Michigan primary at Brave New Films

Obama campaign: Evenly splitting Michigan's delegates is fair

2008-03-22T11:39:07Z

Do we finally have a solution?

Barack Obama's campaign said Thursday that evenly splitting Michigan's delegates with rival Hillary Rodham Clinton would be a fair way of resolving the dispute over how to handle the state at the Democratic National Convention.

Christopher Dodd, an Obama supporter, is behind that idea. Obama's name was not on the Michigan ballot, Clinton's was.

Finally! A resolution! Wait, what's that? What am I hearing through my non-existent ear piece?

The Clinton campaign immediately rejected the idea of splitting the delegates. "Michigan is populated by people, not numbers, and those people need to have their voices heard in this process," said Clinton spokesman Phil Singer.

Oh.

Democratic leaders in Michigan have said DNC rules require them to bar those who voted in the Republican primary from casting ballots in a do-over primary. But DNC spokswoman Stacie Paxton said Thursday that the party would consider waiving the rule because of Michigan's unique situation if the state requested it. [...]
Dodd said in his statement Monday that even though he left his name on the ballot, it's clear that the results of the Jan. 15 primary should not be used to apportion delegates. The Democratic National Committee declined to comment on Dodd's proposal.

Sigh.

Michigan do-over is dead

2008-03-20T15:16:18Z

No re-do for Michigan:

The headline from MIRS, Michigan's Hotline:
Ding-Dong, Do-Over Primary Is Dead
"Time of death for the do-over Michigan primary? Call it at about 11 a.m. today."

A Lansing insider IMs to explain the latest development:

The Senate Dems just had a long caucus meeting following their long phone call with the Gang of Four [as Carl Levin and others pushing a re-vote are called], and the result is that no one moved. Votes aren't there. Thus, it will not go to a vote in the Senate. And barring some other last minute miracle that doesn't involve those four, the governor and Hillary traveling to Michigan, it is dead as a doornail.

UPDATE: State Sen. Tupac Hunter, an Obama supporter, confirms the outcome of today's meeting.

Now what?

Soros turns Hillary down for Michigan primary support

2008-03-21T06:42:27Z

Dear George Soros, Can I have your money? Love, Hillary

Dear Hillary, No. Love, George:

Top Hillary supporter and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell privately appealed to billionaire George Soros for cash to help fund a new primary in Michigan -- a request that Soros is declining, a source familiar with their conversation tells Election Central.

Dear George Soros, thanks for nothing. Love, Hillary

The private appeal by one of Hillary's most important national supporters to one of the wealthiest men in the country is yet another indication of just how hard the Hillary camp is working behind the scenes to get a Michigan revote -- and how many backstage angles they're working to make it happen.

Soros spokesperson Michael Vachon: "George Soros does not support holding another primary in Michigan because he believes doing so will further delay the selection of a Democratic candidate in November."

Dear Hillary, Privately financed elections make me nervous. Love, Laffy

Obama releases statement about Michigan primary do-over

2008-03-20T09:01:48Z

The Obama campaign has put out an official statement on the Michigan re-vote proposal that is now circulating among state Democratic leaders and the two campaigns.

“Considering the fact that Senator Clinton is currently trying to prevent and delay votes in Texas from being counted because she didn't like the outcome, it's pretty apparent that the Clinton campaign’s views on voting are dependent on their own political interest. Hillary Clinton herself said in January that the Michigan primary “didn’t count for anything.” Now, she is cynically trying to change the rules at the eleventh hour for her own benefit. We received a very complex proposal for Michigan re-vote legislation today and are reviewing it to make sure that any solution for Michigan is fair and practical. We continue to believe a fair seating of the delegation deserves strong consideration.”

Ooph.

Michigan primary re-do proposal

2008-03-16T10:35:29Z

CNN is reporting:

Under the proposal, the state of Michigan would hold a new primary on June 3, and the Democratic Party would reimburse the state for the cost of running the election, ensuring the state had the cash in hand before voting began. [...]
The Michigan state legislature would have to push the plan through by next Thursday
Michigan voters wanting to cast ballots in the new primary would have to identify themselves as Democrats and certify that they did not vote in the state's Republican primary in January. Michigan normally does not require party identification in primary elections.

I'm sure nothing will go wrong. Nothing at all.

Deal close in Michigan do-over

2008-03-16T10:59:40Z

I dont know what to believe any more. Here's the latest:

Michigan Democrats are close to an agreement with presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama to hold a do-over primary.
Party officials and the campaigns negotiated on Thursday, and state Democratic leaders were hopeful that an agreement could be reached on Friday, said Democratic officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. To go forward, any plan would require the approval of the two campaigns, the Democratic National Committee, state party leaders and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who is backing Clinton.
Michigan Democrats need to act quickly because the politically divided legislature will have to sign off on the deal and approve how to spend the privately raised funds for a new election. Members of the Democratic-controlled state House and Republican-controlled state Senate leave at the end of the month on their two-week spring break.
The contest must be held by June 10 for the results to count under DNC rules. Michigan currently has an election set for May 6 for voters to decide on education issues. The date of that contest could be changed to accommodate a new presidential primary.
The Clinton campaign made it clear that it strongly prefers a state-run primary to mail-in voting during the meeting, according to a campaign official speaking anonymously about the private talks. People involved in the private meeting said the Clinton advisers favor the state-run primary because there would be less likelihood of problems such as fraud and ballot counting than with a mail-in vote.

So will we have do-overs elsewhere? As commenter Bucky pointed out in a previous thread, any state in which a candidate was no longer running could be considered a problem.

Hey, I know! How about do-overs of the 2000 and 2004 elections? I'd be behind that 100%.

Howard Dean states options for Florida and Michigan

2008-03-06T12:48:02Z

Howard Dean:

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean urged Florida and Michigan party officials to come up with plans to repeat their presidential nominating contests so that their delegates can be counted.

"They have two options," Dean said on CBS News' The Early Show. "One: they can come before the DNC rules committee and submit a process that does comply with the rules, that is fair to both campaigns and the other states, or they can simply appeal their denial to the credentials committee at the convention. One of those choices is a good choice. We'd love to see Florida and Michigan, but it's going to be done within the rules."

The two state parties will have to find the funds to pay for new contests without help from the national party, Dean said.

"We can't afford to do that. That's not our problem. We need our money to win the presidential race," he said.

That would be the very same presidential race that will determine the next Supreme Court. I can't drive that point home hard enough.

Officials in Michigan and Florida are showing renewed interest in holding repeat presidential nominating contests so that their votes will count in the epic Democratic campaign.

The Michigan governor, top officials in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign, and Florida's state party chair all are now saying they would consider holding a sort of do-over contest by June. That's a change from the previous insistence from officials in both states that the primaries they held in January should determine how their delegates are allocated.

Clinton won both contests, but the results were meaningless because the elections violated national party rules.

If there are do-overs, somebody better make sure that they are fair, legal, and accurate, with every vote counted and no disenfranchisement.

Oh wait. This is America. What am I even thinking?

Dear Hillary, sometimes it's not counting that counts

2008-02-24T20:37:58Z

Hillary is making some of her own backers uncomfortable, including a few governors:

Two prominent Democratic governors, both supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, voiced doubts Saturday about her argument that her victories in Florida and Michigan should count toward her delegate total.

Pennsylvania's Edward G. Rendell and New Jersey's Jon Corzine suggested that it would be seen as unfair to award those delegates to Clinton, given the Democratic Party's ruling that the vote in those two states would not count.

Are you listening, Hillary?

Several Democratic governors interviewed at the winter meeting of the National Governors Assn. here said that would be a mistake.

Rendell said ...: "You can't make any argument in Michigan, because Hillary was the only person who was on the ballot. I'm as avid a Hillary supporter as there is, but I don't think we can make an argument in Michigan."

Think of your party, think of the voters. Think, period.

When it comes to Florida, Rendell said, "At least you can make a tenable argument . . . I'm not sure it's a winning argument."

(Obama was on the ballot in Florida.)

Other Democratic governors who have not endorsed a candidate took positions at odds with that of the Clinton campaign.

"I hate to see anyone disenfranchised, but my gut reaction to that whole thing is there were a bunch of rules that were set and you just don't go changing the rules after the fact," said Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee.

No, you don't. Following the rules is part of playing well with others. If you start switching everything around now, it might look-- what's the word?-- self-serving. Especially when you're on a losing streak.

It's time to put this to rest, Senator Clinton. You're a smart, well-qualified candidate. This kind of publicity is not serving you well at all.

Michigan Deserves to Count

2009-01-08T02:40:17Z

We urgently need to convince the Michigan Democratic Party to sanction a Primary Caucus in Michigan, so our votes will count! Michigan's January Primary was nothing more than a beauty contest and a straw-poll.

None of the candidates campaigned in Michigan, and most of the candidates removed their names from the ballot. When we voted, "Uncommitted" won a plurality of the "youth vote," a majority of the "black vote," and 40% of the vote overall.

If Michigan holds a caucus, the DNC will seat our delegates at the Democratic National Convention. If Michigan holds a caucus, supporters of all the candidates will finally have a voice in this election. If Michigan holds a caucus, Michigan's delegates could decide the winner, but if we don't party insiders may decide. If Michigan holds a caucus, the candidates will start discussing the issues that matter to Michigan, including the loss of manufacturing jobs and the health of the Great Lakes.

If Michigan holds a caucus, we can have a real choice, and we can make our vote count!

Watch the video

Juli on the Web endorses...

2008-10-20T03:30:20Z

Watch the video

Romney Has Found His Voice In Michigan

2008-10-20T15:29:25Z

Watch more at www.theyoungturks.com

Watch the video

The Morning After

2008-01-16T10:32:54Z

That's a pic of the winner in Michigan, Mitt Romney by my friend Cat. Hope that happy lasts a few days before he gets trounced in South Carolina.

Detroit News: Clinton Coasts To Democratic Victory
New York Sen. Hillary Clinton won the Michigan Democratic primary Tuesday, easily outpolling the "uncommitted" vote, but partisans are quarreling over whether she drew enough support to spare embarrassment.

Washington Times: ON DEADLINE: Mitt Won, Authenticity Lost
Mitt Romney's victory in Michigan was a defeat for authenticity in politics.

Las Vegas Sun: It's Culinary Vs. Everyone Else In Labor Spat
Long-simmering tensions between Nevada's largest union, Culinary Workers Local 226, and other state labor organizations have spilled over to presidential politics and are now playing a role in Saturday's Democratic caucus.

Boston Globe: Candidates Abandoning Small-Government Ideology
For most of the past year, almost every Republican presidential contender tried to present himself as the real Reagan conservative, without questioning whether Ronald Reagan's antigovernment message was applicable in 2008.

The State: Like It Or Not, ‘Likability' Rules '08 Race
As South Carolinians head to the polls Saturday for the Republican primary and Jan. 26 for the Democratic one, many voters will choose the primary to vote in and the candidate to vote for on the basis of something other than voting records, decision-making experience or position papers.

WWTUD? (What would the Uncommitted do?)

2008-01-17T00:51:03Z

MSNBC:

73% of Uncommitted voters would have voted for Barack Obama.

Mitt Romney Michigan Primary Victory Speech

2008-10-18T03:29:40Z

Mitt Romney Michigan Primary Victory Speech, January 15, 2008

Watch the video

Economy woes dominate Michigan primary - 15 Jan 08

2008-10-17T15:30:20Z

Michigan's 10 million plus population holds seventeen electoral votes.
It's economy is reliant on car and machine manufacturing and mining.
The average income is 24 thousand dollars. That's 12 thousand less than the national average.
Al Jazeera's Erin Croyle has this preview.

Watch the video

TPMtv: Mitt's Last Stand

2008-10-17T21:30:39Z

Your Daily Politics Video Blog: It hasn't gotten that much press attention. But today's Michigan primary could decide the Republican nomination. Mitt Romney has staked everything on winning in Michigan, pulling funds out of South Carolina and Florida. And the polls have him neck-n-neck with the GOP's latest frontrunner John McCain. We'll be counting down the results live tonight at TPM. And in today's episode of TPMtv we give you a primer on what to expect.

Watch the video

Romney Photo-Op Was With Staffer's Mom

2008-01-15T14:22:00Z

Stupid, stupid people. How in the world can they think that in this day of 24/7 multi-media that this kind of thing won't get out?

A well-publicized weekend photo-op for Mitt Romney turns out to have been missing a piece of information that might have undermined its credibility: the unemployed single mom at the center of the event was the mother of a Romney staffer.

Local and national media outlets, including Politico.com, reported that Romney was the picture of empathy as he sat at the Marshall, Mich. kitchen table of 51-year-old Elizabeth Sachs, a single mother of two who lost her job as a retail manager - as well as her health insurance - and is running out of money as she tries to sell her house to move to Florida.

It's not the worst case of a set-up I've ever read about, but it still stinks.

Michigan Democrats For Romney

2008-03-22T21:54:52Z

Boo ya!!

Monday Round Up

2008-01-14T07:57:36Z

Bear with me, I have a crisis. I put my glasses somewhere last night and now I can't find them. Sucks to be old.

Contempt Votes For White House Aides The Washington Post reports the House is expected to "take up contempt-of-Congress resolutions against White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet E. Miers for their refusal to appear before Congress for questioning about the 2006 removal of nine US attorneys,

Bush Rallies Allies Against Tehran President Bush's speech on Iran, delivered in Abu Dhabi yesterday, is receiving significant media coverage, much of it describing Bush's words as an intensification of US rhetoric against the Middle Eastern country.

Detroit News: Primary Battle Focuses On Plight Of Auto Industry
Not for decades has the national political spotlight fallen on the auto industry as brightly as it will today.

Greenville News: Huckabee Says His Focus Is On Issues, Not Religion
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Sunday said that being a former Southern Baptist minister would not make him too intolerant of people of other faiths to be president of a country with people of many religious beliefs and a secular government.

Washington Post: McCain Faces Payback From Old GOP Foes
Over the past decade, Sen. John McCain has annoyed, aggravated and nearly destroyed some of the most powerful members of Washington's Republican establishment.

The State: Edwards Concentrates On South Carolina
Two weeks before the South Carolina Democratic primary, native son John Edwards crossed the state Saturday, hoping to rally supporters in three towns and looking for his first win.'

AP: Obama Unveils $120-Billion Plan To Fuel Economy, Stem Foreclosures
Barack Obama yesterday unveiled an economic stimulus package costing up to $120 billion that his campaign said would put money in the hands of workers and seniors, stem the foreclosure crisis, and cover state budget shortfalls.

Friday, Friday, Friday

2008-10-17T09:30:40Z

My intrepid friend Wizard Kitten took her life in her hands and went out to East Grand Rapids to get a feel for Mitt Romney's return to the "land of his birth". Good pics and snarky comment.

Most Gulf Coast Aid Unspent USA Today reports on its front page that documents from FEMA show the agency has approved $4.5 billion worth of infrastructure projects in the Gulf Coast region, but "only about $1 billion of that total has been spent." Key pieces of the region's recovery effort are languishing in red tape."

Bank of America To Buy Countrywide

Washington Post: Hopefuls Clash in Debate as First Southern Primary Draws Near
The leading Republican presidential candidates used a Fox News debate Thursday night to draw contrasts with their rivals on the economy, U.S. relations with Iran, immigration and political change in advance of two primaries next week that are expected to winnow the field.

Detroit Free Press: Hopefuls Snub State's Concerns For Environment
Environmental issues important to the Great Lakes are getting little respect and few commitments from presidential candidates.

Washington Post: Young Feminists Split: Does Gender Matter?
Even here at Wellesley College, Hillary Rodham Clinton's alma mater and a historic bedrock of progressive feminist thought, support for the senator from New York hardly registers as unanimous.

Wingers drool over Grandpa Fred's performance at debate

Clinton Lays Out Plan To Boost Economy In Vegas The New York Times reports, "Adjusting her campaign to address increased fears of a recession," Hillary Clinton "said Thursday that she would call for quick enactment of a $70 billion emergency spending package and for a possible $40 billion tax rebate later if economic conditions worsen."

Video is of Grandpa Fred waking up.

Watch the video

Michigan Democrats For Mitt Romney

2008-01-13T01:21:28Z

Dammit, I saw this being bandied about this morning over at Blogging For Michigan (they were thinking of Huckabee) but I didn't get to write it up. Markos just did-

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney desperately needs to win Michigan in order to keep his campaign afloat. And the more Republican candidates who are fighting it out, trashing each other with negative ads and spending tons of money, the better it is for the Democratic candidates, of course! In other words, we want Mitt to stay in the race, and to do that, we need him to win in Michigan.
So Michigan Democrats and independents who want to see the Republican battle royale continue should just take a few minutes on Tuesday, January 15th to cast a ballot for Mitt Romney in the Republican primary. And don't feel bad or awkward about doing so - the Republicans have done things just like this many times in the past. What's more, if Michigan Republicans didn't want Dems or indies to vote in their primary, they could have changed the rules. But they didn't, so here we are.

He's got a great little cut and past email for you if you have any relatives or friends in Michigan to forward along to.