The mess in Michigan and Florida
It's sad that the voters in Michigan and Florida won't have their delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention this year. But that's exactly what should happen.
I can understand the voters in those two states feeling upset, even betrayed. But they should not feel betrayed by the Democratic National Committee. They should feel betrayed by their representatives in the State Legislature, and especially their Governor.
These elected officials knew, prior to taking action, that if they moved up their state primary before February 5, their delegates would not be seated. They KNEW this. There is no question about this fact. Knowing what the consequences would be, they chose to do it anyway. They must now suffer the consequences of their actions. It’s that simple.
I’ve heard some people say that it isn’t fair that the people of Michigan and Florida have to pay for the mistake of their elected officials. Actually, it is the ONLY THING that is fair. That is how our system works. We live in a representative democracy. We elect people to our government to make decisions on our behalf. To now say that the people should not have to abide by the decisions that their representatives make would throw our entire system of government into chaos. What would be next, saying that if you don’t agree with a law your representatives passes, you don’t have to follow it? Our society would turn into anarchy.
If the people of Michigan and Florida really cared about this issue, they should have called their representatives BEFORE they’d taken this action, and pleaded with them not to do so. If enough people had called, their representatives would have listened. If the people didn’t know what their representatives were doing, then shame on them. They should have been paying more attention.
The representatives of Michigan and Florida chose to violate the rules, and while it is unfortunate that all of the citizens of those states must now suffer the consequences, that is exactly the way it is. To allow the votes to be counted, or to allow a revote, would essentially be the same as saying “It’s okay that you violated the rules. You don’t have to face the consequences of your actions.”
I’m a big believer in personal responsibility, and it’s something that is VERY lacking in our society, especially with our elected officials. If any of them had any sense of responsibility, they would address their constituents, and admit that it was because of their actions that the delegates will not be seated. But instead of taking responsibility, they blame the DNC for not allowing the delegates to be seated, and then ask the DNC to pay for a revote. That kind of audacity is beyond all comprehension.
If you live in Michigan or Florida, and you are upset about this issue, you should be. Just be sure your anger is directed at the right place. Call your state representatives and your Governor, and ask them to take responsibility for their actions. Ask them to explain why they chose to take an action that would cause your vote to not count this primary season. If they won’t do it, you really only have one option available to you -- vote them out of office.
I can understand the voters in those two states feeling upset, even betrayed. But they should not feel betrayed by the Democratic National Committee. They should feel betrayed by their representatives in the State Legislature, and especially their Governor.
These elected officials knew, prior to taking action, that if they moved up their state primary before February 5, their delegates would not be seated. They KNEW this. There is no question about this fact. Knowing what the consequences would be, they chose to do it anyway. They must now suffer the consequences of their actions. It’s that simple.
I’ve heard some people say that it isn’t fair that the people of Michigan and Florida have to pay for the mistake of their elected officials. Actually, it is the ONLY THING that is fair. That is how our system works. We live in a representative democracy. We elect people to our government to make decisions on our behalf. To now say that the people should not have to abide by the decisions that their representatives make would throw our entire system of government into chaos. What would be next, saying that if you don’t agree with a law your representatives passes, you don’t have to follow it? Our society would turn into anarchy.
If the people of Michigan and Florida really cared about this issue, they should have called their representatives BEFORE they’d taken this action, and pleaded with them not to do so. If enough people had called, their representatives would have listened. If the people didn’t know what their representatives were doing, then shame on them. They should have been paying more attention.
The representatives of Michigan and Florida chose to violate the rules, and while it is unfortunate that all of the citizens of those states must now suffer the consequences, that is exactly the way it is. To allow the votes to be counted, or to allow a revote, would essentially be the same as saying “It’s okay that you violated the rules. You don’t have to face the consequences of your actions.”
I’m a big believer in personal responsibility, and it’s something that is VERY lacking in our society, especially with our elected officials. If any of them had any sense of responsibility, they would address their constituents, and admit that it was because of their actions that the delegates will not be seated. But instead of taking responsibility, they blame the DNC for not allowing the delegates to be seated, and then ask the DNC to pay for a revote. That kind of audacity is beyond all comprehension.
If you live in Michigan or Florida, and you are upset about this issue, you should be. Just be sure your anger is directed at the right place. Call your state representatives and your Governor, and ask them to take responsibility for their actions. Ask them to explain why they chose to take an action that would cause your vote to not count this primary season. If they won’t do it, you really only have one option available to you -- vote them out of office.
posted by Matt Compton at 12:35 AM
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