Florida prepared to sue DNC in federal court for violating voting rights act

[Herman Munster]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20070824/cm_thenation/45226348

In an aggressive move to prevent the DNC from punishing their state for advancing its Presidential primary to January 29, top Florida Democrats -- U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and U.S. House members Alcee Hastings, Kendrick Meek, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Kathy Castor -- have written an open letter demanding that Dean and others at the DNC drop their threat to sanction Florida Democrats by stripping the state of some or all of its delegates to next year's Democratic National Convention.

Nelson, Meek and the others, who represent an ideological, racial and ethnic cross-section of the Florida Democratic Party, are threatening to submit a complaint against the DNC to the U.S. Justice Department -- or to go directly to the federal courts -- if the national party makes any move to punish Florida for holding an early primary by reducing the size of the state's delegation.

"If the DNC strips Florida of all or some of its delegates to the national convention, we would ask the appropriate legal officials to determine whether this could violate any state or federal laws governing and protecting individual voting rights," wrote the members of Congress.

Translation: If the national Democratic and Republican parties attempt to preserve the status of the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary as the "first-in-the-nation" nominating contests, the Florida officials will suggest that the DNC and the Republican National Committee are conspiring to violate the Voting Rights Act and other constitutional protections against race-based discrimination in the electoral process.

Iowa and New Hampshire are overwhelmingly white states -- well over 90 percent in each case. Florida, on the other hand, has a population that is almost 20 percent Hispanic, 16 percent African-American and two percent Asian. Michigan, with its substantial and politically-powerful African-American community and a well-established Hispanic population, is similarly diverse; and its officials are likely to defend their move to establish a mid-January primary by pressing a claim like that mentioned by the Florida officials.

Traditionally, the national parties have had a great deal of control over their presidential nominating processes. But, since the Florida and Michigan primaries would be run by those states and in accordance with existing election laws, the parties are unlikely to be in a position to trump federal voting and civil rights laws that protect the rights of minority voters to an equal role in the nominating process. That is especially true in the case of Florida, an old-south state that has often been the subject of federal Voting Rights Act scrutiny.

[bullimiami]

1. they didnt get this worked up when the voting rights act was blatantly violated

votes were suppressed and an election was stolen right out from under them.
when wexler took it to court they didnt give him this sort of backing.

[kdmorris]

4. Hear, hear, brother!!!

I love my Congressman. But, yeah, when I was standing out in front of the courthouse, protesting Bush stealing the election and Bush, the governor deciding that, even though Palm Beach County finished counting, they wouldn't accept the numbers because they were an HOUR over the deadline set by Katherine Harris... I didn't see anyone going to court then (except Wexler). Alcee Hastings was very vocal about the whole thing, but no one went to court about the minorities being disenfranchised.

I guess it's only when us white folks might get disenfranchised that Bill Nelson can get involved. :sarcasm: :rant:

[bullimiami]

7. my congressman is kendrick meek. a good guy but...t

i dont understand why im so much angrier at the bush crimes and abuse than he seems to be.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Our primary system this year sucks big time!

The hell with Iowa and New Hampshire's compulsion to be first! I would rather see a rotating system of regional primaries and caucuses that would start in the spring of an election year and end at the start of summer.

Under the current scheme, we will have a nominee by early March, followed by months of buyers' remorse and recriminations, particularly if the presumptive nominee is a polarizing candidate. This is not something that will lead to us to victory in the Fall.

As to the particularly Florida situation, I'll just get the popcorn out and enjoy the show. I won't defend the current system, and if we are bound for a train wreck, so be it!

Next time, let's overhaul the whole thing!

[MaineDem]

3. I agree with you about the need to change the system

I don't care for regional primaries because the big states in the region would suck all the life out of the campaigns in the smaller states.

Instead I would like to see states grouped by the number of delegates available in each state. For example, let's say CA has about 400 delegates. CA would have its own date and states with less than 40 delegates could be combined on another date. That way the smaller states would have an equal shot at seeing candidates and being important.

[cobalt1999]

5. I agree with Nelson and the Florida democrats.

For years other states have tried to reorganize the system with limited results. It's about time the voters challenged the organization and it's leaders to listen for once.

Some will blame the Florida democrats, but the leadership and the organization should have listened and responded before the people had to act.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Anytime the rank-and-file trumps the Beltway party hacks, it is a good thing!

Good luck!

Our primary is not until May, long after the nominee is chosen. Hoosiers are too stubborn to change. We are still arguing about Daylight Savings Time!

[madfloridian]

8. Thank you for giving me a chance to tell the truth because Florida did not.

Since the Florida folks did not tell the truth.

Florida tried a power play, lied about Dean and the DNC taking their votes away.

IF they had stayed with Feb. 5 all the delegates would have oounted.

BUT instead they put out the propaganda and threatened to sue the DNC.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1409

How can the mean ol' Democratic National Committee punish beleaguered Florida Democrats for the Republican-controlled legislature and governor deciding to move the presidential primary so early in violation of committee rules?

Puh-lease.

Party chairman Howard Dean might swallow that if a Democratic state senator, Jeremy Ring, hadn't sponsored the original bill moving the primary to Jan. 29. Besides, Dean knows he lobbied early on to get Democrats to back off the bill and folks like House Democratic leader Dan Gelber blew him off publicly.

http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2007/07/dean-to-florida.html

Might the Democratic National Committee foist on America's biggest battleground state some kind of unwanted delegate selection plan for the presidential nominating process? The party rules allow that scenario, which sounds possible from Howard Dean's comments the other day to a South Carolina TV reporter.

Remember that the DNC carved out Jan. 29 for South Carolina to hold the first southern Democratic primary, only to have Florida leaders schedule the Sunshine state for the same day. Fl Democrats are trying to keep a straight face as they blame it all on Florida Republicans.

Here's what Dean told News Channel 15 in Myrtle Beach: "Well, the Florida drama is not over yet. So I think South Carolina will be well represented. ... My understanding is that South Carolina is not likely to move and that Florida is going to have a different electoral procedure than they think they’re going to have."

And here are several summaries to help you figure out that the Florida power play was based on lies and propaganda against Dean and the DNC.
Only one person voted yes for Florida's delegates to count....he was from Florida.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1456

For a state that already has so much sway over presidential elections, and which has such a horrendous track record of verifiable electoral infrastructure, a decision to leap ahead of virtually all other states in the primary calendar can only be characterized as a power grab in the tradition of Bush, DeLay, and Gingrich.

It is also almost certainly an attempt to stick it to Howard Dean of the DNC, whose new primary calendar finally allows minorities such as Latinos, African-Americans and union members to have a say in determining the next president, which is an anathema to Florida’s elites who have done everything in their power over the past decade to make sure that those groups are not even allowed to vote. The move is also a huge boon to the frontrunning campaigns of Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton, both of whom have tremendous advantages in Florida. If Florida is on January 29th, it will be extremely difficult to see a path for any other candidate as long as Clinton or Giuliani manage to come within a close second in New Hampshire. As I type this, that is a criteria both candidates meet quite easily.

Florida got to the media and spun. The DNC quietly did what it had to do.

[madfloridian]

9. And a reminder of when this started, and who is next.

Just to put things in perspective.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/838

And then Doug Schoen of Mark Penn's company had a say. He said the same thing Carville said.

And a few others chimed in.

[madfloridian]

10. Ha Ha...I don't usually quote Fishwrap, but tonight I will.

It is hilarious and very true. And the Florida Dems deserve it for making up a bunch of spin and trying to hurt the DNC. Well done...Washington Times. You said more than I have been willing to say.

http://video1.washingtontimes.com/fishwrap/2007/08/fla_dems_blame_gop_for_dnc_act.html

"Fla. Dems blame GOP for DNC action

The Democratic National Committee votes to strip Florida of its convention delegates and who do Florida Democrats blame?

Republicans!

Florida Democrats said they blame the Republican-controlled state legislature for slipping the early primary into a new law that also creates a paper trail for electronic ballots.

"So they put it in there knowing full well that Democrats could not vote against a paper trail," Karen Thurman, the Florida Democratic Chair, said. Translation: "We are so stupid, it's unfair to hold us responsible for our votes."

Purple Avenger had great sport with this:
"When FL moved its primary to January 29, the vote in the FL legislature was 115:1 for doing so. Where I come from this is known as "strong bipartisan support" ...

Here's the press release from Gov. Crist's signing ceremony in West Palm Beach May 21.

He was joined at the bill signing ceremony by Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Arthur Anderson, Congressman Robert Wexler, bill sponsors Representatives David Rivera (R-Miami) and Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange) and Senators Lee Constantine (R-Altamonte Springs) and Jeremy Ring (D-Margate) and other legislators ...

Jeremy Ring...hmmm...where have I heard that name before??

Oh, he introduced the bill to move up the primary. And the Democratic party leaders here have tried everything to get Adam Smith to recant on his stories.

Dean, Adam Smith, and blaming Republicans
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1409

Methinks our Democrats got hoisted on their own...propaganda. They owe the DNC an apology instead of a lawsuit.

I have seen two right wing blogs see through this perfectly well and understand the DNC did the right thing. They even sympathized with Dean for being battered over something to obvious.

Will look them up.