Four Candidates Withdraw From D.C. Democratic Primary

[dajabr]

By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 7, 2003; 1:53 PM


Four of the nine Democratic presidential candidates have formally withdrawn from the Jan. 13 D.C. primary, undercutting the city's bid to influence the nomination process and highlight its lack of congressional voting rights.

Removing their names from the ballot were Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.).

All four had letters hand-delivered to the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics late Thursday afternoon withdrawing. The D.C. Council passed a law last month putting all the candidates on the ballot unless they opted out.

D.C. Democratic Party Chairman A. Scott Bolden called the move by the four candidates an "offensive gesture."

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12582-2003Nov7.html

[Zynx]

1. I wonder why the hell they did this.

[meegbear]

2. From the article ...

Each of the letters cite Democratic National Committee rules prohibiting primaries ahead of the traditional kickoff contests in Iowa and New Hampshire and also discouraging candidates from participating in non-biding votes.

The D.C. primary is a so-called "beauty contest," with no delegates at stake. The delegates are to be selected at a caucus on Feb. 14.

[a_lil_wall_fly]

10. For state primaries

DC is not a state so it is not bound by the DNC rules....

[slinkerwink]

3. they don't want Dean to win the first primary

That's why they're pulling out to undercut the legitimacy of the DC primary.

[unfrigginreal]

4. They don't want to lose the first primary

My 2 cents.

[RogueTrooper]

6. And along the try to deligitimize Dean's

first win.

[mbali]

11. No ...

This was done - as the candidates have indicated for months - for the reasons that Meegbear pointed out. It has nothing to do with Dean or any concern about losing. This is merely a beauty contest and has nothing to do with securing delegates.

[unfrigginreal]

16. Yes...

They fear losing the beauty contest. It wouldn't make such great press for them, now would it?

[mbali]

23. Nice to know that you can not only read their minds

but that you also know full well the motivations behind each move every candidate makes.

And, like so many Dean supporters, you just know for sure that everything every candidate does is all about Howard "Chance the Gardener" Dean.

[redqueen]

32. LOL

Nice reference. :)

[unfrigginreal]

33. I didn't say it's about Dean, I said it's about them not wanting to lose.

My mind reading is no better than yours, but my opinion is no less valid than yours either.

[brainshrub]

5. Ooohhh...that's good analysis

I was thinking that it was because they are getting ready to drop out of the race.

[blm]

9. newbies.....so cute....

.

[dajabr]

12. Wow...

460+ posts and you get called a "newbie?"

Inflated sense of self alert!

Has this newbie heard how great looking you are yet? Or, haven't you had the chance to tell them?

[blm]

35. Nope...I was talking about political newbies.

The kind who assume everything by horserace and not by the realities of rules and regulations and history.

They are charming in their enthusiasm, and I think that's cute.

[dajabr]

38. Park your high horse...

The DUers you speak to with such condescendence may respect your opinion a little more.


Nah...

[helleborient]

21. Another Kerry supporter attacking other DU'ers...

I'm sorry, but it goes on and on and on...how very offensive!!

[blm]

37. You missed my point. It's above.

.

[MaineDem]

7. I don't think the DC primary is legitimate

That's the issue.

[w13rd0]

13. With the demographics of Washington DC...

...I'm sure they don't want it to be even considered legitimate...ya know what I mean?

[blm]

8. DNC rules prohibit it. Why pretend it's about Dean?

If Dean doesn't want to adhere to the DNC rules, that's his business. If the others do, that's their business.

[mbali]

15. It's ALWAYS about Dean, isn't it?

Reminds me of my dog, a little toy breed who barks and barks and barks at everyone who passes my house. And when the passersby continue on their way, he struts back to the porch with a cocky bop that says, "Oh, YEAH! Ran off another one. Everyone FEARS me. I'm a BAAAAAD DOG!"

Like my little dog, some Dean folks seems to think that everything is about him. But as hard as it is for some people to accept, some things happen in this race for reasons completely unrelated to and not caused by Howard Dean.

[LuminousX]

17. Will the others drop?

Could be interesting to see a Clark, Dean, Kucinich, Sharpton, Braun match-up. Maybe they should hold a special debate just among themselves.

[helleborient]

19. Yes, the response of the mostly liberal black Democrats will be...

Very fascinating.

[unfrigginreal]

22. If Kerry had a snowball's chance in hell of coming out on top...

I'm sure he'd find the right nuance to justify staying in it.

[LuminousX]

14. Give people practice voting

I see nothing wrong with it and as long as no one is wasting money with it, it makes an interesting statement. It will give Dean another two or three days of press.

[helleborient]

18. It does sound like their working together....

They all four coincidentally withdrew on the same day when they were added to the ballot a month ago and they have another week to withdraw?

I wonder when they will let us know who the real candidate is amongst the 4 of them.

Their concern about DNC rules would hold a lot more weight with me if it had come very shortly after they were added to the ballot and not after the public news stories of Kerry, Gephardt, and Edwards working together.

Sounds like a lot of political gamesmanship here.

Is this like the old game show To Tell the Truth? - will the real candidate please stand up??

[AWD]

20. Give them a break!

It's HARD to reschedule the campaign to actually make an extra stop in Washington DC.

They've got campaigns to run, why should they be forced to be in DC?

[mbali]

25. Especially for a beauty contest

that will result in not a single delegate.

[helleborient]

27. LOL...

Like adding to the 6 senators present for the final vote on the $87 billion to Iraq.

Daniel Shorr's commentary on NPR on that was so telling...I'm embarassed on that for my senator, Dick Durbin, as well.

Sen. Byrd alone among opposition to shout his vote in a voice vote. No recall because Daschle and the others worked with the Republican leadership to make the vote follow historic precedent for procedural and less important votes.

This appropriation was very very important...and it's shameful for U.S. senators to be protecting their little political heinies with a voice vote while approving money to put ordinary Americans in harms way.

If they weren't there, in my book, they supported the appropriation without loans regardless of their earlier vote.

Thank you so much for the life of true service, Sen. Byrd!!!!

Off my soapbox now.

[Egnever]

28. no one is forcing them to show

they dont have to be there to have thier names on the ballot.

I personally think DC has a legitimate beef of not having any representation in congress. Thats a lot of people with no voice.

I also like that they are actively doing something to remedy it.

The smart thing to do I think would be to give voice to DC's concerns by participating while acknowledging that it hoolds no real bearing on the nomination and pointing out that DC should have a voice.

[helleborient]

34. The last time I was in DC...

All of the DC license plates with the phrase "Taxation Without Representation" does give one pause.

I think it's rather shameful to have that be a truism on license plates in our national capitol.

[mndemocrat_29]

24. If you're running for president

You should run in all primaries. I don't like this dropping out this early in the game.

(On note: With Lieberman dropping out in DC and Iowa, why doesn't he just drop out completely?)

[mbali]

26. This is not a primary

at least in terms of delegate selection. Delegate selection will take place later in the year.

[mndemocrat_29]

29. OK

I still don't like Clark and Lieberman dropping out of Iowa though.

[helleborient]

36. Has any candidate in recent history won the nomination...

After dropping out of primaries?

[w13rd0]

31. If he dropped out completely...

...no one would listen to him whine.

[unfrigginreal]

30. Pretty sad when the Senators and the Congressman fear losing...

their home base.