I'm just a little confused over here.
Call me naive about the political process. Remind me that I don't read the paper as much as I used to, and remind me that it's been about, oh, 25 (ahem) years since I took a Civics class.
Go ahead.
But I'm just a little confused.
Where is the outrage? Am I the only one in the universe who's peeved that Hillary can sweep Florida and the pundits act like nothing has happened? That they can actually say afterwards that it, excuse me, didn't count?
That she can literally earn nearly 50% of the democratic primary vote and it doesn't matter?
We've got people saying things like this---
"...some Obama supporters denounced Mrs. Clinton’s act [arriving in Florida after the polls had closed to thank voters for their support] as cynical and urged voters and journalists to dismiss Florida as a meaningless beauty contest" (NY Times online Jan 30, 2008).
A meaningless beauty contest?!?!
“The bottom line is that Florida does not offer any delegates,” said Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic nominee for president. “It is not a legitimate race” (NY Times online Jan 30, 2008).
Fellow democrats are doing this to her? Fellow democrats are doing this to the voters of the state of Florida?
Oh sure. I get it. Florida, and Michigan incidentally, decided to hold their primaries a bit too early for the likes of the Democratic Party. So the thoughtful, ethical, democratic-process-minded folks over there said, "Fine. I won't play with you for the rest of my life."
Oops. I think I'm confusing them with my 7 year old.
What they really said was "Fine. Hold your primary early. We'll just make it so your delegates don't get a say in who gets to be placed on the general election ballots. We just won't let your delegates vote for a democratic nominee. We'll just make it so that the votes of the people of the entire State of Florida do not matter."
Once again, the people of the state of Florida have spoken. And there ain't nobody listenin'.
Where the hell is the outrage?
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7 comments:
You know..I thought it was really weird when Michigan first voted. And now Florida (and maybe other states, too?). One thing is what politicians are saying for their own personal gain.
But in this case they are actually telling the truth! Which leads me to the follow up question - where is the outrage in Michigan and Florida that their votes in fact DON'T count?? How can people in those two states respect a party that just decided to discount their votes? I don't get it. I don't claim to have any insight into American politics, but to me, that should be illegal. It flies right smack in the face of what democracy is all about, doesn't it? The whole thing is just so very strange.
Heidi
i agree that it is ridiculous that MI and FL don't have delegates... but Clinton was the only one on the ballot in these states (because all the candidates had agreed not to put their names on the ballot - but Clinton was already on when all the craziness of moving up the elections went down) and so I do think it's unfair to say she swept, when the others didn't even have names on the ballot. When I saw obama had 33% I was thrilled, because that many people wrote his name in!
Exactly. I listened to one reporter barely disguise his contempt for Hilary and her "so called win" in Florida - UGHHHHHHHH.
I don't get it either. I'd be one ticked mamacita if I lived in either Florida or Michigan. So much for democracy, huh?
I think that one of the reasons they're upset is all of the Democrats agreed NOT to go on the ticket in Florida, since it didn't offer any delegates. But when Obama took S. Carolina, she did it anyway.
I'm not condoning what's being said, I'm just throwing in what little I know.
And the big presidential election works the same way. Your vote isn't a vote for a president, but a vote for an electoral vote, assuming the person in the electoral college votes the way your vote intends them to. Which they sometimes don't. Truth is our votes really DON'T count. I don't vote. Imagine the changes that would be brought about if everyone boycotted this ridiculous election system.
Yeah I know. I think (or I thought) it was because FL didn't have any democratic delegates. You're so right that the media is REALLY spinning this one.
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