Florida Democrats: Your Primary Vote Matters

[antiimperialist]

Daily Kos
by meowmissy
Fri Jan 11, 2008 at 01:14:08 PM PST

Seriously, your vote matters, despite what you may have been told to the contrary. We will have an important role in choosing the Democratic Nominee for President and our delegates, ultimately, will be seated. Not to mention, we need you to vote in local elections and shut down the legislature's lousy property tax proposal.


In a previous diary, I provided quotes from Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, former DNC Chair Don Fowler and Senator Carl Levin all essentially saying that Florida's delegates will be seated by the Democratic Nominee at the Convention.

To add to the list of people who've said our votes matter and our delegates will be seated, I give you Senator Bill Nelson:

"By virtue that it's basically a two-person race on the Democratic side and a four-person race on the Republican side, Florida now becomes critical," Nelson said. "Florida is the first big state primary prior to Super Tuesday, a week later, when 22 states are going to vote."
...
Nelson noted Florida is a more demographically diverse test for the candidates than Iowa and New Hampshire, which should impact financial contributions and some voters' opinions going into Super Tuesday.

He also expected Clinton and Obama to storm the state in the two days before the primary, even though they and other Democratic presidential candidates were told by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean to avoid the state until after the South Carolina primary for Democrats on Jan. 26. The Republican primary in South Carolina is Jan. 19.

As for the national parties excluding convention delegates from Florida and Michigan, which also moved up its primary date to the displeasure of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, Nelson expects that issue will be resolved before the weeklong events go live on TV.

"They want to win in November," Nelson said. "Can you imagine them not seating two big states?"

No, I can't! That's why many of us in the netroots have been saying over and over again that our votes matter and that our delegates will be seated.

Even the media is starting to change their tune somewhat. Ken Quinnell at the Florida Progressive Coalition wrote The Latest on the Florida Democratic Primary which provides a good round-down of articles from the Florida press illustrating the importance of our state's primary. Yes, even for us Democrats!

Much more in Daily Kos;
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/11/123042/974/202/435084

[madfloridian]

1. Perhaps blogger missy meow could share some of this weeks'

devastating press here about Howard Dean. I have seen some of the ugliest stuff ever written about him.

And Meow and the other Florida bloggers went along with all of it from the beginning. They never presented the DNC's side until people started jumping them for it.

I am sorry but the Florida bloggers did not tell the truth about this.

The nominee can seat whomever they want....but the fact remains that I don't have a voice in the primary.

Because Florida broke the rules to be more important, I don't get a choice in who is the nominee. That was the point, I think.

[HooptieWagon]

2. Yes and No

No, our presidential primary votes don't count, at this time. They may be counted at the Convention, we are told. But there are no hotel rooms booked for Fla delegates. So I'm not hopeful.

Bill Nelson (along with Karen Furman)is one of the DLC assholes who conspired with Fla repukes to force this problem on us... counting on him would be like counting on AG Mukasy to restore court oversight on wiretaps... ain't gonna happen.

Yes, there are still important issues to vote on, and the property tax giveaway to the realators/developers is a big one. Under the proposal, property taxes for the average homeowner will only be reduced by $250, and there is no requirement for local governments to pass this on. Taxes for non-homesteaded properties will rise - meaning rent increases for renters. This is a really bad proposal - please vote against it.