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PissingOffTheLeft@excite.com
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Congressional Democrats from Florida sued their
own party Thursday, hoping to restore the national convention
delegates stripped from the state because it scheduled an early
presidential primary.
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The party violated the Constitution and federal voting laws by taking
away Florida Democrats' ability to have a say in choosing the
presidential nominee, says the lawsuit filed by Sen. Bill Nelson and
Rep. Alcee Hastings against the Democratic National Committee and
Chairman Howard Dean.
"For the DNC to say to the fourth-largest contingency of Democrats in
the nation that their votes will not matter in next year's
presidential primary is not only shocking and ironic, but we believe
is illegal," Hastings said at a news conference in Washington.
The national party's rules committee voted to take away Florida's 210
delegates after the state party chose to go along with a Jan. 29
primary. That date was set by Florida's Republican-led Legislature and
signed into law by Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.
Democratic Party rules say states cannot hold their 2008 primary
contests before Feb. 5, except for Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and
South Carolina.
The DNC issued a statement saying the Supreme Court has previously
ruled that political parties - and not states - have the right to
decide how their candidates for president are selected.
"The state of Florida moved the date of their primary knowing full
well what the consequences from the national parties would be. The DNC
has the absolute legal right to treat the state-run primary as a mere
beauty contest," the statement said.
Nelson said they tried to compromise with party leaders before filing
the lawsuit. "We didn't have any other choice," he said.
The calendar was designed to preserve the traditional role that Iowa
and New Hampshire have played in selecting the nominee, while adding
two states with more racial and geographic diversity to influential
early slots.
Meanwhile, South Carolina Democrats will decide within two weeks
whether to ask national party leaders to move the state's primary to
Jan. 19 and make it the party's first contest in the South.
That would move the state out of Florida's shadow. South Carolina
Republicans already have decided to vote Jan. 19.
"The concern is we don't want to be 10 days after the Republican
primary," Joe Werner, the state Democratic Party executive director,
told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The Iowa and New Hampshire congressional delegations on Thursday sent
a letter to House leaders asking them to stay out of the simmering
fight over primary election dates.
"Constitutional questions have already arisen related to congressional
action to set the order of presidential primaries and caucuses," the
letter said. "We believe that this matter is best left to the two
major political parties and the states."
The lawsuit filed by the Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee said, "For
the right to vote in a presidential primary to have any meaning, those
presidential primary ballots must result in votes that are going to
count at the party's national convention."
It notes the controversy over vote-counting in Florida that extended
the 2000 presidential election, which was decided only after a Supreme
Court ruling.
"In the aftermath of the shattering events of 2000, Democrats here and
around the country have made continued efforts to assure that every
vote counts," it said. "It is thus truly a monumental irony for the
Democratic National Committee to replace its own commitment to
assuring that every vote must be counted with a decree that no Florida
Democrats' vote will count."
___
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071004/ap_po/primary_scramble;_ylt=Ap0uEVO3Srbc4Tawj_lfYa9p24cA
own party Thursday, hoping to restore the national convention
delegates stripped from the state because it scheduled an early
presidential primary.
ADVERTISEMENT
The party violated the Constitution and federal voting laws by taking
away Florida Democrats' ability to have a say in choosing the
presidential nominee, says the lawsuit filed by Sen. Bill Nelson and
Rep. Alcee Hastings against the Democratic National Committee and
Chairman Howard Dean.
"For the DNC to say to the fourth-largest contingency of Democrats in
the nation that their votes will not matter in next year's
presidential primary is not only shocking and ironic, but we believe
is illegal," Hastings said at a news conference in Washington.
The national party's rules committee voted to take away Florida's 210
delegates after the state party chose to go along with a Jan. 29
primary. That date was set by Florida's Republican-led Legislature and
signed into law by Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.
Democratic Party rules say states cannot hold their 2008 primary
contests before Feb. 5, except for Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and
South Carolina.
The DNC issued a statement saying the Supreme Court has previously
ruled that political parties - and not states - have the right to
decide how their candidates for president are selected.
"The state of Florida moved the date of their primary knowing full
well what the consequences from the national parties would be. The DNC
has the absolute legal right to treat the state-run primary as a mere
beauty contest," the statement said.
Nelson said they tried to compromise with party leaders before filing
the lawsuit. "We didn't have any other choice," he said.
The calendar was designed to preserve the traditional role that Iowa
and New Hampshire have played in selecting the nominee, while adding
two states with more racial and geographic diversity to influential
early slots.
Meanwhile, South Carolina Democrats will decide within two weeks
whether to ask national party leaders to move the state's primary to
Jan. 19 and make it the party's first contest in the South.
That would move the state out of Florida's shadow. South Carolina
Republicans already have decided to vote Jan. 19.
"The concern is we don't want to be 10 days after the Republican
primary," Joe Werner, the state Democratic Party executive director,
told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The Iowa and New Hampshire congressional delegations on Thursday sent
a letter to House leaders asking them to stay out of the simmering
fight over primary election dates.
"Constitutional questions have already arisen related to congressional
action to set the order of presidential primaries and caucuses," the
letter said. "We believe that this matter is best left to the two
major political parties and the states."
The lawsuit filed by the Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee said, "For
the right to vote in a presidential primary to have any meaning, those
presidential primary ballots must result in votes that are going to
count at the party's national convention."
It notes the controversy over vote-counting in Florida that extended
the 2000 presidential election, which was decided only after a Supreme
Court ruling.
"In the aftermath of the shattering events of 2000, Democrats here and
around the country have made continued efforts to assure that every
vote counts," it said. "It is thus truly a monumental irony for the
Democratic National Committee to replace its own commitment to
assuring that every vote must be counted with a decree that no Florida
Democrats' vote will count."
___
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071004/ap_po/primary_scramble;_ylt=Ap0uEVO3Srbc4Tawj_lfYa9p24cA
