My view on the Florida Democratic presidential primary
A lot of Democrats in Florida are irritated, to say the least, that the Democratic Party doesn’t want to count the results of Florida’s Democratic presidential primary, held this past January. Some are even planning a trip to Washington, D. C., to air their grievances.
Well, I don’t think our votes should count.
And I feel that way not because I am an Obama supporter, though I am. I say that because the contest was illegitimate. We broke the rules, very simply, by voting that early. The DNC was very clear about the consequences of doing so, but we did it anyway. And because we did that, the DNC made candidates sign pledges not to campaign or run ads in Florida. None of the candidates got the chance to speak to voters, to shake any hands, hold any rallies, etc. The Florida Democratic presidential primary was essentially a name recognition contest.
We were advised of the consequences in advance. Those who are upset are basically saying, “Yeah, we know you told us what would happen if we did this, and we did it anyway, but we don’t want to accept the consequences of our actions.”
I agree, The election was bogus. No one campaigned. If Clinton thought our votes should count she shouldn’t have signed the pledge. Now she needs us. So I say no. Where was she when we needed her.
The republican Florida legislature changed the Democrats’ primary date, knowing it would put the Florida party in violation of party rules. Explain to me how voters are responsible for that.
Anon123: The voters aren’t directly responsible for the legislature’s decisions, although they did elect them. But whether they are responsible or not is irrelevant. We have to live with their decisions. Just as we are bound to obey a law that they may pass, we have to vote when they choose to set the election.
And don’t make it out like the Republican legislature did this on a whim. Karen Thurman and the Florida Democratic Party were wild about it. They thought it would blow over. They rolled the dice and lost.