Re-Vote

OK, I'm going to lead by example today, so this is the last post about the Democratic primary for the day. But I think that Howard Dean got this right, because everyone knows the implications. The Credentials Committee will be almost certainly staffed by Obama supporters, and they'll never allow the Michigan and Florida delegations to be seated as is. So he's really saying "re-vote or don't come crying to me." This is hardball with a softball face.

Instead, he put the state parties on notice: either they can wait and allow the credentials committee to decide whether to seat their delegates, or submit to a re-vote sanctioned under DNC rules. "We look forward to receiving their proposals should they decide to submit new delegate selection plans and will review those plans at that time," he said in the statement.

"Everyone seems to be asking what the DNC will do," a Democrat close to Dean said. "But the question is: what will the state parties do."

Taegan Goddard says that Dean is not being a party boss with this maneuver; but actually, he is, and in the best way possible. He's telling Michigan and Florida that they got into this mess and they'll have to get out of it. He's respecting the rules of the party and the will of the voters.

As for the money, I think if there was a targeted effort to raise money for new primaries, Obama and Clinton donors would make it happen in a matter of days.

I sympathize a little with Florida, since a Republican legislature and a Republican governor rammed their early primary legislation home. But the Democrats were pretty much on board with it, too, so I don't sympathize too much. There's plenty of time between now and June if they're serious about having their delegations count. So get to it!