The Delegate fight: Re-do on June 3?
Posted: Thursday, March 13, 2008 9:13 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
States, 2008, Clinton, Obama
The Florida Democratic Party’s mail-in primary plan could be unveiled as early as today. According to one memo obtained by the Washington Post, Election Day would officially be June 3. "In a document obtained by The Washington Post, dated yesterday, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen L. Thurman urged Florida's Democratic members of Congress, along with Clinton and Obama, to consider the vote-by-mail proposal carefully. ‘Because of the unprecedented nature of the national race, a situation that previously was a relatively minor, party-insider issue now has the potential to result in irreparable damage for years to come,’ she wrote, before detailing at length a mail-in-primary process.”
“Under her timetable, fundraising and a public comment period would begin today and end April 12, about when ballots go to production. Overseas and military ballots would be sent out April 19. Fifty temporary election offices would be set up May 1 in poor areas to ensure access to voters with mail difficulties. On May 9, the bulk of the ballots would be shipped out, and the election would officially be on June 3, a day shared with Montana and South Dakota."
The AP adds, however: Florida's nine Democratic congressmen voted Tuesday night to oppose a mail-in vote. Thurman urged them to reconsider.” Clinton's Florida surrogates and the Obama campaign also oppose the idea.
Meanwhile, in Michigan, either a state-run primary (paid for by private donors) or a mail-in primary is still on the table. "State Elections Director Chris Thomas said Wednesday that he had not been contacted about the primary alternative, but he said the Legislature would have to approve a law allowing the state to accept private funding for a primary. If such a law were approved, he said, ‘The issues involved are no different than trying to run any other election.’”
“That said, it is probably too late for a primary to piggyback on the May 6 school election, meaning a new June primary would have to be held if such a do-over to the state’s disallowed Jan. 15 primary is in the cards."
On NPR this morning, Clinton called the Jan. 15 Michigan primary a "fair" election. When asked by interviewer Steve Inskeep how it was fair when Obama's name was not on the ballot, she replied, "Well, that was his choice, Steve."
Former Edwards spokesperson Jennifer Palmieri writes in a Politico op-ed that Democrats ought to be patient during this protracted fight. Why? If Clinton can't prove she can bring change against Obama, she'll fail against McCain. And if Obama can't prove he'll be a better commander-in-chief than Clinton, then he'll fail against McCain. So she argues the two Dems need more time to get their change/commander messages refined.
