Rules broken, doesn't count, let it go already!
By choosing to leave his name on the Florida ballot after removing it in Michigan, Obama clearly realized he made an error. Following that up by refusing to allow the voters in either state to be recognized, you must realize it's a foregone conclusion he won't win either swing state in the general.
He was unable to remove his name from the Florida ballot. In order to remove your name from the Florida ballot, you need to be withdrawing entirely as a candidate. Since he wasn't, he couldn't.
because I really don't know about that, but it dosen't affect the latter half of my comment. The strategy that helped him in the nomination phase with regard to Mi. & Fl. will come back to bite him in the general.
the secretary of state has the authority to place any major presidential candidate's name on the florida ballot even if they declare they don't want it there (for the primaries). if you have evidence that kurt browning would have removed obama's name from the ballot if barack had requested it, feel free to post it.
browning did admit (on local television) that he informed one campaign (without specifying which one) that he would not allow their candidate's name to be removed from the january ballot. but if you have other information, i know i would appreciate hearing it...
I don't have any information about that, sorry.
So you're all for disenfranchising all Obama supporters in Michigan?? Wow...
Quite the opposite. Obama signaled his intention to do that by removing his name from the ballot.
No he did not - you are twisting the circumstances to fit your agenda and engaging in ridiculous, ingenious, indefensible, spin. Obama was one of several candidates to remove their name form the ballot. It was an orchestrated attempt to punish Michigan for breaking the rules.
You would be correct with regard to Obama, IF he had also removed his name from the ballot in Florida, which he did not do. I'm not trying to spin anything. He removed his name when it suited his purposes to do so, left it on when it didn't. His priority 'concern' was clearly gaining political advantage.
Rules in Florida are different. One cannot remain a candidate for office, yet take oneself off the ballot. Obama pursued this, then like all the others, realized it was not legally feasible to get off the FL ballot without ending his candidacy completely there.
What I said, and what you had to say are not mutually exclusive comments. I realize the price he would have paid to repeat his Mi. gesture.
NO ONE removed their name from the FL ballot. This wasn't just about Obama... it was about the entire Democratic field of candidates and how they chose to react to a violation of the rules set by the DNC.
Besides - Obama would have fared much better in MI than FL - so why didn't he remove his name in FL and keep it on in MI (not that he even could remove his name in FL, but you don't seem to care about that fact).
On the contrary - the MDP signaled their willingness to bet their voters' enfranchisement on the DNC not sticking to its guns and enforcing the rules. They made a wager with the people's rights and they lost; it is now the job of grassroots Democrats in Michigan to ensure that new leadership is put in place in the MDP - leadership that won't go making bets with chips that aren't theirs.
Michigan violated the rules even more aggressively than Florida. Besides, Obama was not the only candidate to remove his name form the ballot.
Anybody remember John Edwards? He too removed his name from the ballot. They were taking a stand against a flagrant violation of the rules. Clinton chose not to take a stand... and it turns out it didn't do much good for her afterall.
