Howard Dean: Yee-haw Not Enough Resources from DNC for Re-Vote

Howard Dean, interviewed on CNN this morning, asked if the DNC would help out Florida and Michigan to hold another Primary Democratic Election, said the DNC offered to pay for a process earlier on, but that time has passed.

The resouces of the DNC have to be put toward the national general elections, Dean said.

Asked why the super-delegates could select the Democratic nominee for President, Howard Dean says this is America democracy at work, the super-delegates are elected by the people.



http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/06/ltm.01.html

55 percent in the Quick Poll say the DNC should pay for a re-vote primary.

Here's our idea: Florida and Michigan Democrats who want to hold another election or caucus should put the plan in writing, submit it to the DNC, demand compliance and financial aid commensurate with the amount of persons who voted the last time around, then anything over that amount pay for with their own statewide resources.

As far as the state obligation: the state legislatures failed the first time around. They should not have permitted any election process to go forth with the knowledge of potential disenfranchisement.

Charlie Crist: not a partisan issue, it is unconscionable the votes will not count.

If those votes don't count, says Crist, a re-vote should take place paid for by the parties.

Kieran Chetney: many people sat out the election in Florida because they thought their vote would not be counted.

Gov. Crist: every vote should count... the Democrats support the idea of democracy... I'd like to see a Republican President... Democrats in my state should have their vote counted... that's democracy...

Hey, Gov. Why did you put your ok on the undemocratic process to begin with? It's not like you weren't aware the DNC wasn't going to seat the delegates after the change in Primary date.

What a failure on the part of both Florida (Republican Governor) and Michigan (Democrat Governor) elected state officials and the state legislatures.

(Net the Truth Online)

CHETRY: Yes. And it could be deja vu all over again for Democratic voters in two states, Florida and Michigan. Now these votes will not be counted in the neck-and-neck battle for delegates between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The states' vote moved up the dates of their election. They violated party rules and they were told that their delegates, because of that, would not be seated.

Well now, the governors of two states are asking the DNC, the Democratic National Committee, to step in. In Michigan, there's already been talk of a caucus and in Florida they're talking about yet another primary.

Here's what's at stake. 210 delegates in Florida, 156 in Michigan. Clinton won both of the states, but is it a fair win when Obama wasn't even on the ballot in Michigan. So, could this turn into a courtroom battle?

AMERICAN MORNING's legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, joins us now. You know, and basically Howard Dean, the DNC chair, said you all figure it out. We're not paying for it and no, we're not going to count the primaries and caucuses that you held too early. So, what are the legal options now for the states?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, there are almost no legal options for the states, Kiran -- for both states. And it was really interesting to me. I did a lot of research last night. I did a lot of research this morning. And the bottom line is that courts are really lope to get involved in this because political parties are private organizations. They are not governmental entities. So there is nothing really that lawyers are going to be able to do.

I know lawyers are sort of salivating over the possibility to get involved. We remember the hanging chad situation. Remember the Supreme Court weighing in. That is likely not going to happen here because were not really -- this is not a general election. So it's not a governmental election. These are just primaries, caucuses and really the committees of the parties are in charge here.

CHETRY: That really is fascinating because in 2000, it ended up being the Supreme Court that ultimately decided who our president was with their ruling. And now you're saying that because it's a primary, not a general that they really say it's not our jurisdiction. So are there options. Are there other options as these states try to figure out a way to make their delegates count or to hold new elections?

HOSTIN: You know, the options are, the options I think that Howard Dean gave he said you either pick a new delegate selection plan and you pay for it -- $18 million taxpayers will pay or you go to the credential committee in August. And it's interesting because really Supreme Court is the court of the land. They say what goes. And I was doing some research as I mentioned and Justice Scalia said a political party has a First Amendment right to limit its membership as it wishes and to choose a candidate-selection process that will in its view produce the nominee who best represents its political platform.

He is not going to change that position. The court is not going to change that position. Unfortunately, the legal eagles are not going to really be involved at this stage of the game.

CHETRY: And they can't make some sort of savvy argument about the right to vote. I mean, that's technically, you know, federal situation.

HOSTIN: You would think so.

CHETRY: Even though it triples under the state level.

HOSTIN: You would think so because voters should not be disenfranchised. But again, that is something that's not going to happen. The only time the Supreme Court will be involved is if it's a situation where they're limiting voters on the basis of race, on the basis of religion. We're not seeing that here. So again, unfortunately, my legal eagle pals are not going to be involved.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/06/ltm.01.html