voted for and sent out press releases blaming the DNC.

The fact that no one among our side is taking a stand, tells me that what many of us suspected is happening.

You play by the big boys' rules or you don't get to play at all.

[flyarm]

19. it was also hushed up what the dlc did in the 2006 election to our candidates

our dem candidates!!..in my county someone was brought forward to challange a great dem..and this person had to change party registration 6 weeks before the primary ..and got all the dnc/dlc money..to fuck our dems!

yes this was done by Rahm and company..and silence was the cricket sound.


if you spoke out..as i did ..you got smeared!

personally i didn't give a shit..but our candidates were screwed over...thereby we dems were screwed over...and how many wins did the dlc pull in..none.

fly

[madfloridian]

16. I had forgotten Jake Tapper's Salon article called "Law at First Bite"

from 2000. I had to chuckle. In fact I laughed out loud.

Law at First Bite

But Coffey brings with him not only years of legal expertise and high-profile successes but his share of controversy. He represented Elián González's Miami relatives, for instance, and as such was a major critic of President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno. He was a U.S. attorney nominee who was criticized by Republicans for being a mere political appointee. As U.S. attorney for South Florida, Coffey was a successful, high-profile prosecutor of major drug lords and received high marks for his performance -- until he had to resign after biting a stripper.

I guess it's ok to laugh...since there has not been much of that here in Florida lately. It really is a very odd story.

[madfloridian]

17. Nelson might boost his ratings with this.....says a poltical consultant.

Seems like he really has found a cause to fight for...after all these years. As the article says, Nelson has always played it safe. But this has brought out his fighting spirit.

Primary vote now Nelson's primary quest

Nelson said the suit will address the one-man, one-vote principle as well as free speech issues. The major candidates have pledged not to campaign in Florida except to raise money. That means voters have to pay a "poll tax" to interact with the candidates, said Nelson, once again borrowing powerful language from the past.

A poll tax. Oh, come on. Oh, and speaking of free speech issues...how about that vote he made against MoveOn's ad. Not so worried then.

Florida's senior senator may finally have latched onto a populist issue that could kick his poll numbers out of the low 50s. He gets to take on Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, a favorite punching bag for the right, and throw around loaded terms like "disenfranchisement," a favorite cause for the left.

Yes, a favorite punching bag for conservative Democrats in Florida as well. But a few are thinking more cautiously, even as Bill is trying to make a name for himself by using Dean as a whipping boy.

Some Democrats speculate that Nelson wants to make himself more attractive as a potential vice presidential candidate in 2008.

And it's unclear what he hopes to gain besides headlines from a lawsuit against his own party. In recent days, Democratic leaders have distanced themselves from a potential court battle, saying it's time to move on. Dragging out the family feud means continuing to subject Democrats to ridicule.Even the Florida Democratic Party's lead counsel on election and voting issues, who was one of the ringleaders during the 2000 recount, sounded cautious.

"An assessment of the claims and the short- and long-term effects of such litigation is something everybody is weighing very carefully," Fort Lauderdale attorney Charles Lichtman said.

In other words he is unable to be stopped by other Florida Democrats, which makes him the boss of all of us.

And I am glad to see the reporter point out that Bill Nelson is often not a team player.

Nelson hasn't always been seen as a team player for the party. While other Democrats on the 2006 ballot struggled, he outspent Republican challenger Katherine Harris 2-1, even though polls consistently showed him with a double-digit lead. Nelson said he raised more than $1 million for the party, but some activists grumbled that he could have spared more.

He really spent big bucks on the race.

[flyarm]

20. Nelson is a member of " The fellowship " as Hillary is...eom

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. Nelson is another has-been Democrat.

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. He was reelected by a landslide less than a year ago

He was so popular that no formidible Republican dared to run against him.

[madfloridian]

33. He was running against Katherine Harris.

She was even discredited by the right wing except for the very religious groups.

He does tend to cater to the Republicans as much as he does his own party. It has made it hard for us to have a strong party here independent of him.

Word is Karen and others are trying to get things settled down, and what he is doing is not helping.

[Freddie Stubbs]

35. The fact that Republicans could not find a stronger candidate is proof that Nelson is not a has-been

[The Backlash Cometh]

34. Nelson is a has-been Democrat.

Civil rights-style Democrats would have voted for him based on his past track record. But Nelson has turned into one of those conservative Democrat types which we're told we should vote for, because they're better than a Republican.

If he was so sure he was going to win, he wouldn't have spent as much of his campaign money, as he did. And, I do believe that the Republicans tried to field a formidable Republican to run against him, but Katherine Harris refused to get out of the way.

[Freddie Stubbs]

36. Harris was a weak candidate who could have been beaten in the primary by a strong Republican

She didn't even get a majority in the Republican primary election.

[The Backlash Cometh]

37. Katherine Harris, knew their secrets.

Maybe you should ask yourself why the Republicans didn't put up a better challenge against her in the primaries.

[Freddie Stubbs]

38. So, you are saying that she knew information to blackmail the GOP into not running someone against

her? Then why didn't she also blackmail the GOP into providing financial support for her campaign as well?

[The Backlash Cometh]

39. Because the GOP has a good team of negotiators?

[The Backlash Cometh]

22. Boy. Alcee Hastings has really fallen.

I remember sharing a bench with him on a college campus, many years ago. That's before he got involved with politics, or if he was a politician, I wasn't aware of it at the time. I just remember him skyrocketing with ideas, and thought he was in the right place to impliment them when he was elected for office.

It sure does seem like a slow, controlled fall from that day on the bench.

[tomreedtoon]

25. This Coffey character did so well with Gore...

I mean, he just stopped all those rumors, and impressed the Supreme Court, and Gore wound up President in 2000.

I'm a Floridian, and though I'm not deeply into local politics, it still seems like the "good ol' boy" network to me. I mean, they could have gotten an effective lawyer, but they got the guy they knew, whose number was on their Rolodex...

Yes, they still use Rolodexes. The Democrats are that backwards in Florida.

What else was this Coffey guy famous for? Did he prosecute King Canute's claim that the tide should have stayed out? Was he the guy prosecuting OJ? Could the Florida DINO's have gotten anyone less competent?

[janx]

32. Why do I feel (of late) as if I've been thrown into a time machine?

The Clintons all the time, now this guy...

YEEAARRGHHH!