Just Returned From FLA Democratic Party Central Committee Meeting

[guajira]

Florida State Convention will NOT have a straw poll. As a result, all 9 candidates will possibly attend Convention in Orlando!

Democrat delegates are energized and were willing to compromise in order to bring candidates to Orlando. Also Dean meetups and Clark meetups are going great in Central Florida - 3 Clark groups in my county!

[madfloridian]

1. And the winner is!

?
I feel a little funny about this. I think most of the candidates were coming anyway. I feel the DNC used a heavy hand here.

[madfloridian]

2. Didn't mean that to sound bad, just confused about it.

I really feel like it would have been a hardship on the candidates, but wouldn't it have been worth it? Florida had the straw poll for many years.

I just find myself wondering why the DNC opposed it so much. I do know that Maddox would have had a job trying to equalize the delegates into various camps when he is not even supposed to know who is for whom. Also Dean is ahead in the fundraising right now, and that could hurt the others. That also makes me think it might be part of the reason, though everyone is careful not to say anything.

If Graham were still running, I would see their concern. I love Graham, and I could see where it would not have been so wise.

I asked the state party on the phone about how they could make sure not too many Dean people went. She said they couldn't. I said, did you know that Florida appears to be in the top 5 states supporting Dean? She said they knew that for sure. I asked if she knew how activist the Dean people were. She said oh yeah, we know.

One of the delegates who is excited to be going just emailed me that it is almost like giving in to extortion. They did not really care, but they did not like the way the game was played on this.

I have mixed feelings.