"DNC strips Fla. of delegates -- primary wouldn't count" -- blog in Politico

[LizF]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0807/Florida_primary_found_noncompliant.html

[LizF]

Related story:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070825/D8R89GUG0.html

[foofighter20x]

Wow. Good job, DNC.

The RNC needs to do the same thing to Michigan since Saul Anuzis (if I spelled that right), the head of the Michigan Republican Party, the one that tried to get Dr Paul banned from the debates after the SC debate, moved Michigan's GOP primary to Jan 15.

[LizF]

True, although if Florida is kept from moving its primary date, then the other states probably won't be so driven to change their primaries in a drive to be make themselves more "relevant".

[foofighter20x]

We really need the Delaware Plan. :(

[Wyurm]

ok, this might be unfair and sound ridiculous, but Ron Paul supporters are the only ones that care enough to keep serious tabs on when and how to vote in the primaries. It might actually help us if they keep floating the dates all over the place. I know thats a selfish view, but I want freedom :D

[Omnis]

Is this good for Ron Paul Floridians? We could convince the disenfranchised Florida democrats to register republican instead and vote for Ron Paul in the primary.

[Dary]

Actually, from what I heard at the Republican Executive Committee meeting here in Jacksonville last week, the Republican delegates will also be punished for making the primary date change.

Jacksonville mayor John Delaney said that if the date change happens, then the republican delegate count will be cut in half from 114 to 57.

I also read just recently (though I don’t have a link right now) that the punishment would be equal to what has just been posted regarding the democratic delegate count, and that is that the republicans would lose ALL of their delegates (just like the democrats would) if the date change happens.

I can’t help thinking that something more nefarious is going on that we are not privy to.

I mean, who cares if your primary date is earlier if you are going to lose your delegates?

Could it be that the power brokers are waking up to the fact that Florida is Ron Paul country and that they would be willing to surrender their delegates in order to guarantee that it isn’t Florida that delivers the nomination to the Congressman?

[angelatc]

I'd almost like the state to come in and take some of this power away from the parties.

[Dary]

http://tinyurl.com/29dtmb

"That penalty, if enforced, would mean Florida would only get half as many delegates as normal at the party's national convention in September. In effect, that would dilute the voting power of Florida Republicans when they go to the polls in the presidential primary, because it would cut the number of delegates voting for the candidate who wins the primary.

Greer says he will ask the state party to choose a full slate of delegates, 114 members, and fight to get them seated at the convention, regardless of party rules.

"I intend to take all 114 delegates to the convention," Greer said. "I'm going to defend our position to the convention floor if necessary and ask that Florida’s 114 delegates be seated."

If the state Republican Party adopts Greer's position at a meeting this weekend, which is likely, it will put them into the same sort of confrontation with their parent national party that Florida Democrats already are in. "



http://www.rncwelcomingcommittee.org/81/

"If states go outside our window between February 5th and July 28th,” he said, "... they will lose at least half, and in some instances lose as much as 90 percent, of their delegate votes."

One of those states is Florida, which has moved its primary to Jan. 29, making it the fifth state contest, along with South Carolina, after Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and Wyoming.