DNC and Howard Dean Need to Take Responsibility for Their Actions: They're the Ones at Fault, Not Michigan & Florida Voters

Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee don't want to pay to clean up their mess in Michigan and Florida. And a lot of Democrats are getting angrier and angrier. I don't think I've ever seen this level of discontent in the state Democratic party before.

Just wait until the Democratic National Convention takes place the week of the 24th of August and there's no resolution to Dean & Company's huge mess in Michigan. There will likely be charter buses full of disenfranchised Michigan voters heading out to Denver to protest all of this.

Michigan's government had better not knuckle under on this issue and offer to pay one penny for any kind of "re-do." This is the DNC's mess to clean up. The first Michigan legislator who offers a bill to pay for a "re-do" will be in BIG trouble the next time an election comes around. Unless they're targeted for recall, which seems to be happening a lot these days.

I wrote a series of articles back in the fall against moving the primary to the 15th of January because of what had already happened to Florida. But the Michigan legislature and governor went ahead with their plan, knowing full well that our fate would likely match Florida's. That was the decision that was made, and that's what we have to live with now. And in light of the DNC's mean-spirited actions since then, it was the right decision and right fight to make.

The Republicans docked half of Michigan's delegation to the Republican National Convention as well as every state that had an election before Super Tuesday (February 5th). I wasn't too happy with that decision. If I was to choose to vote in the Republican primary (Michigan's primary is open, meaning that people can choose which primary to vote in), my vote's worth half as much as someone who voted after February 5th? Bull HONKY!

The DNC ripped the guts out of Michigan's primary by stripping Michigan of all it's delegates. In addition, many of the Democrats (including Obama) pulled their names off the ballot and said that they would not be campaigning in Michigan. That's excessive punishment for protesting a corrupt and outdated system that favors four states over all others. They sure as hell didn't have a problem fundraising here, which I strongly disagreed with.

I also believe that this decision violates the equal protection clause which the Supreme Court quoted in 2000, when they stopped the ballot recounts in Florida's mess of a Presidential election between Bush and Gore. All ballots have to be treated (and counted) equally. Anything less amounts to a banana republic, which the Democrats seem hell-bent on making happen.

As far as Michigan Democrats go, I do not count myself among their number. But in this situation, I am on their side; no voter should be disenfranchised. And in this case, ALL Michigan and Florida voters were targeted and their votes were thrown straight into the garbage can. That isn't right; the system needs to change and Dean needs to be FIRED!

And if Obama's the nominee after the Democrats have their National Convention, he needs to come to Michigan and Florida and explain his actions in supporting the disenfranchisement of millions of voters. Party rules my afterburner!!