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Dean, Obama, Florida, Michigan...and Democracy
April 05, 2008

The rationale for Howard Dean’s stripping of delegates from both Michigan and Florida continues to fall apart under any sort of scrutiny. It also becomes more and more clear that the Obama campaign is the driving force behind the resistance toward any sort of comprise, much less a full accounting of those delegates, and that the continued dismissing of any proposed plans play right into the hands of the GOP. The latest examination comes from Wayne Barrett at The Huffington Post:

The irony is that the drumbeat for Clinton's withdrawal -- coming on the heels of her recent wins and right before what may be her biggest in Pennsylvania -- is rooted in the collapse of the effort to redo Michigan and Florida. The theory is that she should quit because there is no way she can win, and that there is no way she can win because two states she could win, at least one of which she actually did win, will not be counted until she gets out. Barack Obama would thus become the nominee -- not because of an honestly earned if precariously narrow lead in the final national vote, but because of two elections he would not let happen.

If that sounds like a curious way to end a nominating contest that 30 million to 33 million voters will participate in before it's done, even stranger is that the DNC is following only some of its rules -- and that the real culprits who caused this debacle are Republicans, who are now relishing the catfight they provoked.

Read the whole thing for more on why Dean needs to seat these delegates now and sign the petition urging him to do just that.

Posted by Michael Kempner at April 5, 2008 05:36 PM