Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Can we get a re-vote?

From the Facebook group: Can I get a re-vote? Protest the DNC and mail in a can

To Howard Dean and members of the DNC
CAN WE GET A RE-VOTE IN MI AND FL?

We Americans cannot let it stand that FL and MI voices will not be heard at this year's democratic convention, that they will not have a voice in the nominating process for our presidential candidate. Approximately 9% of the electorate is being ignored and left out of this historic democratic process. The country and the world is watching how we proceed. In protest of the DNC's decision to strip the delegates of Florida and Michigan for doing what the first four states in the primaries were allowed to do without penalty, fellow Americans and supporters of the democratic process are launching a mail-in protest. CAN WE GET A RE-VOTE? Get ready, the cans are on their way to the DNC.

This is a monumental decision, whether to include these very important states in this process. Please make the choice that enhances democracy in the U.S.

Thank you.


Send your beer, soda pop, juice, vegetable, fruit, nut, pie filling, condensed milk, baking soda, tuna, Spam, coffee cans (please wash them first, then personalize them) to:

Howard Dean
Democratic National Committee
430 S. Capitol St. SE
Washington DC 20003

Nancy Pelosi
Office of the Speaker
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Harry Reid
Office of the Majority Leader
528 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510

GUIDELINES FOR SENDING CANS:

1. Make sure they don't have any sharp edges. Nothing that could be perceived as dangerous or hazardous.

2. Please decorate them. They need to be "presents", not trash.

Please focus your decorations on the support of voters' rights. The Democratic leaders will not listen to us if we act like we are trying to divide the party. We need their support. We already have some slogans that you are more than welcome to use.

This is not a protest in favor of one candidate over the other. Anyone who supports democracy and voters' rights is free to join and participate.

Our only common support is for the voters of FL and MI.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good lord. Calm down. You're delegates will most definitely be seated.

But they won't factor into the current nomination battle, since they moved up the primary and broke the rules.

But unless the final margin between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is below 41 (the pickup from FL/MI), then this will be moot. And Obama will seat the delegates.

The most likely final outocme will be Obama up by about 250 delegates over Hillary. That's assuming that a modest amount of superdelegates switch to the winner. It's even more likely that a huge numnber of HRC superdelegates will switch to him and he'll win by about 350. Then they can seat all the FL/MI delegates you want.

So please- calm down. This is much ado about nothing.

Anonymous said...

There are a lot of better targets for this effort than Pelosi and Reid. Also, I imagine that the Congressional post office would much rather that you not do this.

Christopher Corbell said...

Don't you love the anonymous defense of disenfranchisement by the smug Obama supporter?

Florida and Michigan together are 9% of our voters. The gap between Obama and Clinton is smaller than that.

Howard Dean is a failure. He is not the headmaster of a school for boys making sure the rules get followed; he is the person who is responsible for growing the party, making it succeed, and making sure EVERY DEMOCRATIC VOTER HAS A SAY. He has failed, but there's a simple way out: re-vote in Florida and Michigan.

Shame on the Obama camp (and Obama himself) for trying to run out the clock and disenfranchise these voters. This is not about delegates at the convention or even who wins, it's about the average Democrat on the street in Florida and Michigan; neither Obama nor Howard Dean has the guts to stand up for them.

Anonymous said...

I don't live in one of the states being ignored by the democratic party elites but you never know who they will try to disenfranchise next so I will send my gifts to Nancy and Harry.

Blu in NE

PS...Toilet paper tubes are easily decorated and weigh less than beer cans.

Anonymous said...

I live in OHIO and we usually don't do ANYTHING for people in Michigan, but this is about VOTING. I am happy to do this for you, for the good people of Florida and for anyone in America who feels that his or her right to cast their vote has been taken away. Punish the leadership, not the voters!

COUNT THE VOTES OR REVOTE!

Anonymous said...

The worst thing was when Hillary said, "These states won't count" back in December. That basically ended their chance of counting. Shame on Hillary for advocating for the disenfranchisement of voters.

Bridgette said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cjbardy said...

What a great idea! I'll do it and pass this link around!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Can you guys put a link to http://www.hillaryclintonforum.net on your web site to help bring everyone together for grassroots campaigning?

I'm promoting your "CAN" effort!

Good job.

Anonymous said...

So please- calm down. This is much ado about nothing. anonymous obama-nation supporter-

Gee, that sounds like republican-speak during the 2000 GE.

it's nothing, move along!


I don't care much for hypocrites.
destardi

Anonymous said...

All those in favor of a MI revote realize, of course, that anyone who voted in the Repub primary can't (under DNC rules) vote in the re-do primary. As such, someone like me, who couldn't vote for Obama, didn't want to vote for Hillary, and wanted to vote for native son/son of respected governor to mess with McCain, will be disenfranchised. How's that for fair?

Anonymous said...

Actually, anonymous, Hillary said "These votes won't count according to DNC rules and I don't think that's fair". She then went on to say that we need both states to win in November.

Get it right.

Anonymous said...

Obama is a coward. He doesn't want the votes to count or delegates to be seated unless he knows he'll win the nomination.

-Democrat voting for McCain if Hillary is not the nominee.

Steven Barich said...

One of the saddest moments in recent political history was Al Gore losing to George W. Bush, even thought Gore had the support of the people, i.e. the popular vote.

I really can't believe that Obama and his campaign strategists want to win the nomination in the same manner. It is such clear disenfranchisement. If it is true that MI and FL represent 10% of the national electorate, that is a serious constituency that you don't want to piss off.

Obama/Axelrod is really makinga poor decision on this one.

Questions surround Obama's candidacy:

http://questionbarackobama.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

The only way you were disenfranchised in the original elections in Florida or Michigan is if you were forcefully prevented from entering the polls to cast your vote. If you voted for Republicans, you voted. If you chose not to vote, your call. If you voted for someone period, you voted. Obama CHOSE to remove his name from the ballot - again, his choice. The DNC did not make him remove his name, people seem to forget that. He didn't want his name on the ballot. Blame him for not giving you the chance to vote for him. As far as I am concerned, the votes are legitimate and should stand as is.

Anonymous said...

"All those in favor of a MI revote realize, of course, that anyone who voted in the Repub primary can't (under DNC rules) vote in the re-do primary. As such, someone like me, who couldn't vote for Obama, didn't want to vote for Hillary, and wanted to vote for native son/son of respected governor to mess with McCain, will be disenfranchised. How's that for fair?"

In my opinion, anyone unethical enough to use their primary vote to mess with the right of another party's members to choose their own nominee doesn't belong in the Democratic Party at all, much less have a right to help choose *its* nominee.

Also consider:

At least 60% of Obama voters said they would vote for Hillary is she is the nominee, which means they would be ok with a re-vote in MI, even if it resulted in her winning the nomination.
The recent plan for a re-vote im MI needed three singnatures: Hillary's , the DNC's, and Obama's.

Hillary signed it.
The DNC signed it.
Obama...didn't sign it.

Which means he not only is going against the MI Dem Party and the will of the voters in MI...

...but against that of both his own Party

and

the majority of his own supporters.

Hmm.


SR

[Sergei Rostov]

Howling Latina said...

"They won't factor into the current nomination battle," that's all.

That's like telling a Tweety that it's okay, you can spin and spout nonsense, but just don't open your mouth.

Anonymous said...

For those of you who wish us "to calm down", I suppose your vote already was counted, correct? Then please respect the voices and rights of those who have not had an opportunity to vote! In a democracy, everyone should be heard. Are you so insecure that Obama might not win, you're so eager "to get it over?"

Anonymous said...

While ignoring the recognizable Obamazoids making their rounds and being the main reason so many Clinton supporters will vote for McCain if necessary, I would like to say that I will mail a can tomorrow. Keep the faith, Florida and Michigan! Show them your numbers! You are not to be reckoned with! We know who is was that thwarted you and so do you! Make them seat you or take them down! No Florida and Michigan, no winner in November!

From a ticked off "Garlic Nose".

Anonymous said...

Please stop telling us to calm down. This is the most important election of my lifetime and out of no fault of mine, my vote was for nothing. To sit the delegates later when the nominee is chosen, is the same as nothing. So, please stop telling me to calm down. Howard Dean has created a mess and there is no way the democrats will win without Michigan and especially without Florida. Howard Dean better stop ignoring this drama that he has caused.

Anonymous said...

The people of Michigan and Florida have every right to participate in the democratic process. No political dispute should deny them this right. Splitting the delegates in half is not fair, because it does not reflect the votes of the people. Either count the first round of votes, which is better than nothing at all, or revote. This is 2008, a primary can be redone, it is not that hard.

Anonymous said...

Who ARE these snooty Obamas who think that their competition should just go away. Somebody needs to tell them that the President of the USA is NOT an affirmative action job. I can't believe they are getting away with stopping entire states from voting as if they are some kind of special cases or something. We all know why they are doing this. Obama wouldn't be having the nomination handed to him because he would lose both states. Does he think we are going to vote for him after that? Is he kidding?

Anonymous said...

I just watched Anderson Cooper. He had the two African American Michigan senators who stopped the revote bill. They were beaming from ear to ear. One of them said he was sure he did the right thing and...are you ready?..."It's good to be ahead". Then Anderson had the reporter from the Detroit Free Press who watched the process and he said it was clear to him that they stopped this because it "wasn't advantageous to their candidate". If I lived in Michigan I would be infuriated. Those two senators should be indicted for deliberately keeping the people of Michigan from participating in this primary. If I were all of you I would either stay home in November or hold my nose and vote for McCain. The Democratic party doesn't represent you they represent Barack Obama. They don't represent me either. I am a "Garlic Nose". If Hillary Clinton had this man's affiliations, her head would have rolled long ago. Don't give up, Michigan and Florida. Let them know they can't and won't win without fairness to both of you.

Anonymous said...

I lived in FL in 2000 when the Bush Machine fixed the vote there. Looks like FL is getting the shaft again. Being seated at the convention isn't the same as having the vote count.

And isn't Obama a coward to not stand up for the people like that? It's like a slap in the face to everyone who voted in FL and MI everytime he says he supports the Rules. It's certainly not the voters fault FL + MI moved their primaries up.

I hope and pray somehow Hillary will end up the Democratic Nominee ... our country needs someone like her ... and not a coward who is trying to pretent he's not racist.