Michigan Democratic ballot called sham, unfair

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080115/NEWS15/801150338

Democratic ballot called sham, unfair

January 15, 2008

BY TINA LAM

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Former U.S. Sen. Don Riegle and former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, pals since both were in office in 1994, united Monday in Detroit to tell Democratic voters who support candidates not on the presidential primary ballot to vote uncommitted.

Riegle called the ballot a sham and said it was rigged.

Hillary and Bill Clinton "don't care how they win, only that they do," he said of the candidate and her husband. "It's not very different from what used to happen in the old Soviet Union."

After Michigan defied the party by scheduling an early primary, Riegle said the Democratic candidates had an understanding that none of them would compete in Michigan. Barack Obama and John Edwards honored the commitment, but Hillary Clinton did not and gained an unfair advantage, Riegle said.

Clinton has not campaigned in Michigan, but she did leave her name on the ballot.

Archer said he doesn't agree with Riegle's view that the strange Michigan ballot was Clinton's fault. But he strongly supports Obama and urged people who support him or Edwards to vote uncommitted today.

Uncommitted must get 15% of the vote in a congressional district for those votes to turn into delegates at the national convention representing other candidates.

Who knew?

Although they did hang some Yuris and Petrovs and even a few Borises.

But you got my drift.

n/t.

He's on the ballot too. :bounce:

I thought it was irrelevant that Clinton and Kucinich remained on the ballot because their delegates wouldn't count. Is it different in Michigan than Florida?

:shrug:

I'm just wondering how that works if voting for her will just go into a hole anyway.

is urging people to vote for Clinton if it's so meaningless. Maybe someone with more knowledge can weigh in.

Edit to add informative link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4065960&mesg_id=4065960


Granholm urges voters to back Clinton in primary
Posted by Associated Press January 12, 2008 22:32PM
Categories: Election News

SOUTHFIELD -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Saturday rallied Democrats to back Hillary Rodham Clinton in Tuesday's presidential primary, even if her main opponents aren't on the ballot.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm

"There's one candidate who said, 'I'm not going to abandon Michigan and I'm going to keep my name on the ballot as a statement of how I support Michigan.' And that's Sen. Clinton," Granholm told more than 125 Clinton supporters crowded inside the Westin hotel.
Barack Obama and John Edwards pulled their names from the Democratic ballot partly to avoid angering Iowa and New Hampshire, which didn't like other states crowding to the front of the election calendar. Some Obama and Edwards supporters have encouraged people to vote for "uncommitted," hoping that will give some national convention delegates to someone other than Clinton.

Granholm questioned that effort.

"Their choice is to be committed for uncommitted? Or to be committed to someone who has stood for us?"

Granholm was joined by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, college students and members of two unions that have endorsed Clinton: the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees.

The quirky Democratic ballot is not what many in the party wanted and could cause some confusion among voters. There's also concern that the New York senator could be embarrassed if enough voters choose uncommitted.

http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/01/granholm_urges_voters_to_back.html