Ouch!

Up front I want to be clear I am an Obama supporter and have worked hard for his campaign, but I am also a Democrat. If and I use this term with impact IF the people choose Senator Clinton, then so be it, however, IF, the party chooses to step in and make a decision either with the super delegates or some brokered deal, then I will vote McCain. And I am a member of a very large group who feels the same way. This isnt politics as usual, we have a voice and an opinion and we will stand up for the change we all want. The party needs to listen carefully or they will find a republican back in the White House.

Roland,

Quit Whinning, voters in Florida & Michigan had NO SAY in the scheduling of the primaries and you know it - Im sure you wont post this because its not what you want to hear. If you want to penalize somebody, penalize the State Democratic Parties not the Voters !
LOOK, Obama got his butt handed to him fair and square in Texas, Ohio & Rhode ISL - so he won Vermont, OK. Bottom line is that he CANT WIN BIG STATES, HE HAS NOT WON ONE YET except his home State of ILL ! The democratic Party cannot win a General Election with small States and everybody knows it, McCain would slaughter Obama in A GE. Maybe down the road in 2016 or so Obama may make a fine President - but he must bring something to the table and right now he does not have that something. In closing on FL & MI, The State Parties broke the rules and their penalty is that their votes are not counted, there is nothing in the rules that says they cannot revote, what are you scared of ?

as with so many political procedures, the people do not understand , they are not explained in depth until it is too late. just look at the texas caucuses, what a mess. if we believe here in the u.s. that everyone vote counts and so many people in the history of our country are now demonstrating by voting that their vote counts, they we should allow those votes to count. mistakes were made by both the party and the people , so what does it take to say we made a mistake and fix it. isn’t that the american way. if we dont believe in democracy than we should not be in foreign countries fighting for other people’s freedoms and the right to vote!!!! WHAT KIND OF EXAMPLE ARE WE SETTING!!!!!!

I am a Canadian, so maybe I don’t understand something.
It seems to me the Michigan and Florida delegates were removed, but they were not remove removed? Their affect on the total requirement was kept in place? It seems logical to me, and maybe even legally important, that all aspects of their affect should be removed, including their influence on the total vote required.
A proper complete removal would lower the total required number right? The states that are allowed to vote should determine the amount of total delegates required to win. Is this too simple?
—– Another solution would be to send open delegates from Michigan and Florida to the convention. Clinton and Obama could openly recruit delegates who would be free, like the super delegates, to decide at the convention. That would be true democracy.

Since everyone says that people from florida and michigan new the
rules and that they should get over it. Well Obama and everyone also know the rules about the impact potential of the super delegate. Yet everyone says it would be a crime if Hillary benefited from those rules.It seem you want it both ways for your candidate.

For the last few weeks all I have heard from Mrs.Clinton is how much more she is ready to be President. She hasn’t be public office any longer than Mr Obama. And being the first lady of a past President does not give you any more insight thean the other candidate.
I ready think it’s time the the media start asking her question on that. 35yrs of experience of what .
And the last thing why is it so hard for the Hispanic population to get behind a black candidate, I live in Houston Tx and Mrs Clinton take 66 percent of the Hispanic vote, in a state that the population 36 percent Hispanic.. Are they backing her because of what Mr Clinton did when her was in office. Well the fact is she is not him

I TOTALLY AGREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To the governors of Michigan and Florida, and the other members of Congress, such as Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, please, sit down and shut up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know what nobody seems to be talking about ……..if you take the states Obama has won including all of those small and deeply “red” Republican states where the Obama supporters faint and fall out , and so far Obama has won in places representing 193 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Add up Clinton’s victories thus far and she has won in states representing 263 electoral votes.
so you do the math who is closer to the electoral number @ being the president this fall

Reb

My concern about the democratic process is that it seems to be influenced greatly by money and special interest. No one can win the Whitehouse if they have an independent view. The Democrats race has now come down to who has the most political pull, and frankly we know its Hillary. If the Democrats showdown comes down to Super delegates Hillary will clinch it. I hope it does not come to that because as far as I am concerned that is no different to the African Politics, of countries such as Zimbabwe and Kenya. The only difference really is bloodshed , well maybe I must quickly recant because think of how many Americans die because they did not have health care , and the only reason why a reasonable healthcare plan cannot be passed is because those who lobby and the special interest will continue to do their thing. NOW is that not sad. Barack Obama is the next best thing, while I understand that he may not be perfect, he remains the better devil than McCain and Clinton. The Clintons have had their fare share of the Whitehouse, I think they should move on to humanitarian efforts now. They will taint their legacy in this race. McCain really is too old, he should be more concerned about his health than the white house. And as for Clinton Let’s see her medical records.

If the DNC wants the Democratic Party to lose in November, seat the delegates for both Michigan and Florida. I guarantee that there will be an overall out lash by Democrat’s in the state of Florida and Michigan, who will feel that they were disenfranchised by the party and McCain will win.

Mr. Martin: Did it ever occur to you that the reason Hillary won Ohio and Texas and Rhode Island was because the people VOTED for HER? Mr. Obama went to Court to keep the polls open. He succeeded in one jurisdiction and lost in another. Please keep your sour grapes to yourself. I know you are an Obama fan but, please, give Hillary and her supporters some credit.

Roland,
WOW…sounds like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!! LOL But I have to say that I agree with you on all counts!!

People who don’t vote don’t need to fuss when things go bad!

The elected officials in Fla. and Mich. need to own up to the blame of their delegates not counting and stop trying to lay it on the DNC. They knew the consequences of moving up their primaries now they have to deal with it. They shouldn’t get a revote because they made the decision to go ahead and move the primaries up regardless of the rules. So they all need to stop whining and move on. It’s no ones fault but their own.

Cynthia, Covington, Ga.

I guess we’ll see who holds the power of the Democratic party..Howard Dean or the Clintons? It should be interesting and telling all at the same time.

Lorie Ann, Buellton, Calif.

The right thing to do to resolve the mess of FL and MI primaries is to have new primaries that can be done correctly as soon as possible. You can blame the states involved or the DNC, but do not further smear the situation.

The democratic candidates are neck and neck with the democratic constituency pretty much split down the middle. It hardly matters who is a little bit ahead in delegates.

The only thing that makes sense is a Clinton/Obama ticket with Clinton bringing experience and Obama bringing inspiration. If we are speaking of change, why not change the dynamics of the president/vice president roles such that they both contribute to the decisions made by the commander in chief? Why not have both of these exceptional candidates answering the phone at 3AM? Wouldn’t it be nice to have 16 years in the white house, one and then the other?

If Obama wants change let him show it by being willing to work up to the position of president. Clinton is clearly his senior politically speaking. Let’s not create irreconcilable differences between the democratic constituency that is pretty much split down the middle. There is no clear winner no matter what happens from here on out to the democratic nomination.

If these two candidates continue to fight we have a lose/lose situation. If they join forces, we have a win/win/situation. The question then becomes ‘What CAN’T we accomplish and what CAN’T we change?”!

Mr. Roland:

You are Obama’s supporter, why i should listen to you…….

Very good article Roland. I too am tired of Michigan and Florida crying. And, what’s up with the DNC? Why can’t the DNC split the delegates 50/50 and seat them? Would Hillary and Barack support this idea?

Shame on you , how dare you bring or ancestors in this mess . Have you any morals. You sit there an blow of your mouth like it matters . Wow can’t belive CNN would let a weirdo like you poison minds . Do me a favor next time your on the air just sit there and smile try to look like you know something , your starting to look like the black version of Rush Limbaugh.

Mr. Martin:
I know this is long, but please bear with me. I agree with your comments to a certain extent. Howard Dean and the governors of MI and FL made inappropriate decisions about the votes and the delegates without consulting the voters in the states. They over-stepped their bounds by doing so. I understand that leaders are at times expected to make decisions based on what they feel is best rather than putting it out to the people to make it a more democratic decision-making process, which is of course what this is all about. However, given that this is a presidential race and not some run-of-the-mill relatively unimportant issue that all states contend with from time to time, the DNC had no right to completely strip the states of their delegates. That was a power-basd move on the part of Howard Dean because he didn’t like the fact that the states changed their primary/caucas dates. And because of his stupid and irresponsible decision, he’s ticked off millions of people….voters should not be punished because of a “bone-headed” decision made by a few people in power. Talk about being undemocratic!! This guy is supposed to be our leader for democratic fairness and yet he displays behavior that is anything but democratic. Good God, even the Republicans were wise enough to only strip the states of half their delegates!

You may not view this as Howard Dean’s fault or responsibility, but the fact is that it is his fault/responsibility. He had the option to remove half of the delegates, rather than the total amount, and he chose to take away all of them. I know that no one expected the race to be as close as it is, which is likely why no one bothered to have a plan B available just in case something like our current situation occurred. But that is evidence of incompetence at worst, or carelessness at best for the DNC. Howard Dean is not God; while it’s well known that he’s an Obama supporter, I have yet to hear him criticize Barack of advertising in FL which is certainly “breaking the rules”. And I certainly don’t hear him complaining about the fact that Obama supporters are threatening superdelegates in an attempt to force them to support Obama for the nomination. But I guess it’s ok to have a double standard, as long as you are supporting the “right” candidate.

If the votes get counted, those votes should be the original votes that were cast in January. Doing new primaries and/or caucases would not only be totally biased and would allow a small segment of the US population to cast two votes instead of one…voting twice is illegal except in Texas, but it would also cost a small fortune as well as strongly favor one candidate over the other no matter which candidate you like. And last, if people chose to not vote because they thought their vote wouldn’t count…..too bad. It was their decision not to vote; they can’t blame that on anyone else. Their right to vote was NOT taken away from them. I don’t feel sorry for them. There were plenty of people who went and voted anyway, even though they knew their vote wouldn’t count.

Roland

The other night Anderson stated that no matter how hard he tries to make sure he doesn’t show bias to any candidate people are constantly accusing him (and the media) of unfiarly representing the candidates in the campaign.

I think he does a great job of it to a point. And then he lets you have a voice on the show, and there’s no doubt where your bias is - and sorry but it reflects on him. Please try to calm down. I admit I leave the room, turn down the volume or just plain turn the channel when you’ve been on for the past few days.

I feel sorry for all of the people in Floriday and Michigan who are getting short changed by their politicians. The whole ironic mess is because they wanted their vote to count (at the beginning of the season) and now they want their vote to count (at the end of the season). You can’t make some people happy no matter what.

It must be nice for you to sit up in that ebony tower and pass judgement on everyone and share that gigantic opinion with everyone watching on the otherside of the tube.

For me - I’ve had enough of you.

Ohio?, Big Industral Center?, Won by Clinton? Sen Obama won 4 counties in Ohio, That’s Where all the industral Plants are located. ( Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland. The counties in which voted for Sen. Clinton all commute to those cities to work. they are all conservative, and usually vote repulican in the fall. Don’t write to much about the victory in OHIO. I Know, I lived there for 40 years.

Great post, Roland. We should look at the money involved in FL and MI. I mean, after all, this is all about greed. The reason these 2 states moved up their primaries in the first place was to try and cash in on the media and travel money before the race was decided on Feb 5th. Well, guess what. The race was not decided on Feb 5th and it is still not technically decided. So now that these 2 states are important again, they want to cash in again. It might cost each state $10 million to put on another primary, but that’s chicken feed compared to what would be spent in those states by the campaigns and the media circus. It’s no wonder that the Governors are open to another primary. If the DNC offers to help defray the cost, well that’s just foolish. I say that they should in no way be rewarded for breaking the rules. To be fair, they have to sit this one out.

Tell us what you really think Roland! I loved it all! You are not afraid to speak your mind. I appreciate the times when you get to put your two cents in on CNN - while everyone else seems to get their 2 DOLLARS in! Keep on trucking. Love to hear your take on the Dem race.

I believed since the beginning that they should have counted. Who is the DNC and RNC anyway to make these rules? I’m a Democrat and I didn’t have a say in the rules. If I did I would have told Howard Dean to get over it and leave the delegates. Anyways, Iowa and New Hampshire have too much power already and maybe it is healthy to let other states put their two-cents in first for a change. I think it is good for Democracy and the future of the nation. In the spirit of compromise, the DNC should have done what the RNC did and stripped SOME of the delegates. Alienating two states from the process will inevitably hurt the Democrat’s chances in Nov. and by having this long process go on to August it has started to hurt. I am troubled by the DNC’s actions as of late and if we lose in Nov., well, it will be the fault of the DNC.

Your argument is weak. No one at the time knew this would be the most historic Democratic Presidential primary in history. Certainly, you can not now say don’t count these citizen’s votes because their represenatives made a mistake? If it were blacks having their vote taken away, you would be screaming from every corner to correct the situation. You obvously are for Obama. The right thing to do is to have a re-vote and let the voters decide? Of course, you don’t want a re-vote because your candidate loses every big state and only wins small states and caucuses (where not everyone votes)

Roland,

Thank you for not blaming the people of Florida and MI, like in a previous post that you made. Being from Florida, I know quite a few people that did protest this but the party leaders chose, on their own, to do what they wanted with TOTAL disregard for the voters in those states. If anyone is to be punished it’s them. I’m sure quite a few if not ALL of them are super delegates and they should have their superdelegate votes stripped away! Quite frankly, the people in their states votes don’t count but they still get a say. (Typcial politics as usual!)

I don’t know what the right answer is because no matter which way you go it pisses some group off. But I do know that whatever happens it should be as fair as possible to all parties involved, including the candidates. Throwing out the old results and holding the primaries over again seems to be the fairest way to go about this. Then the candidates can come back and campaign in those states and have it be fair. I don’t believe doing it that way would be more fair to Obama or Clinton.

In the end, the voters who went out and voted or didn’t go out because they were told their vote didn’t count should have a voice. Let the actual people that made these choices pay for this not the everyday person who did nothing wrong!

P.S. I don’t think you’re bias just passionate about this subject.

Roland,

I agree with you on all your points and appreciate you talking about “who” is responsible for this mess in Florida & Michigan…. and not just mentioning the “state” as being the ones who broke the rules.

The tax payers of both states already paid for primaries that didn’t count - can someone please tell me why the money was even wasted the first time around? We’re talking about how this will get paid for if the states are allowed to vote again but, what about what we already paid and WHY we even paid for the first?

This whole thing is outrageous and just blows my mind that it even became possible in the first place. I want names… I want to see the individuals who allowed this to happen be held accountable! You mentioned three -

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Florida Governor Charlie Crist
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm

Are there others? These people need to be talked about by name and the focus of this issue should be turned directly towards them! What gives them the right to go against the DNC, make decisions completely unfavorable to the voters - to the people of their states (and this country) - and how did they receive power of such magnitude which allowed something like this happen? How does a republican governor receive the power to make decisions for the Democratic Party and take away our constitutional right to have our votes count?

How do we make these individuals (and any others) responsible for their corrupt governing and have them punished for doing this to us?

What do you mean Obama can’t win a big state?

He’s winning Texas, by the only measure that counts - the total delegate count!

Clinton: TX primary (65) + proj. TX caucus results (29) = TOTAL TX: 94
Obama: TX primary (61) + proj. TX caucus results (38) = TOTAL TX: 99

I’m getting the caucus results from the Texas Democratic Party site and tallying them myself, since CNN is a bit slow on the uptake there.

Roland,
In Flordia there were more than 1.7 million votes cast for the Dems, in Michigan almost 594,000. Did these voters break the rules by going to the polls and voting? No, there was a primary in each state and the voters did their civic duty and voted. What do you say to the almost 2.3 million Democrats that voted? Sorry folks, your votes can’t count and you can’t participate in the selection of your Presidental nominee and you can kiss my ……, you see Roland they did vote!!!

Mr. Martin,

I’m sorry your candidate has not closed this deal yet, but you have to admit, the citizens of those states should not be punished because the gov bi-passed the rules. They went out and exercised their American right to vote. Neither candidate campaigned there, but Senator Clinton prevailed.

It would be unfair if the delegates from Michigan and Florida were allowed to be counted after everyone agreed to these rules at the start of the primary season.

I agree with you, Roland. It’s the arrogance of these two Governors who have created this mess in their respective states and now they must live with it.

I thought your solution to the problem which you mentioned last night on 360 was a good one. Seat all the delegates but divide them down the middle with half for Clinton and half for Obama.

Roland:

You are one of my favs on the CNN Election Coverage. Your comments are intelligent and make me think.

I do not support either of the Democratic candidates. It is on policies and how we are going to pay for them that I disagree.

I understand that the Demorcratic Party broke the rules and knew what the consequences would be, however Senator Clinton wants to win at any cost. Senator Obama’s name was not even on the ballot in FL. How fair is that to him?

This hurts the citizens of those two states. I believe in the fairness of the process. I think that they should conduct another primary in each state, so that the citizens votes can matter.

I want two adults in the general election, not Senator Clinton.

Susan
Phoenixville,PA

I am an Obama supporter and if Hillary Clinton is the nominee after losing 12 straight times and yes it was 12 with vermont and Obama winning all those states I will not suport the Democratic Nominee. I will do all I can to convince others who are democrat to either not vote or vote for McCain. Hillary Clinton lost this nomination on Super Tuesday and has yet to realize or acknowledge that. I think democrats should think about this question honestly, practically but I think they wont. Question: If 40%-60% of the American Electorate the breakdown of 40% republican, 10%-20% independant dislikes you and would vote against you why would you want her to be the nominee of your party????? Trust that if she is the nominee, John McCain will be president despite his disagreements with the conservative base of the republican party. They will come out for him hard against Hillary, independants will follow suit enough to put McCain over the edge and into the White House

I have to say that it really distressed me that the Democratic PTB had the right to tell the states what they could and could not do in the first place. What right does Howard Dean or any other Democratic honcho have to disenfranchise any of the voters? I thought then and I still think that it’s only fair that they have a real race and a real primary so that every citizen has the right to be represented no matter who they vote for. That is the main idea, isn’t it?

It’s a shame when superdelegates and bureaucracies have substituted themselves for the voice of the American people.

wow…roland!?! let ‘em have it man…i applaud your outrage. i think it’s shared by a lot of regular folks. keep it coming…seriously. i don’t mind obvious bias at all as long as you’re speaking from the heart. this kind of honest emotion, even though it’s angry, is refreshing to see from someone.

now…before anyone goes off saying only pro-obama people can appreciate these kinds of posts, let me just say this: i adore candy crowley (even though almost everyone on the blog agrees she’s so so so pro-clinton) because of her unwillingness to change or filter her ideas.

political pundits are paid to provide their opinions, and explain the spin surrounding the candidates. i don’t see any problem what so ever with people voicing said opinions when it seems clear that’s what it is. it would be different if everyone on a panel was obviously biased for the same candidate. since that is not the case with the 360 panelists (roland and candy are just samples for each) i continue to be grateful for the diversity of the coverage. so…

you are not alone in your anger, please keep sharing it with us.

Dwight S. in Birmingham,

Thank you for your post. I wonder if those Republicans, crossed over to vote for Hillary since they view her as easier to beat in NOV. McCain didn’t really need their vote so they are playing with the Democratic primary ?

Just a thought.

Roland,
In the FL primary, we might have witnessed the one truly unbiased democratic primary election. The people in FL were not influenced by the Democratic candidates campaign speeches or advertisements (other than Obama’s cable TV spots). 1.7 million people chose to vote based on what they heard during the debates or researched on their own. To the best of my knowledge, FL was a closed primary, meaning there were no crossovers or influence from registered Republicans or Independents, and ALL candidates were on the ballot. That being said, those votes should count as is. Howard Dean and the DNC should be respectful of that, and correct their mistake in stripping FL of all of its delegates.

In the MI primary, why did Sen. Obama take his names off the ballot? No one forced him to do so. Why didn’t he respect the rights of the voters in MI enough to at leave his name on the ballot? Was this just another “rookie” mistake on his part, or did he not value the vote of the people unless there were delegates attached?

Senator Obama has based most of his campaign on wanting to get the people involved, yet those in MI and FL who have already gotten involved by voting in their respective primaries will loose that privilege because Senator Obama, and those who support him, claim it is unfair to him.

Regarding the votes in Florida and Michigan, no I don’t think they should be counted . They can thank their elected officials for trying to game the system once. Now they want to game it again .

I also don’t think many of the Democratic party rules are fair at all . I think Superdelegates should be done away with . I think all elections should do away with delegates and just be based on a popular vote. If they democrats want to give credit by proportions, they do it based on what percentage of the popular vote the candidate got in every state.

The Electoral college is a joke but it is in the constitution hence difficult but not impossible to change.

The way this whole primary has been managed is a joke. Feb 5th Super Tuesday — the whole reason behind it was to have a nominee early !!! That backfired!!!

I think caucuses should be banished for the obvious reasons.

The Democrats are very good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and it appears they are on this path again .

Roland,
I agree with everything that was said, but I am really puzzled by this and curious to see what message this sends to other states. THE FLORIDA AND MICHIGAN STATES can do whatever they wish despite being warned, and now they want to cry foul. I do believe the DNC will cave under Clinton pressure on the states and something will be done to seat those delegates, which is very wrong. wHAT HAPPENS FOUR YEARS FROM NOW

My biggest problem with seating these delegates is that it will not make things any easier in the end. To win, a candidate must get half of the available delegates. Adding Florida and Michigan as they are may bring Hillary closer but then the new magic number becomes higher and the candidates just have that much further to go. The idea that they can decide the race is ridiculous. It will only further complicate things.

I think we should not include the SuperDelegate votes and go with what ever candidate has the largest amount of Popular Votes.

As of Right Now…

Obama has won 14 States with 60% or more of the “Popular Vote” in these states - (MD, IL, GA, DC, VA, WA,HI, NE, MN, AK, ID, KS, ND, and CO) and 9 additional states with 50% or more of the “Popular Vote” in these states - VT, AL, WI, LA, UT, CT, DE, SC, and ME
Total: 23 States with 50% or more of the “Popular Vote”

Versus

Hillary who has only won (1) state with 60% or more of the “Popular Vote”. The other 12 states were in the low 50% including the large states like (CA, NY, NJ, TX and OH).
NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE for someone who has 35 years of experience!

You are the worst of them Roland.

Apart from Hillary’s facebook site, which seems to be plagued by disgruntled Obama fans who are convinced that coming on here and ranting about why they hate Hillary will pacify their frustration, where is a person supposed to go to read positive things about Hillary? cnn and msnbc are practically sticking obama stickers all over their sites, and the news readers/political teams are all supporting obama blatantly.

They aren’t even subtle about it, which is even more horrifying.

Why can’t they just congratulate her for winning? If he wins, its because hes ‘the man’ if she wins its because ‘he must have done something not right to let her pass by’

Why is the media so pro-obama? I don’t understand. Surely left leaning news stations should be pragmatic and side with the candidate most likely to win in the general election? He has zero chance of winning the general. Primarily because of the sheer amount of dirt the republicans have waiting to throw at him, if he is nominated. *sigh*

John in Spokane - So the other 48 states followed the rules, but the arrogance of Florida and Michigan gets rewarded? Now Sen. Bill Nelson is calling for a new primary and wants the DNC to pay for it?! Didn’t the folks in your state follow the rules? So because the governors in Michigan and Florida created this mess, the DNC needs to bail them out?

Bev C. - Get your facts straight. Some polls in Ohio were kept open because of massive flooding and bad weather. We’ve seen this before. In fact, long lines in Missouri kept some polls open. That’s called being fair.

Maca - So I support Obama, huh? So when I wrote last week that Clinton should focus, focus, focus on the economy, I didn’t hear you complaining about that! See, when someone says something good about YOUR candidate, you smile and keep quiet. But when something good is said about the candidate you don’t like, then you cry foul. That’s so weak.

Afro American Man - Yes, I will bring up the ancestors. People DIED for the right to vote. And for people to keep their butts at home, SHAME ON THEM! I don’t apologize for one word I said. I’m sick of Americans talk about democracy and then we sit at home and just complain. Iraqis braved being blown up to vote, and we complain about waiting a few minutes in line. Whatever!

Damian - Who is the DNC and the RNC to make the rules? Uh, duh! Political parties. The Supreme Court has ruled on this one. They have that right to set the rules. Remember, 48 states followed the rules. Two didn’t. Who is now moaning and complaining? The two that didn’t. Am I the only one who sees this?

Lesli - The one thing about an opinion is that it’s supposed to be objective. Anderson asks questions, I am there to give an opinion. Also, why can’t I be in the ivory tower? Why does it have to be ebony? What color is your tower?

Goodheart - Oh, so because we didn’t know in advance that this would be a tight election, we should just change the rules? Wow! And did you somehow forget that blacks ALSO voted in Michigan and Florida? You miss the most important point: they broke the rules. They knowingly broke the rules. They wanted to bum rush the DNC and didn’t care. That’s right. The pols in those two states DIDN’T CARE about their own voters. They were callous and reckless in their disregard for the people. In fact, instead of Granholm and Crist releasing a joint letter calling on the delegations to be seated, should n’t they both go on television in their respective states and apologize to the voters for creating this mess? I think they should. Had they not taken their actions, we would be having this problem today. This is a direct consequence of their actions.

Thank you, Mr. Martin, for saying what needs to be said about MI & FL. Voters in those states have no one to blame except their childish party leaders

What I find most disconcerting about this whole delegate mess in Florida and Michigan is that the people have the right to be heard, however at the same time it was there states that effectively stripped them of their voices by moving the primarys up and breaking the rules when they were told doing so would nullify there delegates. now those states want the national demicratic party to foot the bill for new primarys. and obviously they can’t use the first round of primarys since the canadits weren’t aloud to campaign and Obama’s name wasn’t even on the ballot. What to do

I live in Northwest Florida. ALL delegates need to be seated. It is NOT fair to the voters to not have representation at the Dems’ convention just because the DNC messed up and broke some rules. THis is supposed to be government FOR The people BY the PEOPLE not the party. And bt the way, don’t get me started on what I think of Superdelegates!

Roland,

You are correct on those who actually braved the elements and went to the polls and stood in the long lines, Democracy is working.

On the two states that jumped ahead, I disagree with you. If you tell kindergardeners that after the bell (Feb. 5) they can pick a toy but you have two who jump the gun and pick early, you don’t reward them for that. You take the toy away. Put it back in the bin and let everyone else choose first. Then and only then do you let them choose.

They go at the end now. There are people who didn’t vote because they were the good kids and listened….you can’t penalize them for listening. They get a say too. IT has to do be a “do-over” to be fair.

People didn’t show up to vote and I think somewhere it is noted that if some are denied the ability to vote, the election is null…..Yes?

Do-over!

If the officials made the decision to break the rules, knowing the consequences beforehand, then they should live with the consequences of their actions. The voters in Florida and Michigan should take it up with the officials. By the same token, if the rules of the party give broker power to the superdelegates - recognizing their party experience and trusting their judgement, then those of you who are fighting a broker convention should shut up and sit down.

Remember superdelegates were not “inserted” after the race started, as an afterthought. Give them some credit for making the right decision in the interest of the party.

BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO. I AGREE TOTALLY. BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO

I’m a Michigan voter. I didn’t vote in the primary because I was told my vote wouldn’t count and because my candidate was not on the ballot - Clinton was the only democrat on the ballot. I would have had to vote “uncommitted,” which wouldn’t indicate who I specifically voted for. So how is counting the delegates now for Michigan fair to me, or to other people in Michigan who didn’t vote for the same reasons I didn’t, or to the democratic process? I was angry with Gov. Granholm for causing the situation, and now I’m angry with her for trying to seat the delegates when the process was tainted. Also, I didn’t even realize my vote wouldn’t count or that my candidate wouldn’t be on the ballot until the week before the primary, and, no, I don’t live under a rock! It’s not fair to have another primary either - not fair to all of the other states that didn’t break the rules - and Michigan is in such a bad economic situation, the state (the taxpayers of Michigan) can’t afford to spend millions on another primary. Although, it’s a good point that the state could benefit financially from another primary. If another primary is held, I WILL vote (for Obama), and if Clinton wins, congrats to her - at least it will have been a fair primary.

Seating Florida’s delegates isn’t right either, because even though all of the candidates were on the ballot, nobody campaigned there, and Senator Clinton had the advantage of name recognition. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard people say they voted for her because they liked President Bill Clinton, which indicates she’s getting votes purely by association. If the delegates are seated without new primaries in Florida and Michigan, they should be split down the middle.

Okay- this is not solved - because the needs of the people are not met,yes the leaders of the states need to be held accountable..but punishing the voice of the people in the process never ever solved anything.

To those Floridians and Michiganers who want the DNC to include their delegates because they may have either taken time from the schedule or an entire day off of work to vote, let us analyze the system of Democracy in our country:

You elect an official to work for you, to represent YOU in government.

If that official places your constitutional rights (such as the right to vote) in jeopardy, it is not the “rules” or the system that need to be changed, but shouldn’t it be the official who is “representing you?”

Clearly, if the official in whom you have instilled faith and the job of running your state is failing you, they should be removed.

Roland,

Thank you for coming back and responding to our blogs. I appreciate that.

I love it, I love it!

The Democrats - who said that not every vote in Florida was counted back in 2000, will not allow a single vote to be counted in Florida now!

hahahaha

Way to go! Send Florida and Michigan to the Republican side!
I’m sure the RNC will accept their votes if the DNC won’t.

Oooch!
Roland, won’t you tell us how you really feel. LOL!
I’m with you you all the way. Luv ya and keep on doing what you’re doing.

Jaqueline P Howell, NY

I just don’t see how the DNC can’t see the long term effects of letting this go to a re-do. If you seat them or re-do, and hillary wins the nomination, you may gain her supporters from those two states but you will lose the obama base. His supporters have shown that to them, ethics and fair play matter. And this isn’t fair play, no matter how you spin it. Even in states she has won, there has been huge obama numbers. You think they will show up nov. 3rd for clinton if they think she stole the thing. No way.

I fully agree the rules were broken by officials in Michigan and Florida. They need to be penalized in some significant way or other states in the future will break similar rules and by precedent should be allowed to get a also get away with it. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination should win fairly and democratically, after all it is the Democratic party.

Roland, wow! Seems you’ve pissed off a lot of folks with your comments. Now I don’t feel so lonely. LOL! But don’t let that deter you. Keep up the good work.

And to everyone who has a problem with Roland sharing his mind, last I checked, this country is still a democracy, which is the whole point dudes and dudettes! So, SPEAK NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE!!

Jacqueline P. Howell, NY

Roland,

I was wondering the same thing about the ebony tower, except I wonered why not crimson or teal or eggplant or something. LOL!!!

Jacqueline, NY

Roland, as far as I know, you’re the first CNN blogger to actually respond to the commentors. I have to agree with you about people who don’t make the effort to vote and then complain about the results. It’s everyone’s responsibility to learn the issues and have their voices heard. And I’d also like to say that I appreciate the fact that you say exactly what you think with a little humor thrown in as well.

Thank you Mr. Martin, I see and talk to plenty of African-Americans that don’t vote and can’t understand why not. My Grandmother wil be 102 years old in April. She has lived through some of the worst aspects of American life and voted every year until about 4 years ago. She felt her right to vote was born from the blood of her relatives and freinds that were murdered so she could have that right. It’s a shame others African-Americans don’t feel the same way.

This is not about afro-american it is about being an american period. We can’t have a president if he or she is only going to be the black president or the president of just women.

Roland is good about throwing race into the issue but in the end can Obama lead? Can Obama answer questions without referring to his speeches. Can Hillary tell the far left I hear your issues too. These are the questions we need to hear. Also if Mrs. Clinton comes out with her tax statements Obama needs to tell us everything about his relationship with Rezko how did he get a $300,000 discount on his house?

Democracy is not an anarchy. Democracy is all about involving everybody in creating rules and after that everybody should follow those rules.
Democracy is not about going undirected and doing things the way they want to do.
Therefore, there should be no secondary primaries in Michigan and Florida.

Shame on our Republican dominated Legislature and Governor Charlie Crist. You voted to move up the primary election to January 29, a time prior to the legal date for primaries in this state. Governor Crist says this was done to give Floridians a greater chance to participate in the democratic process. By moving the primary forward, violating DNC rules, our Legislators and Governor Crist knew that the Democrats of Florida would be stripped of their delegates at the National Democratic Convention. In reality, Democrats lost their right to participate in the democratic process. Or in other words, if you are a Democrat in Florida, your vote does not count in the presidential primary!

So now our Republican leaders have created a political nightmare for Floridians. Democrats either lose their Constitutional right to vote, or we have a do-over. To hold a second primary will cost approximately 25 million dollars! Maybe our Governor and Legislators should pay for another primary election since they created this mess.

Oh, the sticker given out at the polls after voting, “My Vote Counted,” was such a thoughtful touch!

Seriously, we have a grave problem in Florida when the actions of the political party in control in Tallahassee can determine whose votes count, and whose do not!

Teresa
Cocoa, FL

Roland,

I agree with the message, not with the tone.

It is time for all Americans to actively participate in our Republic by actively researching and having knowledge of the issue instead of waiting for the news media to deliver it.

Its interesting to see the comments and how “unfair” the system is….get over it or better yet run for Congress so we can get the laws changed….its been this way for YEARS!

The president is elected by the ELECTORIAL COLLEGE….not by popular vote…don’t you remember Gore?

The rules for the DNC has been around for YEARS! Why is it being questioned now? Perhaps, its because Obama is showing folks that when given equal access to the rules and opportunity on a even-playing-field that HE, given his skills and tenacity, can compete equally with Clinton and McCain and even BEAT them in measurable milestones — money, votes, states, but most importantly, DELEGATES…after all that the RULES.

I agree that it is time for change and the two party system needs to go away; however, you and I should have done something about it prior to the primary season…now guess what we are stuck with it for now!

What is interesting about all of this is the news exposure across the world. The veil is truly lifting for all to see….what Americans truly mean when we say we are…. a Nation of Laws….wink…wink..