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On Michigan/Florida, Kucinich to the Rescue?

Deep-pocketed Dennis Kucinish is a man with a plan...

Former Democratic presidential candidate Dennis J. Kucinich has proposed a plan to seat delegations from Florida and Michigan at the Democratic National Convention based on the results of a fresh round of polling in the two states...

The plan would base the distribution of delegates on polling conducted by three firms, one selected by each campaign and a third chosen by the other two companies. Delegates would be apportioned based on the composite findings of the three polls. None of the firms could have previously been employed by either campaign.

Democrats are at a point now where even an ad hoc plan like having polling substitute for actual voting sounds reasonable. But you know what would probably be a better solution? If Dennis Kucinich, who is a superdelegate, actually endorsed somebody and then got all the other superdelegates to endorse somebody, too. Because after one of the two candidates gets the requisite number of delegates for the nomination, he or she can seat the Michigan and Florida delegates in a way that doesn't change the outcome of the race. And if that happened, oh, two months ago, that would be awesome.

Update: Another potential solution here.

Comments

Seriously! These super cowards need to step up to the plate and end this. I'm getting hella pissed off.

Posted by: MrX on 05/01/08 at 9:18 AM Respond

"But you know what would probably be a better solution? If Dennis Kucinich, who is a superdelegate, actually endorsed somebody and then got all the other superdelegates to endorse somebody, too."

Exactly.

Let us get on with the show, time to move forward with the general election.

Posted by: capt - Hussein on 05/01/08 at 10:01 AM Respond

I have 2 issues here.

First, super delegates are just simply undemocratic. Hopefully, he party will eliminate them after his election. It really looks bad. Sort of a House of Lords of the Democratic Party.

Second, Florida and Michigan knew the rules and made their decisions based on those rules. They were apparently fine with those rules because they thought an early vote would translate into momentum for a candidate. That was till people (Hillary) wanted a "do over". Sorry - life does not give you "do overs".

Seat the delegates and let them vote; but their vote does not go to the total. They get their voice and the rules get followed.

As for Kucinish, he can't be serious. Should we just eliminate democracy all together and rely on corporations to poll our decisions? And if he is serious, it shows you what an idiot he is.

Posted by: kirkbrew on 05/01/08 at 10:08 AM Respond

Seat the delegates, but don't count their votes until after one candidate or the other wins. It removes the outsized affect they hoped to have by voting early (or would have yet, if HRC has her way), yet it gets them into Convention participation on everything else.

Posted by: Monte Asbury on 05/01/08 at 11:19 AM Respond

kirkbrew: By "they" ("they were apparently fine with those rules"), I hope you mean the Michigan reps and DNC. I blame them for all of our primary woes, and I certainly don't expect the national DNC to back down from their original rules about changing the primary date since our reps knew the rules and violated them anyway. If they do get seated, as said by others on here, let it be after the candidate is already determined.

I am so sick of this primary cycle, as well as the election really, and I can't wait for it to be over.

Posted by: JP on 05/01/08 at 12:46 PM Respond