This is a horrible idea dreamed up by a Californian. Democrats should vote in the Democratic Primary where something is at stake -- the media reports after the "primary." They can either read "Hillary On a Roll, Wins Michigan" or "Uncommitted Defeats Hillary, Clinton Can't Win Against Nobody." Supporters of John Edwards and Barack Obama along with those angry at Granholm (trying to get a job in a possible, if now less likely, Hillary Administration) for strong-arming this through the MDP should VOTE UNCOMMITTED.
The main problem with Kos' scheme is that we Michigan Democrats need to worry about picking our own nominee, rather than attempt to have some small impact on their nominee. It's more imperative that we Michigan Democrats do our little part so that we do not end up with Hillary, our weakest candidate and least progressive potential president.
Every vote for Romney is also a vote for the headline "Hillary Wins Michigan, Controls Race."
So, think before you follow a bunch of out-of-staters trying to get you to vote for a Republican and instead
Michigan Democrats no longer can count on getting hotel rooms at their national convention in Denver.
The Democratic National Committee's Rules Committee last month stripped Michigan of its 156 national convention delegates as punishment for scheduling an early presidential primary in violation of party rules. State party officials had until Saturday to come up with an alternative to the Jan. 15 contest, but declined to do so.
That decision caused the DNC to informally tell state Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer that the party no longer has reservations at the Red Lion Hotel Denver Central during the Aug. 25-28 convention, state party spokesman Jason Moon said Monday.
"We think that those hotel rooms will be given back to us," Moon added. ...
The Red Lion Denver Central is a 300-room hotel about 15 minutes from downtown Denver. State delegations fight hard to lock up the best hotels with enough room for their delegates, family members and political activists. ...
The primary may still be legal to hold as of today, but somehow, I don't know if all the MDP conventioneers can fit in one cardboard box in the mile-high Denver streets at night, now that their "Red Lion" rooms are gone. Maybe 2 really BIG boxes.
Some of us at Mich Lib (at least me) may be saddened by the recent mean-spirited post in which our bloggers were mocked, as "weird little pecker contest" perverts, for expressing their opinions. (Or maybe even by another mean-spirited post where Mich Lib diaries are called trash worthy of fascist-style censorship.) I hope we hope that we will not be drawn into a conflict with another progressive blog, blog with people who have dirty "pecker contest" thoughts, or even the JenniferGranholm.com blog, which is a major content provider (whether fully attributed by true author or not) to certain other Michigan blogs.
While I believe we are open to constructive criticism, we are also open, I think, to some destructive criticism, not being censors (though I don't run this site and speak only for myself); visitors who find the majority of our content to be inconsistent with their values should consider reading us more frequently.
We are proud (at least I am) to be a part of the Michigan progressive blogosphere, and I imagine we wish all bloggers a happy Hanukkah, cranking Kwanzaa, cool Christmas, and a New Year full of worthy and independent-minded blogging.
Well, been a couple of days ... time to break out the brass knuckles again. A lawsuit has been filed in federal court challenging Michigan's presidential primary. Here's the document.
The gist, as I understand it, is that the plaintiff is a member of the Democratic Party and her right to participate in the primary has been abridged because her preferred candidate has been barred by national party rules from participating in Michigan's primary. Thus, she has been disenfranchised.
Hopefully, I'll get a chance to read it a little later, but by the time I do that, I imagine that blood will have already been spilled.
Until then ... have at it!
Update! ... I should probably point out that the primary has many enemies, and this lawsuit was filed by Democratic Party activists and not Mark Grebner, Hugh McDiarmid, or Berl Schwartz.
As I've noted previously: a core competence of a party chair should be to make sure his state's delegates are seated at the national convention every 4 years. It takes serious incompetence not to be able to assure this.
(Maybe the MDP can eventually bully a nominee into seating the Michigan delegates, but first, that's unethical, and second: it's hardly guaranteed, is it? Why walk along a cliff edge?)
Brewer, any time he wants, can assure delegate seating by agreeing to a delegate-selection event on February 5 or after. (Caucus or primary) Is someone with a gun preventing him?
Discussion on this site has mentioned that Brewer has a Secret Plan to hold a caucus, and the rest is just kabuki or other perfomance art. "Fine", if it actually happens. I'll believe it when I see it.
He wasn't successful with Geoffrey Fieger for Governor, or capturing the state senate in 2006, or many other things: "o.k." But if he can't even assure his party's own delegates are seated, he should be replaced as soon as possible.
I mean, can you as a loyal Michigan Dem really afford to have your primary vote count for nothing, zero, when your party chairman could easily have assured otherwise?
Well the majority of Demcratic Senators and Representatives have done what they can to try to end the farce of the Republican-initiated 15 January Primary, and now the Michigan Democratic Party has to finally make a decision.
As most folks know last night the MDP Central Committee vote 39-1 to submit a new Primary Plan to the DNC. Chairman Mark Brewer will submit such a plan to the DNC Committee's Rules Committee on Saturday.
Gordon Trowbridge of DetNews says the MDP executive committee meeting will be by telephone!! tonight, Tuesday: see his Clock ticking on primary fix,
...The state Democratic Party's executive committee will meet Tuesday night by conference call to finalize the decision to participate in the Jan. 15 contest. Primary supporters believe they have the votes on the committee to go forward, though there are likely to be some among the 80 or so committee members who argue to opt out of the primary, especially if the House fails to add the missing candidate names.
Oh, a little private meeting, huh? And not on the regular Wednesday? Looks like somebody wants to cut out live, personal opinion and presence at that meeting. Bad idea.
What you can do about it...is somewhat up to you. It certainly includes contacting the MDP,
, to complain that it will be a closed-to-the-public meeting (OR to demand the meeting be delayed and opened to the public), and to ask for a February 9 caucus (or February 5th-or-later primary--if you're a huge primary fan) that will prevent the DNC from rejecting Michigan delegates. And whatever else you want: it's your opinion and right to voice it. --Just as rank-and-file Mich Dems are finding their voice and organizing an implementation challenge against the MDP's rulebreaking, and, I believe, unethical, manipulation of the delegate selection process.
Do you really want Debbie Dingell and Mark Brewer and Carl Levin--working in collusion with Saul Anuzis and Mike Bishop, by the way--to risk throwing away your vote completely, in a DNC-rulebreaking primary (or January caucus) that also risks not getting ballots to our overseas soldiers on time? Forgive me, but I certainly hope you don't want that.
Thank you for your efforts in keeping Michigan Democrats democratic. They are deeply appreciated.
Michigan's Jan. 15 primary ballot will include just half the Democratic candidates for president. The state Senate on Tuesday refused to take up legislation that would have restored the names of four Democratic presidential candidates to the ballot who withdrew earlier from the primary. Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, blamed Democrats for not being on the same page with each other. ... Bishop said some of the Democratic candidates threatened to sue if their names were restored to the ballot. [HA HA HA!!!] Republicans said election clerks couldn't afford to delay any further waiting for legislators to act or lawsuits to be settled. ...
Things are moving fast since the Republicans on the Supreme Court overruled both the Circuit Court and the Appeals Court and stated the Republican Senate Leader Bishop's 15 January "primary" bill was constitutional. Now there is word that House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford) may have changed his mind and might be preparing to vote on House Bill 4507 that will force Edwards (and Obama, Biden and Richardson) back on the ballot but still leave us with no campaign, no candidates, no delegates, and no Michigan issues being addressed since the date will continue to be in violation of the rules of the Democratic National Committee.
There is still time to stop the 15 January "primary" and have a caucus on 9 February that John Edwards wants to campaign for and believes he can win.
But we need you to do the following things right now.
I am aware that the majority of this site is vastly outspoken on berating our party leaders on this primary fiasco, but a few things that have been taking place lately has me wondering?
1. Is Brewer smarter than we are giving him credit for?
2. Is it possible that Michigan can really win everything we are fighting for? A primary, all the candidates on the ballot, AND the seating of our delegates?
I'm not saying Brewer/Granholm/Levin etc. are definitely right or definitely wrong, but a couple of wins lately has me thinking....
Now House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, says he intends to hold a vote Monday on a bill that would reinstate the names of four presidential candidates who withdrew from the state's Democratic presidential primary last month.
If the legislation passes, Michigan will be poised to realize an improbable trifecta triumph: The first large-state contest in the 2008 presidential cycle, a ballot featuring all the leading candidates in both parties and an opportunity for every registered Michigan voter to participate.
While the "January 15 Beauty Pagaent" Republican Bill is now officially dead in the Senate and House (they won't be coming back into session until 20 November -- happy deer hunting season (or Russian sheep, whatever the case may be), the forces of Coronation will push to achieve the same result by trying to force through a caucus date before 5 February so that we'll be back to where we were a week ago and Hillary can have her newspaper story that she won a state.
So, those who agree with my earlier postings should tell everyone they know to push for a Democratic Party Caucus outside the 5 February DNC window so we can have campaigning,candidates and delegates!
At any moment The Michigan Democratic Party Executive Board can meet in person or via conference call to discuss and possibly vote on the 15 January primary opt-out (going back to a DNC-sanctioned primary where Edwards (and others I presume)will happily campaign in Michigan and be on the ballot).
Ingham County Circuit Court Judge William Collette ruled yesterday that the 15 January Primary Act is unconstitutional since it gave the Democratic and Republican parties exclusive access to lists of who voted in their party's primary even though it was a state-run, public event.
But, it's not over, the forces of Hillary and Coronation and their Republican allies in the State Senate are still going to push for a new state-primary bill that returns us to 15 January and doesn't even get the MDP the voter rolls it wanted:
Debbie Dingell, a Democratic power broker who helped lead the push for a Jan. 15
primary [and is the biggest Hillary Clinton supporter in the state], said late Wednesday she was cautiously optimistic it could be salvaged and that extraordinary efforts to do so would be undertaken.
No matter what happened in an Ingham County Circuit
Court, the decision for a 15 January "Primary" and a 9 February Caucus will still be made tonight at 7:00 pm during the
Michigan Democratic Party Executive Committee meeting in Lansing.
Let's face it, this farce should be stopped by Democrats, not by journalist
and a list broker in court.
And make no mistake about it the Hillary-backers that have hijacked the attempt
to move up still want to trade your right to vote so that Hillary can make some
national news with a "win in a Michigan primary" after a loss in
Iowa. That's all this is about, them sacrificing Michigan Democrats for a
news story for Hillary Clinton.
The Michigan Democratic Party Executive Board is meeting TONIGHT
Wednesday, 7 November at 7:00 p.m to discuss and possibly vote on the 15
January primary opt-out (going back to a DNC-sanctioned primary where Edwards
will happily campaign in Michigan and be on the ballot).
If you want to be heard, you must call now. The receptionist at the MDP is
taking a tally.
Your Michigan Democratic Party leaders, your servants in the democratic/Democratic process, are meeting Wednesday 11/7 at 7 p.m., and will likely decide there whether your 2008 presidential vote will mean anything. Or not. Even if you liked the "message" that an early, rulebreaking primary sent out; at this point, only a rule-following caucus on February 5 or after (e.g., Feb. 9) is assured of leading the DNC to count the delegates at the national convention. And I wouldn't count on the "Michigan is too big, they'll have to seat us no matter what" illusion; sometimes the bigger you are, the harder you f... If you want to be enfranchised and have your vote count in 2008, just demand that the MDP hold a February caucus so that you won't be treated as a nobody. Meeting and contact info:
Meeting location (MDP headquarters): 606 Townsend, Lansing, MI 48933
MDP phone: (517) 371-5410
MDP e-mail(s): jwarman@michigandems.com, Joanne Warman, MDP Receptionist (and/or jmoon@michigandems.com, Jason Moon, MDP Communications Director ...you can just put both in the "to" box)
Hey, they might even have to listen to you if you show up in person, see the MDP rules here (unless they got secretly changed or something):
...ARTICLE 2. POLICY
A. Fundamental Principles
1. All public meetings at all levels of the Democratic Party in Michigan shall be open to all members of the Democratic Party regardless of actual or perceived race, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, economic status, religion, ethnic identity, ancestry,marital status, sexual orientation, physical appearance or disability. ...
3. The time and place for all public meetings of the Democratic Party on all levels shall be publicized fully and in such a manner as to assure timely notice to all interested persons. Such meetings must be held in places accessible to all Party members and large enough to accommodate all interested persons. ...
9. Votes shall not be taken by secret ballot at any meeting of the Democratic Party in Michigan at any level. ...
It's YOUR Party. Do you want your vote to count, and the right to vote for all the 2008 candidates; or do you want some "beauty contest" that even Hillary said doesn't matter, and with most of the major candidates absent? Your Party, your choice. Let your voice be heard!!
(And don't forget the lawsuit against the 1/15 primary by Mark Grebner due to the parties hogging election info, see the estimable Eric B. in State sued over presidential primary; nor forget state Dem rep Martin Griffin's attempt to undo the early primary, see here,
State Rep. Martin Griffin, D-Jackson, is pushing legislation that would effectively cancel the state's 2008 presidential primary.
He says the state can't afford a $10 million primary that no longer makes Michigan relevant in the Democratic process. ...
"In these tough economic times, taxpayers can ill afford to bear the cost of a presidential primary," he said. "The benefit to holding the primary is lost."
)
Go Michigan democracy! Go Michigan Democrats! (And vote tomorrow...thanks!)
UPDATED: also recall that, cf. philgoblue's diary, On the Primary Crisis: What's Next, Kent County Democrats are demanding to be enfranchised with a Feb. caucus, and cf. sndowty's diary Washtenaw Dems Resolution on Jan. 15th Primary to similar effect re Washtenaw Dems, etc. If MDP leadership insists on ignoring the people, they could find their own seats jeopardized at the next election...
FURTHER updated: looks like meeting may be *Closed to Public!!! !!*, see comments below. (Why should your Flawless Leaders ever listen to you anyway?) However, you can always
1) stand outside the meeting with a sign (or would they have you arrested),
2) express your displeasure with a closed meeting of a supposedly "democratic" organization...either by phone, or e-mail, or on this blog, etc.,
3) anything else you can think of, to fight your own disenfranchisement!!!
MO further updated: a comment below sez that the meeting's now open, so that the ol' title "MDP *CLOSED-TO-PUBLIC* meeting on 11/7; demand a Feb. caucus & enfranchisement (FURTHER updated)" may be superseded, hopefully...
The Michigan Democratic Party is staring the abyss of a farce of a primary in the face. However, we can still prevent a one-candidate/no delegates beauty contest and instead have a DNC-sanctioned party-caucus in which all candidates will participate and campaign in Michigan.
Tuesday (the deadline day to do so), Joe Biden, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson took their names off the ballot for the proposed 15 January presidential primary in Michigan (Dennis Kucinich also attempted to remove his name from the ballot but failed to follow state procedures by forgetting to have his signature notarized, so he will unwillingly remain on the ballot). Three of the leading four candidate have done this because the DNC considers the 15 January Michigan Primary bill against Party rules and invalid.
Now, under the current scenario, the MDP is left with a beauty contest with just one of the leading four candidates that will not choose any delegates. And even those remaining candidates have pledged not to campaign in our state. Heck, no one can even stare a write-in campaign, since write-in votes probably won't be counted. We therefore have a farce of a primary.
But we can start a movement to have a real caucus with all the candidates. Encourage Mark Brewer to save the MDP and honor Michigan Democrats by moving our caucus back to 9 February. The MDP can be reached by telephone at 517-371-5410 or at http://www.democracyinaction. You can find your County Party website to find out when the next meeting is or how to contact the County Chair here.
Two of three leading Democratic presidential nominees have removed their names from the Jan. 15 Michigan presidential primary. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards both filed paperwork to have their names withdrawn minutes ago with the Michigan Secretary of State's office. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson sent a letter yesterday, also asking to be taken off the list. Today is the deadline for candidates to have their names removed. Michigan Democrats were under pressure from the national party to disavow the state's recent move to push the primary ahead of both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary in violation of party rules. The big question now is whether Sen. Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner among Democrats, will join the others and remove her name from the ballot. It wasn't immediately clear whether Michigan Democrats would now switch to their original plan to hold a caucus on Feb. 9. ...
Indeed. (And see my own 9/10/07 Daily Kos diary Barack, John, Hill: take your names off Fla./Mich. ballots!; not that that makes me a prophet, but...) If Mark Brewer can't change the plan and have a February 9 caucus, perhaps he should consider resigning from office. He messed up seriously by caving in and supporting the rulebreaking early primary plan that defied the whole DNC and Howard Dean. (See my earlier diaries on this) How does he look now? And how do John and Debbie Dingell look? And, I must say, Jennifer Granholm and Andy Dillon, who were seduced by Mike Bishop into defying their own party's National Committee primary schedule? I hope this all teaches the MDP a serious lesson; part of which is that they have done a terrible, terrible job for the Democrats, and the people, of Michigan. (Including wasting time on the early primary nonsense, rather than getting ready for the budget battle with the Republicans...) Thanks to Barack, John, and Bill for upholding the integrity of the DNC primary process.
(Note: as I'm completing this, I see the story's been frontpaged, http://michiganliber... . My commentary is something I want put up, though, so here we are.)
Todd Heywood Reporting from the Michigan Progressive Policy Summit.
LANSING- In an exclusive sit down interview with former Al Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile, she encouraged students at MSU to "Take on" Young Americans for Freedom-MSU.
"Take 'em on!" She said.
Brazile, who is also frequently a guest on television news programs, said she took on Young Americans for Freedom every Friday night of her college days.
"I hope the students are taking on YAF and countering their hate filled agenda, and it's impact on campus," Brazile said. "I hope they are countering them because campus is suppose to be free of hate and intimidation."
Mark Brewer, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, agreed with Brazile.
"I think need to continue that push back," Brewer said. "You can't let that hate go unanswered,"
(Topical, but not in an ointment sort of way - promoted by Eric B.)
As ethics demand they should.
See, e.g., Daily Kos, Breaking: John Edwards signs Four State Pledge. It reveals that Obama, Edwards, Dodd, Richardson, and Biden have all done the right thing and pledged to stick with the four states Howard Dean and the DNC are happy with keeping first: a geographically diverse array of early primary/caucus states, Iowa (Midwest), New Hampshire (Northeast), South Carolina (South, and considerable African-American representation), and Nevada (West, and considerable Latina/o representation).
I could write a long thing about this, but...does the Granholm/Brewer/Dingell early primary idea look like a
Looks like our friend Mike Bishop (and enablers such as Granholm and Dingell) are racking up points; see Freep, Michigan Dems commit to early primary,
"The Michigan Democratic Party formally endorsed the state's move to a Jan. 15 presidential primary late today even as two of the party's presidential candidates signed pledges not to campaign here. The party released a statement announcing its intention to participate in the early primary and award presidential delegates according to votes cast that day rather than in a party caucus that had been set for Feb. 9. ..."
"Michigan Democratic Party Statement on January 15th Primary
"The leadership of the Michigan Democratic Party today announced their intention to comply with the new state law establishing a January 15, 2008 Presidential primary, and to select their delegates to the Democratic National Convention on that day."
[How about complying with DNC policy?]
"Michigan Democrats are taking this step in direct response to the New Hampshire Secretary of State's statement of intent on August 9th, supported by the Democratic leadership of New Hampshire, to hold the New Hampshire primary before January 19, 2008, in direct violation of the DNC Rules that state that New Hampshire's delegates cannot be selected at a primary held earlier than January 22, 2008."
[Oh those dirty New Hamsters! Violating a deadline by 3 days, so that we can now violate our OWN deadline by...21 days? (1/15 instead of 2/5)
...Gee, I guess two wrongs make a right after all, huh Mark!! Talk about contrived excuses.....]
"Michigan Democrats believe that no state should enjoy a privileged position every four years in selecting our party's presidential nominee. ...
[But Mich has just thrust itself into such a position! The 1st primary after New Hamp!]"
By contrast, see this 8/22/07 MDP release (wonder how soon it'll take to be erased), at http://www.michigand... ,
"Brewer Statement on Senate Republicans Passing Primary Bill
...Mark Brewer released the following statement regarding the Michigan Senate Republicans decision to pass a presidential primary bill.
"It's unfortunate that the Senate Republicans passed this presidential primary bill today. The Michigan Democratic Party continues to oppose this bill and we applaud all the Democrats in the State Senate for unanimously voting against it. We look forward to having our caucus plan approved at the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting this Saturday in Washington, DC."
Well! How the leopard has changed his spots. Mm mm mm.
---Now when Pennsylvania moves its primary to Halloween (say), we'll have no grounds to complain...
