Today, it is so much easier to blame everyone other than the party responsible for making something wrong. Such is the case in the primary mess in Florida.
Neither Democratic presidential candidate is to blame for the fact that the votes made in Florida's primary earlier this year won't count toward the delegate total at the party convention in Denver.
Neither is it the fault of the Democratic National Committee, which sets rules for states to follow in the primary process. With a number of states trying to jockey for position in the pecking order, the DNC had to set some form or rules to avoid chaos, pre-Christmas primaries or both.
The blame rests directly with the Florida Legislature, which voted to have its primary on Jan. 29, in direct defiance of DNC rules. Whether it was legislative Republicans or Democrats who deserve the brunt of the blame is debatable. Republicans control the legislature there, and were going to vote for a Jan. 29 primary whether Democrats went along or not. But Democratic lawmakers not only went along with the vote, it was a Democrat who started the process.
The end result is that Florida voters may not count in the Democratic Party's nomination process, which would be a travesty. The likelihood of that occurring increased Monday when the Florida Democratic Party abandoned a plan to have a mail-in primary do-over.
"It's simply not possible for the state to hold another election, even if the party were to pay for it," said Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman.
Michigan is in the same primary boat as Florida. But Democrats there seem to be moving closer to having another primary June 3 to allow its 157 delegates to be counted at the convention. Why is Michigan seemingly able to solve a problem that Florida can't? That's another discussion for another day.
So what to do about Florida?
First, Florida's Democratic voters must count in the nomination process. Whether it be Florida or Maine, no state's voters should be excluded from the process.
Next, the primary held Jan. 29 should have no bearing on how Florida's delegates are counted. It was not a true contest. Neither Obama nor Clinton campaigned in Florida before the primary, though Clinton did have a handful of fund-raisers there before the vote. And voters either went to the polls or decided not to knowing that their votes that day wouldn't count anyway.
There should not be any decision to count Florida's delegates in proportion to how the rest of the country voted. This solution gives Florida voters no voice.
The only solution seems to be to have another vote, whether at polling places or through the mail, or both.
Among the things Thurman said in a letter to the DNC was that she hoped the two national candidates could work together to find a way to allow Florida voters a voice in the process. It's a reasonable request, and an opportunity for Clinton and Obama to display the sort of negotiating skills Americans should demand from their commander in chief.
Just as there are in presidential decisions they would face, there's much at stake in the Florida outcome for both candidates and for the American people. If they are candidates worthy of the office they seek, they will find a solution that serves that nation's best interest first and their own personal interests second.
Neither Democratic presidential candidate is to blame for the fact that the votes made in Florida's primary earlier this year won't count toward the delegate total at the party convention in Denver.
Neither is it the fault of the Democratic National Committee, which sets rules for states to follow in the primary process. With a number of states trying to jockey for position in the pecking order, the DNC had to set some form or rules to avoid chaos, pre-Christmas primaries or both.
The blame rests directly with the Florida Legislature, which voted to have its primary on Jan. 29, in direct defiance of DNC rules. Whether it was legislative Republicans or Democrats who deserve the brunt of the blame is debatable. Republicans control the legislature there, and were going to vote for a Jan. 29 primary whether Democrats went along or not. But Democratic lawmakers not only went along with the vote, it was a Democrat who started the process.
The end result is that Florida voters may not count in the Democratic Party's nomination process, which would be a travesty. The likelihood of that occurring increased Monday when the Florida Democratic Party abandoned a plan to have a mail-in primary do-over.
"It's simply not possible for the state to hold another election, even if the party were to pay for it," said Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman.
Michigan is in the same primary boat as Florida. But Democrats there seem to be moving closer to having another primary June 3 to allow its 157 delegates to be counted at the convention. Why is Michigan seemingly able to solve a problem that Florida can't? That's another discussion for another day.
So what to do about Florida?
First, Florida's Democratic voters must count in the nomination process. Whether it be Florida or Maine, no state's voters should be excluded from the process.
Next, the primary held Jan. 29 should have no bearing on how Florida's delegates are counted. It was not a true contest. Neither Obama nor Clinton campaigned in Florida before the primary, though Clinton did have a handful of fund-raisers there before the vote. And voters either went to the polls or decided not to knowing that their votes that day wouldn't count anyway.
There should not be any decision to count Florida's delegates in proportion to how the rest of the country voted. This solution gives Florida voters no voice.
The only solution seems to be to have another vote, whether at polling places or through the mail, or both.
Among the things Thurman said in a letter to the DNC was that she hoped the two national candidates could work together to find a way to allow Florida voters a voice in the process. It's a reasonable request, and an opportunity for Clinton and Obama to display the sort of negotiating skills Americans should demand from their commander in chief.
Just as there are in presidential decisions they would face, there's much at stake in the Florida outcome for both candidates and for the American people. If they are candidates worthy of the office they seek, they will find a solution that serves that nation's best interest first and their own personal interests second.
