and perhaps earlier. They were not victims. I have seen that claim several times a day here lately. They worked with Marco Rubio as early as March 2006.
Pretending otherwise is giving credence to lies and distortion.
From the St. Pete Times last October.
Florida faces a primary problemPart of the article presents the Florida Democrats as victims, but I disagree on that. This part stands out to show the clear way it was planned for a long time.
Nobody realized it, but the storm began gathering in late March 2006. New Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, a Miami Republican, visited Washington-based Florida reporters and touted a plan to boost Florida's influence in picking presidential nominees by moving the primary earlier than March.
"With all due respect to New Hampshire and Iowa, nowhere are you going to be on a national stage like Florida," Rubio said at the time. "You're going to get questions about Israel, Latin America, immigration. It's the old South, it's Latin, it's Midwestern, it's rural and urban."
Rubio already had Democrats on board.
"Florida Democrats are all for it," Mark Bubriski, spokesman for the Florida Democratic Party, said at the time.
Even the state party spokesman said they were on board early on.
Here are Dean's words in December 2006.
The penalties Florida faced for scheduling an early primary were by no means secret.
"If they move it into January, their delegates won't count in the Democratic convention, so I wouldn't advise that," Howard Dean had warned in the St. Petersburg Times in December 2006.
They knew there would be consequences well before the vote was taken.
Much of the article focuses on the fact that the Florida Democrats were vastly outnumbered in the legislature. Of course they were. The DNC knew that. They said the party had to "act in good faith." They did not need to overcome the vote, just vote no. They voted yes, instead and acted like victims.
The vote in the House was yes..115 to 1, and in the Senate I think almost all of the Democrats voted yes as well. The article quotes Steve Geller as having presented his amendment and having it fail. That would be this amendment featured in this
"bramble bush" videoHere is the "good faith" clause in the DNC rules.
Florida's failure. They did not act "in good faith".In the event a state shall become subject to subsections (1), (2) or (3) of section C. of this rule as a result of state law but the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee, after an investigation, including hearings if necessary, determines the state party and the other relevant Democratic party leaders and elected officials took all provable, positive steps and acted in good faith to achieve legislative changes to bring the state law into compliance with the pertinent provisions of these rules and determines that the state party and the other relevant Democratic party leaders and elected officials took all provable, positive steps and acted in good faith in attempting to prevent legislative changes which resulted in state law that fails to comply with the pertinent provisions of these rules, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee may determine that all or a portion of the state’s delegation shall not be reduced. The state party shall have the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that it and the other relevant Democratic party leaders and elected officials took all provable, positive steps and acted in good faith to achieve legislative changes...."
This state has been used as a ticket by one campaign to keep going on and on and on past the time when there is any hope.
Two facts should not be forgotten...that our Florida Democrats were "on board" with Jeb's house leader Marco Rubio as early as March 2006. That the Florida Democrats only had to vote NO instead of YES to be considered in "good faith."This has been a disturbing time in my state. The feelings run high because those feelings are being used to manipulate.
Barack Obama today said Hillary was stirring things up here.
Sen. Barack Obama accused Sen. Hillary Clinton of stoking anger in Florida and Michigan over the Democratic Party's decision not to recognize the states' primary votes.
"They weren't stirring it up when they didn't need the delegates," he said. "Let's not sort of pretend that we don't know what's going on. This is, from their perspective, their last slender hope to make arguments about how they can win." Obama speaks about Hillary and FloridaIt is time more of our national leaders spoke up about how she is misleading when she speaks.
Florida could have shown "good faith" and spared us this.
