Election years bring out the worst in us. I have heard crude yell-downs in restaurants -- and have seen the silent treatment nearly destroy families. As a Floridian, I witnessed the smallest occurrences blown out of all proportion over the last two Presidential elections. This year, I am wondering where all the "every vote must count" chants are.
The pissin' match between the Florida Legislature and the Democratic National Committee over the primary date is at least entertaining. Who can whiz farthest? It must be pointed out that it was the Dems in the Florida Legislature who proposed and passed the early run-through despite the threats of the DNC to strip us of our delegates.
The very discussion of holding a re-vote or a ballot by mail is an insult. With Florida in a recession fed by foreclosure rates to beat the band, another primary would have cost millions that can be better spent to help its citizens. We just cut property taxes to help property owners -- and face tremendous hikes in new fees all around the state. Schools are cutting programs, police departments are culling the forces, and fire departments are doing the same. Where oh where would the millions have materialized to pay for a re-vote? The DNC says it can't afford it -- well, Florida already paid for the primary once.
Of course, if the DNC holds to its stand and doesn't allow the delegates to cast their votes at the convention, then millions of Floridians who cast their votes lose their voice. It's worse than a hanging chad. These citizens -- all Dems -- cast legitimate, counted votes for their candidates -- and their fellow Dems say, "No. Your vote can't count because we must show the Florida legislators they can't make decisions without our approval. Our whiz is better than their whiz." (In all fairness, the Republicans are not going through a similar battle only because McCain decidedly won the nomination.)
The DNC is losing credibility on this one. There is no way to justify that every vote had to count in 2000 and 2004, but now it's OK not to count the votes because they don't like the wedgie the Florida Legislature gave them by moving the primary to January. They just don't get to have it both ways.
I once worked with a colleague who had a good response to people who whined about losing a pissin' match: Suck it up, cry baby.
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Want to really give a Democrat a wedgie? Point out that no where in the Constitution is the individual given a right to vote in a federal election. It is entirely up to the state. The amendments addressing voting rights only say that if you are allowed by the state to vote then you can't be prevented from voting because...
Of course, I kind of like the idea of an "idiot" test for voting. If you can't poke a hole in a piece of paper then you're not qualified. Whoops, there goes the South Florida Yankee vote.
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