More than one month has passed since the Michigan primary on Jan. 15, but Sen. Hillary Clinton-the winner of that contest-is still looking for her unjust reward.
Democratic Party rules state that only Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina can hold nominating contests before Feb. 5. Knowing the regulations, Michigan advanced its primary date in an attempt to gain national attention for the event. The rules panel of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) then made the decision to strip Michigan of all delegates. Florida, which held its primary on Jan. 29, lost its delegates, too.
It’s not as though Clinton even had much opposition in the Michigan contest. After the state violated party rules, Sens. Barack Obama and John Edwards pulled their names off the ticket. As the only front-runner on the ticket, Clinton promptly defeated “Uncommitted,” 55.3 – 40 percent.
At the time, the results didn’t matter in the slightest. But even though Clinton had no problem with the Michigan penalty when it was assessed in early December, her tune changed in the weeks after she won the contest. Recently, it has changed even more dramatically, as she has watched her delegate lead over Obama steadily slip away.
Clinton said on Friday, Feb. 22 that she was planning to pressure the DNC about the delegates from Michigan and Florida, which she also won, in hope that the decision would be overturned. The truth, however, is that the former first lady is wildly overstepping her bounds.
In a tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination, it is clear that Michigan’s 156 delegates could make or break the next Democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States.
The fact is that Michigan broke the rules laid out by the DNC and the state is paying the price for that choice. If the party goes back on its word at this point, it will be unfair to all involved. Obama, who removed his name in an apparent show of respect for the DNC decision, would be wronged.
Even more importantly, however, the primary voters in the state of Michigan would be cheated. With only Clinton’s name on the ballot and with seemingly no delegates at stake, it’s difficult to believe that every Obama voter turned out just to cast an uncommitted vote. If it utilizes the Michigan primary results to hand out delegates, the Democratic Party would honor the results of a slanted election.
This country doesn’t need another electoral scandal this year. It simply needs people-and states-that will respect authority and face the consequences of their actions.
