Presidential candidates won't attend Florida straw poll [View All]

[demdave]

Florida's Democratic Party was snubbed by all nine presidential candidates Tuesday when they signed a letter saying they will not participate in a straw ballot at the state party convention in December.

It was bruising news for Florida Democrats, who fear the Democratic nominee will be selected before the state's March 9 primary, effectively leaving Florida with no voice in the selection.

Many of the 3,000 delegates who will be attending the state convention were counting on the excitement that comes from a non-binding straw ballot to give them that voice and to stoke national interest in the convention


http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/news_f379f4fd602462060085.html

I am posting this because of conflicting reports I have seen.....


Dean is already campaigning for the straw ballot. His team sent e-mails to Florida voters instructing them how to sign up as delegates to the Orlando convention. Edwards told a Florida party leader he sees the straw ballot as a critical opportunity to show strength in the South. Many of Clark's advisers are veteran campaign workers for Bill Clinton, who broke out of the pack in late 1991 by winning the straw ballot at that year's Florida convention.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts first said he would boycott the convention if it included a straw ballot. Now, Maddox says, Kerry advisers "are open" to attending despite the imbroglio and have begun asking about how to secure meeting rooms.

Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut are in discussions with Maddox about attending.


http://www.cq.com/corp/show.do?page=crawford/crawford_current


So my question is, why not have the straw polls, who would benefit, who would suffer, what happens to those that show up and to those that don't?