Politics

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Just be weighing in on the Democrat Primary "do-over" wishes of the Michigan Democrat Party.

Sorry folks, you all blew it.

Brief history:

MICHIGAN: One could almost write a book on the machinations around Michigan's Jan. 15, 2008 primary date. Michigan Democrats, in particular Sen. Carl Levin, led the effort to challenge New Hampshire's privileged first-in-the-nation status. Levin was the driving force behind creation of the DNC Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling which ran in 2005-06. In April 2006 Michigan Democrats applied to the DNC for Michigan to be one of the new early pre-window states; however the DNC approved Nevada and South Carolina. Fast-forward to 2007. On Aug. 22, 2007, the Republican-controlled State Senate approved by a vote of 21 to 17 S.B. 624, which, as amended, required a statewide presidential primary election on Jan. 15, 2008 (the original bill set a date of January 29). (reactions). On Aug. 30, the Democratic-controlled House passed the legislation by a vote of 67 to 34, and the same day the Senate passed a concurred version of the bill. (letter to candidates). Gov. Granholm signed the measure into law on Sept. 4. (press release). However, on Oct. 24 Mark Grebner, an East Lansing political consultant, filed suit challenging the constitutionality of a provision of the law granting exclusive rights of voter lists to the Democratic and Republican parties. (related) In Nov. 2007 Ingham County Circuit Court Chief Judge William E. Collette issued an order prohibiting the Jan. 15 primary. The Court of Appeals upheld the ruling on Nov. 16. There were efforts to pass a legislative remedy and the parties prepared back-up plans. (press release). Finally on Nov. 21 the Michigan Supreme Court reversed the lower court rulings. (reactions). The Jan. 15 date violates Democratic and Republican national party rules, and both the DNC and the RNC have vowed to enforce penalties.

The run down. The rules say that Michigan (and others) cannot hold their primary before Iowa and New Hampshire. Michigan and Florida - knowing the rules AND the consequences - chose to hold their primary early. As a result, Michigan (according to the DNC) will have its delegates stripped of their votes. The state of Michigan will have no say in regards to the Democrat candidate for president - as a direct result of the choice that Michigan politicians made.

Fast forward to the rather entertaining contest between Clinton and Obama.

NOW. March.

Everyone in the Democratic Party appears to want to resolve how to include Michigan and Florida delegates at the national convention in August, but few can agree on what the solution should be and no one seems to want to pay for it.

Michigan and Florida were stripped of their combined 313 delegates by the DNC when the states moved their primaries ahead of Feb. 5 , Super Tuesday. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton — as well as the other candidates who had been competing before the Jan. 15 and Jan. 29 primaries respectively — agreed not to campaign in those states. Clinton won both contests, although Obama’s name was not on the ballot in Michigan. (emphasis mine)

Hello? The solution WOULD have been, to follow the rules in the first place! Of course Clinton won - Obama wasn't even on the ballot (having agreed not to campaign in the state - a consequence of Michigan's choice).

Florida and Michigan Governors to DNC and RNC:
Don’t Silence 5,163,271 AmericansTALLAHASSEE- Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm released a joint statement today calling on the Democratic and Republican National Committees with a very clear message: Seat our delegates.

Joint Statement from Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm.

“The right to vote is at the very foundation of our democracy. This primary season, voters have turned out in record numbers to exercise that right, and it is reprehensible that anyone would seek to silence the voices of 5,163,271 Americans. It is intolerable that the national political parties have denied the citizens of Michigan and Florida their votes and voices at their respective national conventions.

According to the DNC and RNC, Florida and Michigan have violated party rules by moving up their primaries. Today, we each will call upon our respective state and national party chairs to resolve this matter and to ensure that the voters of Michigan and Florida are full participants in the formal selection of their parties' nominees. We must restore the rights of the more than 5 million voters whose voices have been silenced.”

With all due respect to the governors involved:  THE PARTIES ARE NOT THE ONES WHO DEPRIVED THE STATES OF THE PRIMARY DELEGATES!!!

You did.  When you signed the bill moving the primaries up KNOWING the consequences.

Clinton wants Florida, Michigan delegates to Democratic convention reinstated.

No me diga.  (ya don't say.)

Clinton could claim most of the Michigan delegates because she won that state's primary after the other major candidates pulled their names from the ballot.

Clinton "won" the Michigan primary AFTER the other major candidates pulled their names off the ballot.

Still, she received only 55 percent of the vote in the Michigan primary, with "uncommitted" garnering about 40 percent.

Okay...being the only person on the ballot, she won the primary by 15%.  I wonder what would have happened if she had been running against an actual person?

She's not factoring in Detroit.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Clinton backer who also supported the primary legislation, said in a statement she was "deeply disappointed" by the failure to enact new primary legislation.

Hmmm...maybe you should have been a little more disappointed in the FIRST one you signed.  You know, the one that got Michigan stripped of its delegate votes to start with?

They knew the rules, knew the consequences, broke the rules, got the consequences and now want a "do-over".

They should suck it up and live with the consequences.

We, the rest of the state of Michigan...have to live with the choices of our politicians every single day.  And our economy is hosed, our unemployment is (fill in the blank), our taxes are...irritating.

Every single day.

DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS WHO MADE THIS BED:  SLEEP IN IT.

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From "Midwest Pundits"

2008 Democratic National Convention

Schedule of Events

7:00 pm ~ Opening flag burning

7:15 pm ~ Pledge of Allegiance to the U. N.

7:20 pm ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

7:25 pm ~ Nonreligious prayer and worship with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton

7:45 pm ~ Ceremonial tree hugging

7:55 pm ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

8:00 pm ~ How I Invented the Internet - Al Gore

8:15 pm ~ Gay Wedding Planning - Barney Frank presiding

8:35 pm ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

8:40 pm ~ Our Troops are War Criminals - John Kerry

9.00 pm ~ Memorial service for Saddam and his sons - Cindy Sheehan and Susan Sarandon

10:00 pm ~ “Answering Machine Etiquette” - Alec Baldwin

11:00 pm ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

11:05 pm ~ Collection for the Osama Bin Laden kidney transplant fund - Barbra Streisand

11:15 pm ~ Free the Freedom Fighters from Guantanamo Bay - Sean Penn

11:30 pm ~ Oval Office Affairs - William Jefferson Clinton

11:45 pm ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

11:50 pm ~ How George Bush Brought Down the World Trade Towers - Howard Dean

12:15 am ~ “Truth in Broadcasting Award” - Presented to Dan Rather by Michael Moore

12:25 am ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

12:30 am ~ Satellite address by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

12:45 am ~ Nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Nancy Pelosi

1:00 am ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

1:05 am ~ Coronation of Hillary Rodham Clinton

1:30 am ~ Ted Kennedy proposes a toast

1:35 am ~ Bill Clinton asks Ted Kennedy to drive Hillary home

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We knew this was coming, but it is still frightening.

The Speech Code of the Month "Award" goes to Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

Richard Stockton's anti-harassment policy not only infringes on protected speech - it explicitly infringes on the free exchange of ideas in the classroom setting.

Here is the policy: "All forms of unlawful discrimination based upon race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, marital status, familial status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical herededitary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, or disability are prohibited and will not be tolerated."

The policy also prohibits "Displaying or distributing material in the academic setting that contains language or images that are derogatory or demeaning, based on any of the foregoing classifications." The policy also notes:“harassment or the creation of a hostile work environment can occur even if there was no intent on the part of an individual to harass or demean another” (emphasis added).

FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) notes: Since “derogatory” and “demeaning” are not defined, students are left to guess at what a fellow student or professor might find “derogatory” or “demeaning.” This is made worse by the fact that the policy does not require intent on the part of the “harasser,” and explicitly applies to classroom speech. In other words, students who express an opinion in the classroom that someone else interprets as derogatory or demeaning may be punished. One can imagine many legitimate classroom discussions in which this might happen, such as: a student in an American politics class who opposes affirmative action or gay marriage; a student in a women’s studies class who suggests that men are responsible for society’s ills; or a student in a religion class who expresses the opinion that religion is fantasy or escapism. The result of a policy like this is a terrible chilling effect on student speech in the classroom, stifling the free exchange of ideas that is so crucial to a liberal arts education.

This policy "applies to conduct which occurs in the workplace/educational environment and also extends to conduct which occurs at any location that can be reasonably regarded as an extension of the college, such as any field location, any off-site camput-related social function, or any facility where Richard Stockton College of New Jersey business is being conducted or discussed."

Extend this out a couple of years...a young person at a football game who turns down a date (on campus) because the person asking is gay (or straight), or for religious reasons could reasonably have a complaint filed against them...

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http://http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-chait22jul22,0,3359930.column?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

I don't know if that all took, but (is it just me) or is this guy having to really strain at finding things wrong with President Bush?

"Does the leader of the free world need to attain that level of physical achievement? Bush not only thinks so, he thinks it goes for the rest of us as well. In 2002, he initiated a national fitness campaign."

Oh, for Pete's sake! When I was in high school (and it was before the days of Bush the first) there was a presidential fitness campaign.

"The notion of a connection between physical and mental potency is, of course, silly.

Where has this guy been? Men's fitness (May, 2002) says, "In a study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, people who ran on a treadmill for 30 minutes prior to taking a computer test did better on the test than those who did no pretest exercise, and brainwave measurements showed that their decision-making speed had increased."

I understand liberals (and even some conservatives) having problems with some of the things Mr. Bush does - but exercise? Come on...