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Is it democratic what is going on with Florida and Michigan?

Obama took his name off the ballot in Michigan. Why did he do that? Does the fifteenth amendment carry any weight? Will the democratic party survive with these undemocratic decision makers at the helm?

25 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Florida and Michigan held their primaries out of order against the policy of the DNC. Candidates were told that they couldn't campaign in those states and that any votes they got would not count. All of the Democratic candidates signed off on this prior to the primaries being held. Obama didn't take his name off the ballot in Michigan--he never put it on the ballot because he was going along with the party's position that the votes didn't count. Those states went against the DNC and held their primaries anyway. Now Hillary wants to count those votes because she won in them. She's crying foul, but she signed the same agreement as the other candidates. Hope this helps.

  • 1 decade ago

    He took his name off the Michigan ballots because nothing from that state would count. If it doesn't help him he doesn't want to deal with them. Just ask those voters in the upcoming primaries in W.Virginia and Kentucky. Since he knows he isn't going to win he isn't spending much money for campaigning there. It wasn't the voters fault it was the government officials in those state (Which happen to be Republican) that made the decision to move their primaries up. No what is happening to those two states is not democratic. And if they are not counted then come Nov. you can rest assured they will go in the way of the republican party as a punishment to the democrats. It seems like it is no Longer "For the People and By the People", but is now "For the government and By the government.

  • 5 years ago

    Laws and rules are not always fair but they are laws and until they are changed they must be complied with. Without these kind of standards things would me so screwed up there would be no sanity. What Florida and Michigan should have done was moved to have the rules changed then made their change. They knew the rules and went ahead anyway (Like Bush and his misuse of office). When the Democratic Committee made their decision to enforce the rules Florida and Michigan should have appealed. In stead they waited far into the campaign (actually after Clinton made an issue out of it) to try getting the decision reversed. It was too little to late: they should have worked to get approval first, they should have appealed the decision earlier, and they should not be blaming anyone but themselves. Rules are rules; if they are not good they need to be changed but just doing what you want in spite of the rules is not the right approach!

  • 1 decade ago

    Please look back at the start of the chaos and you will see what occurred

    They ALL agreed back in 2007 to NOT campaign in these states as they were insisting on moving their dates even after being warned time after time,,,

    Iowa and New Hampshire won the right to take place first and contacted each candidate

    Everyone withdrew their names except for Clinton and Dennis K . she never got around to removing her name for her own reasons

    Obama name not on ballot.....how is that Democratic

    Obama never canvassed there...how is that Democratic

    Sure people came out to vote ...just to make a point...but how about the others that did not bother to because of the problem

    How is that even remotely democratic

    In the early stages....she did not care but when she began to get behind...that is all we heard....count them...they should not be left out

    Only because as was would put her ahead of course

    Re-vote....no...she wanted as the stood

    Obama...no....because votes were not democratic

    Unreal why something so simple is played over and over again

    They will be divided as those states need to be represented

    even with their mixed up officials

    Only good that happened is all the other states that never had a say in the process before finally got a chance to be part of it all

    Now that is Democratic

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Absolutely it is not democratic. Hillary supported a revote but Obama didn't. Both he and the democratic party will be in trouble in those states and in others out of sympathy if Obama is the nominee. He will embody the reminder of the republicans who protested and stopped the counting of citizen votes in Florida back in 2000. Thank goodness Hillary is doing the democratic party a favor by staying in the race and fighting for these voters so they can have an equal voice in determining the party's nominee for President. She already sent Obama a letter imploring him to support the voters in Florida and Michigan. Hillary really cares about our democracy and the democratic party.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Every candidate took their name off the ballot in Michigan when they defied the DNC and moved their primary earlier that allowed. Everyone except the Beverly Hillibillies.

    Other candidates that removed their name as directed by the DNC.

    Barack Obama

    Joe Biden

    Chris Dodd

    John Edwards

    Mike Gravel

    Dennis Kucinich

    Bill Richardson

    Tom Vilsack

    That left only one candidate on the ballot. Sort of like an election in the old Soviet Union don't you think.

    Hillary wants us to recognize that farce as a legit mate election which would put her in the same category as Stalin, Chairman Mao, Fidel Castro, and Hugo Chavez.

    She just wants to rule this nation so bad, she obviously doesn't even care about the most basic principals of Democracy, like free and FAIR elections.

  • 1 decade ago

    It 's not undemocratic to begin with. It's not Obama's fault. The DNC came up with the rules. These rules are only good for this primary process, nit the general election, which is protected by the 15th amendment. Obama took his name off of the ballot so that the DNC could see that he took their rules seriously. The only way this could be considered undemocratic is if these two states were banned from voting in the general election. However, I think what the DNC did was unfair.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    The Democratic Party informed all state parties (not just MI and FL) that they would lose their delegates if they moved their primaries earlier than February. MI and FL moved them forward anyway, and forfeited those delegates.

    Look at it this way: both states were given the opportunity to hold primaries or caucuses that would have met the DNC's requirements. (Multiple opportunities, given the negotiations that broke down about a month ago.) Both states elected not to hold primaries that met the Party's requirements. Democracy only means that people have the opportunity to have their voices heard. If they refuse that right, as the MI and FL state parties did, that does not mean that democracy failed.

  • 1 decade ago

    all the candidates (except for hillary) took their names off..because they knew and were reminded PRIOR to the election that MI (and also, FL) will not be holding primaries.

    both states, in their desire to gain electoral influence by holding early primaries decided to forego their next (in the subsequent election) primaries; so they were fully aware of what will/should happen according to the rules.

    so both states, and all democratic candidates were fully aware of the rules. BEFORE the election, this was not a problem for anyone... but NOW, because of the tightness of the race, and because certain factions have found themselves in a rather desperate situation, they are ready to employ "any means necessary," even at the pretense of "caring for the voice of the people," (a thing they had no problem with before) to secure the nomination.

  • cantcu
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Yes it is! Florida thinks it can flaunt the rules, throw it in a persons face, and then get "special dispensation"!

    It is very Democratic! Florida and Michigan had choices! They then have to live with them. I know that is difficult these days to take responsibility for your own actions. They were warned and THEY chose to flagrantly violate them! No one else! If you have a beef take it up with them!

    Actually if they banned Florida from ever holding an election until they get their scandals, voting machines unrigged and allow people of color to vote would be fine with me! What happened in 2000 was a total fiasco! We actually have ballots, not Diabold machines!

    Democratic? The United States is NOT a Democracy! It is a Representative Republic. When you find a true Democracy let me know!

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