DiMaio furious over DNC ruling...heading to the Supreme Court plus more.

[madfloridian]

Hillary should step into the fray here in Florida and stop some of the dissension she encouraged in her effort to get all the delegates.

It is her responsibility to stop this stuff.

There are still two lawsuits pending, Steve Geller and Victor DiMaio...who is filing in the Atlanta appeals court and to the Supreme Court.

Florida Democrat unhappy with compromise

So Dimaio, who has had two lawsuits against the party thrown out of court, is appealing his case.

"We're going to file this week. We're applying to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta and simultaneously, we're going to be filing to the United State Supreme Court as well. To get this thing heard so we can seat our delegation in full!"

More about Victor DiMaio's anger and his intentions.

TAMPA -- The primary battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton should end Tuesday, but it won't.

One Bay Area Democrat is so unhappy with the National Committee's decision to give Florida Democrats only half a vote at the Summer convention, he plans to take his fight all the way to the Supreme Court.

For months Democratic voter Vic Dimaio has been suing the Democratic National Committee for stripping Florida of its delegates to the national convention, and he's been losing.

And I had not heard this...I thought Dean went on TV and said they were reserving hotel rooms for Florida. So I am confused. Can anyone clarify?

Florida delegates may face one more problem when they get to Denver for the convention. The state party confirmed today the DNC, as part of its punishment, cancelled all of Florida's hotel reservations. Florida delegates may not have a place to stay.

Here is more about Steve Geller's lawsuit. He is the fellow in the "bramble bush" video.

Two federal courts in Florida are dealing with lawsuits by Florida Democrats, against the Democratic National Committee, over Florida’s lack of representation at the national convention. DiMaio v Democratic National Committee, which had been filed in August 2007, has a hearing in U.S. District Court, Middle District, on May 28. The plaintiff is a Florida Democratic voter. The case has already been to the 11th circuit, which found a procedural error, so technically this is the new DiMaio case, not the original case. 8:08cv-672T.

The other case was filed May 22 by three delegates to the national convention, State Senator Steve Geller (who is an uncommitted superdelegate), Barbara Effman (who is for Hillary Clinton) and Percy Johnson (who is for Barack Obama). It is Geller v Democratic National Committee, 08-cv-60774, southern district, in Miami.

Geller's lawsuit

My state has been held hostage for the purposes of her campaign. She has used it to get its delegates, allowing and encouraging her surrogates here to build up division and conflict. I hear Debbie Wasserman Schultz did it again today on Thom Hartmann's show.

She started it, she can stop it. No one else can.

[Hawkeye-X]

1. Too late for DiMaio

He should accept the RBC decision and shove it up his ass.

And DNC should be countersuing DiMaio for barratry and SLAPP him out of court. Oh, and Florida can reserve a motel in Motel Row (as known as Prostitute Row) on Colfax in east Aurora if they REALLY needed a place to stay. Or they can rent out my house for a cool $50,000 as long as DiMaio is kicked out and sleeping on the street.

Hawkeye-X

[madfloridian]

2. I am surprised how long he has gotten away with these suits.

First one dropped, then appealed. Dismissed on appeal. Refiled. Dismissed. Refiled and also will file to go to SC.

[DearAbby]

5. OOOOOOoooo that's low...

reserve rooms on East Cofax....

[dems_rightnow]

3. The Supreme Court

Won't hear the case. No chance.

[Doctor_J]

23. THIS scotus will gladly drag the Dems through the mud if given the opportunity

Looks like these "Dems" are determined to help McSame win this fall

[housewolf]

4. I'd be shocked out of my skin if the Supreme Court took on that case

I just don't see how a political party, basically a private organization - it's not part of the government -, operating within its own rules is breaching any sort of constitutionally-protected rights. As far as I know, constitutionally-protected voting rights apply only to public federal elections, which primaries are not. I just don't see them as seeing a need to take this on. I mean... ANOTHER Florida voting claim to the Supreme Court... I just don't think so. DO you?


Re: the hotel rooms... I remember hearing that Michigan's hotel rooms were cancelled early in the primary season, but I don't remember hearing anything about Florida's.

[madfloridian]

6. I am trying to find Dean's concession on the rooms. I have the video somewhere.

I think the article is wrong.

[housewolf]

11. This is from McClatchy, Apr 2 this year

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/244/story/32490.html

op Democrat: Florida has hotel rooms, but no votes yet, at convention
By Lesley Clark | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Under fire for not resolving what to do about Florida's and Michigan's delegates to the Democratic National Convention, national party chief Howard Dean offered nervous Floridians a ray of hope Wednesday: Hotel rooms have been reserved in Denver for them.

[KSinTX]

18. They may have cancelled the rooms but in any group buy

there are normally additional rooms in the package. They may have been taken off the Florida account but held in reserve and he's simply reallocating them to the delegation. That's just my guess.

[bemildred]

7. I'm sure glad they have all this money to piss away. nt

[madfloridian]

8. Found it...Dean DID meet with FL and announce they had rooms reserved.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1966

It clearly says he booked them hotel rooms in Denver.

There is also a video I am looking for.

[logandren]

9. Renting your house out

If you are going to rent your homr to Hillary supporters you better get payment up front.

[tnlefty]

21. Welcome to DU logandren!

:hi:

[bhikkhu]

10. "It is her responsibility to stop this stuff".

I agree, but that would require leadership.

I don't mean to just get in a last dig or two, but throughout the race we have seen HRC stir the pot and then walk away. She has another opportunity tomorrow night, but I am guessing what has been lacking all along will still be lacking, and the Clinton's will prove disinterested in any effort not directly benefiting themselves. I'd very be happy to be wrong, but Florida will likely have to put the pieces back together as best they can without much help...

[madfloridian]

14. "Stir the pot and walk away"

You just might be right. Her surrogates here are still at it, and she is the only one that can put a stop to it.

[Dr.Phool]

19. This whole ordeal has been nothing but bullshit and theater.

Hillary never had to stir this pot, and that's a fact.

I got a couple of e-mails yesterday from an acquaintance. I first met him 4 years ago in Bill Nelson's Washington office. He's a well known activist and lobbyist from Florida. He's been involved in negotiations about the delegates between the DNC, FDP, Nelson and the Florida Congessional Delegation, since last year.

He said that the solution to the delegate problem was settled on months ago. They all knew how it was going to turn out as far back as February, and maybe earlier. Then Nelson, Wexler, and Ausman took all the credit for the solution.

He didn't offer any insight into why we had all this rage for the last 6 months, but I can only assume, knowing what I know, is that Hillary, Nelson, and Debbie Lieberman-Shultz were trying to milk it for political advantage to use against Obama. The FDP has a long history of interfering in primaries, and we know that they were just an extension of the Clinton campaign for the last year. The state convention was a Hillary Fest. An activist friend said that the Edwards campaign wouldn't even sell her a sign to take to the convention because of the no-campaign rules. But, the FDP, and Karen Thurman and Nelson were pushing Hillary 24/7.

This is a pot that didn't have to be stirred. This anger never had to be unleashed.

If for some reason, Florida goes McCain, it's because of the incompetent,corrupt boobs in the FDP, Bill Nelson, Debbie Lieberman-Shultz, and Hillary Clinton.

[DesEtoiles]

12. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha aaaaaaahhh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

[crickets]

13. Who are these pod people claiming to be Democrats?

Were they not paying attention in kindergarten when we all learned that "rules are made for a reason" and "you can't always get what you want" or what? :eyes:

[SoCalDem]

15. Bomb throwers like her, just stir up the shit, and then bail

they do step in fromtime to time, to RE-stir the shit, but they want a safe distance from the real action..

[madfloridian]

16. I am beginning to think so. She used this state for her own benefit...

and left us very divided.

[ldvisavis]

24. I was stunned by the cruelty of it

when she came here and whipped up the rhetoric, invoking not only 2000, but slavery, Zimbabwe...yikes! Not a word out of her to stop the divisive BS that occurred at the RBC--in advance (like Obama) would have been nice, but at least after the fact.

This is why is is obvious to me she does not want either peace or justice, she just wants what she wants. All about her, and she is using us in FL as a chip in her game. Yuck, this is so old!

[DrDan]

26. oh good heavens - so Hillary is the source of all the division

I am not a Hillary supporter - but it is so obvious that the partisanship and Clinton-hatred of some bloggers on this site (ahem) have done nothing but fueled the hatred and division.

The complete failure to accept the fact that there could be differing opinions is staggering considering the claim to be Democrats accepting of diverse views.

[skyounkin]

17. If she does not

Then it will be Obamas responsibilities to call her on her crap and the rest of the Dems to back him up. She has been done for a while now and it is time to end it for her if she is not going to be a fucking grown up and do it herself.

I'm done with the pandering to her or the bullshit being allowed to putter to her- she ran a trash campaign and got what she deserves- nothing.

[Dr.Phool]

20. McCain- Clinton '08

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

No, it's not that far fetched.

[asthmaticeog]

22. I'm sorry? He wants to go to the SCOTUS? To secure voting rights? For Floridian Democrats?

He's not a very astute student of history is he?

Anyway, how could the SCOTUS even take such a case? There's no constitutionally guaranteed right to participate in a political party's nominating process to begin with.

[Turn CO Blue]

25. Hotel rooms: FL and MI delegates DO have hotel rooms.

I've seen other blogs talking about this, but here's Howard Dean from two months ago on April 2nd:


CNN: Dean says he's committed to seating Florida's delegates
~snip
"It is my commitment, working with the Florida delegation and the campaigns, to find a fair solution so that Florida will be seated -- and we are confident enough that we have reserved hotel rooms for the delegates from Florida in Denver," he said.

<http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/02/dems.campaign/index.html>


I read somewhere, maybe DemConWatch, that the hotel rooms were reserved pretty early on - in November or sometime around then.