This blog may be a tad long, but is worth the read because the second part explains all the confusion and media noise about the Michigan and Florida Democratic delegates AND a solution to the problem. The timeline took more than a minute to research, but now I understand what happened to get us to here in the process.
Jonathon Rieder,author, The Word of the Lord is Upon Me, a book about Martin Luther King, was Tavis' guest tonight on a pre-recorded show. Tavis Smiley brought up what I would suppose is his primary issue with Senator Obama: to him, Senator Obama is "not Black enough." Within a question posed to Rieder was a poorly disguised jab at Senator Obama, because he, unlike Martin Luther King, does not call African Americans "my people." Rieder pointed out to Tavis that both Obama and King were/are approaching race in this country from two very different points of view, but that they were both on the same page, having the same ideologies. But from my perspective this response did not sit well with Tavis, and Rieder was efficient in moving the conversation back to his book. I am still trying to understand why there is this mentality that people must somehow meet this undefined standard of being "black enough?" Would it not make more sense for us all to consider the concept of simply being human enough? Look, Senator Obama has overcome some major obstacles in his bid to become President of this country..none having to do with the actual issues affecting all of us. Ask yourself, what would Martin Luther King do? Would he be supportive of the greater common goal or continue to pick away at someone because of some intangible standard set by a person or persons who keep moving the bar according to their own personal agenda? Holding a grudge, because someone did not come to your party is not the direction one should go in and frankly it's childisn and petty. The Bible says that the greatest leader is one who knows how to serve the most, and I would add, who doesn't care who gets the credit. Tavis has in many ways, become a leader within the African American community. I would expect that after a diligent review of Senator Obama's position on the critical issues facing this country, unless he can clearly identify tangible reasons to not support Senator Obama as diligently as he has supported Senator Clinton, who by the way has taken a dangerously desperate path by equating the issues surrounding the seating of Florida and Michigan delegates (a DNC problem, not an Obama problem, which the DNC needs to take care of immediately..but more on that in a moment) with what is happening in Zimbabwe. Not only do I find this comparison a gross overstatement and equally offensive, I find it incredibly sad. After all Senator Clinton has done for women by staying in the game and not giving up, as a leader, she too has to figure out a way to win by losing out on the opportunity to be President this time. She cannot allow desperate wailings, when she knew what the rules of the game were when she decided to play, to become the legacy she leaves behind in this historic political experience. I do hope she will gather herself and look for the opportunity she can live with and negotiate to get it. No I don't think she is the right choice for vice president, as too much acrimonious water had gone under the bridge. I am interested in knowing more about Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and what potential she has to bring to the vice presidency.
But before we can start talking about a vice president, the whole delegate issue needs a speedy and proactive resolution. According to the DNC website, 2025 delegate votes are required for a given presidential candidate towin their candidacy. This number does not include delegates from Florida and Michigan, the delegations of which were reduced by 100% by action of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee, pursuant to the Party’s Delegate Selection Rules, because the State Parties in these states submitted plans for holding binding events prior to the earliest date allowed (February 5th, with the exception of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina) by the Rules.
What happened to get Florida, Michigan, the DNC, Senators Clinton and Obama to this point of contention?
Check out the Timeline:
August 19, 2006 Delegate Selection Rules adopted by the DNC,
December 2, 2006 Regulations for the Convention adopted by the Rules and Bylaws Committee
Prior to August 25, 2007 Florida's Republican governor and Republican controlled legislature enact a state law moving the primaries to January 29th. The Florida DNC chose to comply.
August 25, 2007 DNC gives Florida thirty days to submit a new plan for a Primary or Caucus or lose all of its delegates to the nominating convention, as a direct result of the adoption of a resolution from committee person Ralph Dawson from NY to strip FL of all of its delegates and Presidential candidates that campaign in a state in violation would lose any delegates they win in that state. But committee co-chairman Jim Roosevelt said after the vote that in this case, there would be “no sanction on the campaigns since there would be no delegates at stake. In adopting the harsh penalties, the rules committee appeared to be sending a message to other state parties and legislatures such as Michigan, that any moves ahead of the Feb. 5 window would be met with stiff penalties and little to no leniency.
November 19, 2007 Michigan Appeals Primary Date Decision To State Supreme Court. The state's attorney general asked the state supreme court to let the state, for heaven's sake, keep its Jan. 15 primary law. A lower-court judge invalidated the primary because the state parties wouldn't have share information about who voted and in what primary. Republican legislators seem more willing than Democratic legislators to try their hand at a new law. Why? Democrats, in particular, worry that the elections will be used to collect signatures for recall petitions in light of the state's historic tax hike. If, say, 2 million Michiganders show up on Jan. 15, it'll be much easier to collect recall signatures by district. Once the petititon is initiated, the collectors need 10,000 signatures per district and have 90 days to complete the task. So this was all about local state politics versus the Presidential primary.
December 1, 2007 Democratic leaders voted to strip Michigan of all its delegates to the national convention next year as punishment for scheduling an early presidential primary in violation of party rules. Candidates signed a pledge stating that they would not campaign or spend money in Florida or Michigan because the DNC rules were broken. Four candidates removed their names from Michigan and Florida ballots a fifth did not do so by the deadline. Michigan Democrats moved their state's primary date to January in an effort to increase the state's influence in the nominee selection process, arguing Iowa and New Hampshire unfairly dominate the process. Obama's campaign chose not to place his name on the Michigan ballot so as not to violate national Democratic Party rules.
Democrats in Michigan were told that they could not write in votes for candidates whose names were not on the ballot, but they could vote uncommitted if they were voting for Senator Obama or other candidates. Radio and other media was paid for by Michigan Congressman and Councilwoman Conyers, in an attempt to get people to vote regardless, even if they voted uncommitted. If at least 15 percent of the people vote "uncommitted," the state Democratic Party must send that percentage of delegates to the national convention uncommitted. Forty percent of the votes received were uncommitted.
My conclusion: In spite of allegations to the contrary, Senator Obama had nothing to do with the exclusion of Florida and Michigan delegates. This insidious mess was created by the DNC, although the Republicans of Florida, and both the Democrats and Republicans in office or on committee also got their hands dirty in creating this problem for the true victims: the actual voters. It would appear to me that the DNC need only create a new plan for the future that would hold the state primaries by quadrant regions , and each schedule each quadrant by lottery. In other words, pick number 1 - 4 out of a bag. How hard could that be? And then no one state would matter over another. Equal opportunity with no more of this nonsense. That said, I would encourage the DNC -- because this is, after all, their responsibility to resolve, no matter who is to blame, -- to seat fifty percent of the "committed delegates" from both Michigan and Florida and split those delegates between Senators Obama and Clinton AND then seat all of the "uncommitted delegates" from both Michigan and Florida (if there were any uncommitted in Florida) and let them decide who to cast their votes for. And add those delegate numbers to the delegate vote requirement. No one will see this as being fair, but everyone will grudgingly agree that this is right.
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