I want to take this time to thank President George W. Bush. People
don't give him enough credit (myself included). I won't deny the fact
that two wars have been started under his watch, our civil liberties
have been severely curtailed, the United States' standing on an
international stage has severely diminished, we torture and all signs
point to a recession. But I want to thank him anyway.
Why? With Bush's pathetic 30 percent approval rating and with nearly
four-fifths of the population upset with the direction the country is
heading, the president has become the best recruiter for the Democratic
Party. He's got people running from the GOP into the open arms of
Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama.
A recent Associated Press survey found that 52 percent of the
population consider themselves to be Democrats, but only 35 percent
consider themselves to be Republicans, a 2 percent decrease from
December. Fifty-two percent may not seem like a lot, but it's more than
enough to seal up a win in November.
Even New York, a state that's true blue already, has seen an increase
in the number of Democrats, especially among voters 18 to 24 years old.
A study from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning
and Engagement found that the pool of young Democrats has almost
tripled since 2000.
While this is great for all of us Dems, we've become greedy. We have
two top-notch candidates this year and we can't seem to decide who we
want to be in the White House. We want the charismatic charmer Obama,
but we can't ignore Clinton's know-how and experience.
We have too much of a good thing and now we're stuck. The Buckeye and
Lone Star states couldn't close the deal for Obama, and Hillary, after
11 consecutive defeats, has resurrected her ailing campaign. With the
candidates' delegate count virtually even, party leaders are worried
that come the Democratic National Convention in August, the donkeys
won't have their candidate for president.
And a split in the Democratic Party is the worst thing that could
happen. It could lead to all kinds of convention snafus and technical
difficulties. Now Howard Dean and company are banging their heads
against the wall trying to come up with some solution to prevent a
potentially sticky situation.
Remember when Flordia and Michigan moved up the dates of their
Democratic primaries without the consent of the party and were punished
by being stripped of their delegates? That's now come to bite party
leaders in the asses, since it effectively meant that the voters of
those two states wouldn't be represented at the convention this August.
Funny thing - it turns out we need those 367 delegates.
So now what? Both states have already held their primary elections, and
Clinton won in both. But then again, Clinton was the only serious
candidate on the ballot in Michigan - along with Mr. "Uncommitted" -
and was the only candidate to really campaign in Florida.
If the Democratic Party knows what's best for it, it's time for a
do-over. It's unfair to divvy up the delegates based on the original
primary results (although Clinton wouldn't mind). But it's also unfair
to disenfranchise voters from Florida and Michigan, most of whom had no
say in determining the date of their state's primary election. That's
two huge portions of the population who didn't get to voice their
opinions.
But a presidential primary redo in both states could be the best of all
worlds. If the Democratic Party had the states pay for their primary
election, it would effectively punish them for moving their primary
election date without consulting the party's approval. People from both
states would be able to have their voices represented at the National
Convention while candidates would be able to run a fair campaign in
both states.
I realize it's a lot easier to say "just hold another election" than it
is to actually plan and execute one. But if the Democratic Party can
pull itself together, a primary do-over is completely feasible.
Consider what's at stake. Who wants to be stuck with a Republican for
another four years?
Dems Need a Do-Over
The voters of Florida and Michigan must be included in the Democratic primary. Otherwise we risk ruining any chance for two of the best candidates they've had in years. From the Washington Square News.