Certainly, the primary system is broken. But the answer isn't to deny people the right to have their vote counted.” The three candidates have little to lose by their action. None has the funds or clout in Florida to be a significant player in Florida’s Democratic race. If the three frontrunners in the state, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, also boycott the Florida primary the dispute will become much more serious. Such an action on the part of the Big Three is unlikely however, because of Florida’s position as fourth-largest state, as a major source of campaign funds, and as the home of four million Democratic voters.
It is surprising that Governor Bill Richardson, the only Latino candidate, would choose to boycott one of the largest Latino populations in the country. According to The Miami Herald, Richardson said in a statement, ‘‘this process is completely out of control, and only an agreement by the candidates can restore sanity.''
Not surprisingly, Democratic officials in the four “protected” states took a different view of the struggle. Said Iowa Democratic Party spokeswoman Carrie Giddens, ''It's a matter of showing respect for the calendar, which took a lot of work for every state. It's a way of ensuring finality and predictability to the nominating calendar and the participants.''
As I wrote in a previous Blogcritics article, Michigan is next in the national party’s sights. Might it be possible that the DNC, with an apparently easy victory in 2008 within its reach, will actually escalate this internecine war to nuclear levels and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?
The Republicans certainly hope so.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - anon
you said larry craig was from iowa. he's not. he's from idaho. two totally different states.
2 - Clavos
Of course, you're absolutely correct.
More than a typo, but an error nonetheless.
Thanks for the correction!
3 - Clavos
Thanks for correcting, Dave!!
4 - Dave Nalle
It serves to help justify my existence.
Dave
5 - Dr Dreadful
Oh dear, Dave, you've left yourself wide open to a moonraven putdown yet again...
6 - Dave Nalle
Which would only be meaningful if I paid attention to anything the crazy woman writes.
Dave
7 - Zedd
Where is she when we NEED her.
Clav
Good article.
8 - vascodegama
Clavos ... obrigado. How's the titfer??
9 - Clavos
De nada, Vasco.
Como vai voce no Portugal?
Me titfer, mate, as you well know, continues to occupy an honored place in my house, even as the man who so kindly gave it to me attempts to fool me into thinking he's now a long dead Portuguese explorer.
Whose name, BTW was Vasco da Gama, Stan.
10 - Zedd
Vasco,
You mean obrigada don't you.
Sorry couldn't resist.
Not sure how I feel about Vasco de Gama. It's personal.
11 - Clavos
"You mean obrigada don't you."
Not unless he is a she, Zedd.
You say obrigada, but a man says obrigado.
BTW, thanks for #7.
12 - Dr Dreadful
"Obrigado", Zedd. Stan's male, as far as we know... ;-)
How are those internet cafes in Portugal working out for you, mate?
13 - Zedd
He was greeting Clav.
I was making a funny.
14 - Dr Dreadful
Also male...
Hmm. About 10.40 p.m. in Texas by my estimation. Getting a bit late to do those errands now. Bad Zedd.
15 - Dr Dreadful
Clav, sorry. Up to coment 14 and not one serious word about your actual article yet...
16 - REMF
"Oh dear, Dave, you've left yourself wide open to a moonraven putdown yet again..."
Speaking of moonraven, with Labor Day around the corner, I wonder if we can expect another 10-hour mud wrestling contest between Clavvy and moonie, like last July 4th? What a way to spend Independence Day (gag!).
BTW Clavos, if said "action" does take place on Monday I'll miss it. While you and moonraven are rolling around the mud criticizing each others writing, my bride and I will be climbing an 11,000 footer in the Montana Rockies.
17 - Clavos
Sigh...
Not only that, but Akismet ate one of my own comments about an hour and a half ago; I was replying to Zedd's obrigado/a comment right before you did.
It's 0452 in Lisbon right now, so even Stan's probably through carousing and has gone to sleep.
Think I'll go out in the garden and eat some worms....
18 - Clavos
Doc,
You don't know the half of it. Cocomment has eaten two of my comments in a row on this thread; the first responding to Zedd on her obrigado/a comment, and the second minutes ago replying to you.
Not my day...
19 - Dr Dreadful
MCH:
Your bride? Congratulations!
Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you know who won and who looked the most horrendous in a spandex leotard (or stretchy pants).
Now there's a nice image to take with you on your climb...
20 - Dave Nalle
MCH has a wife? I wonder what branch of the service she was in. Or maybe she's just not allowed to speak or have opinions.
Dave
21 - Clavos
To paraphrase the old saying about going to sea:
"Any man who would climb a mountain for pleasure, would go to Hell for a holiday."
22 - Zedd
Clav,
I was calling you a girl. You guys are so slow. I have friends from Brazil....
I was joking off course.
I will have more to add about the bullying tactics of Iowa, New Hampshire and the rest after I have done some additional reading. I read an interesting article on the subject a few days back but want to do more reading.
I'm glad you brought the topic up. There will surely be more discussion on this topic. Kudos.
23 - Zedd
Oh, my mistake. I was making fun of Stan then.
Okay I goofed... sigh.
((((YOOOOOOOHOOOOO Chris)))), another error!!! Come-and-get-it!!!
24 - Clavos
Zedd,
"I was calling you a girl. You guys are so slow. I have friends from Brazil...."
But you weren't because the gender of the word refers back to the speaker. The literal translation of obrigado/a is "I am obligated to you," therefore the ending is determined by the gender of the speaker.
Eu falo portugues. I worked for a Brasilian company for ten years, back in the seventies, and traveled to Brasil about once a month during that time.
25 - Zedd
Clav
I realized that I goofed when I remembered how it works. Hence the mortified retraction.
Thanks for the translation. It will be more meaningful when I say it to my friends (Brazilian Japanese) and the pizza guy. I'll tell my kids.
We try to learn "thank you" and "Hello" in as many languages as possible.