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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 23, 2008

Don't Change Rules Now

Regarding "Seat Half Of Democratic Delegates According To How Florida Voted" (Our Opinion, Feb. 17):

At the start of this nonsense the DNC stated it would not seat the delegates of Florida if we held our primary before Jan 29. The RNC stated they would only seat one-half the delegates. Obama and Clinton agreed.

I am quite sure that a lot of voters were disheartened by the decisions of the governing bodies and therefore did not vote. Why vote if it would not matter?

Now that Clinton needs the delegates that she agreed she would not count, she wants to change the rules of the game.

To allow any delegates except half the Republican delegates to be seated would truly be a disenfranchisement of the voters who were told by the DNC that their votes would not count and therefore did not vote.

No Democratic delegates from the state of Florida should be seated.

PAT FAUCETT

Brooksville

Shakespearean In Nature

Perhaps only Shakespeare could write the script that is being played out in the Democratic primaries.

The unbridled arrogance the Democratic Party elite display in their mock concern for the underclass is garish enough under normal circumstance. However, when backed into a corner by the improbable political success as is occurring with the novice Barack Obama, the sophistry collapses and all the ugliness and treacherous behavior normally concealed by a willing media corps is revealed for all to observe. Perhaps the most revolting of the elitist snobbery on display is the Democratic Party's use of "superdelegates." The ability for so many Democratic activists to speak out of both sides of their mouth is breathtaking.

CHUCK CESSNA

Valrico

A Simple Remedy

Since there is a real possibility of a brokered and fractured Democratic National Convention due to the real possibility that one candidate may carry more states, more votes and more delegates than their opponent yet not meet the threshold of a landslide, I would like to suggest a simple remedy to the problem that is mounting.

That solution would be for the superdelegates to withdraw from their role and not be a party to this rather stupid, ill-conceived, and un-American idea. The simple reason for doing this is very basic: To override the wishes of the masses of this great country would be clearly un-democratic.

They should not hide behind the position that they are merely reflecting the majority of the citizens of their particular state. The result is the same: they would overrule the votes of many of the citizens. DAN McCLAIN

Valrico

Party Hypocrisy

Regarding "Democrat's Choice Might Not Be Voters'" (Nation/World, Feb. 11):

Are you kidding me? The party that sues to recount votes, that believes Al Gore should be president because he won the "popular" vote, that sends teams of lawyers to voting precincts to ensure that no voter is wronged, that says they are fighting the culture of corruption - is the same party that gives special "superdelegates" to a privileged few party members? I can't believe DNC leadership would hand over almost 40 percent of the delegates to party insiders who can vote for whomever they want.

This means Barack Obama can win the popular nomination and the Democratic power brokers can anoint Hillary Clinton as their presidential candidate against the will of the "common" primary voters. I find this as hypocritical as the DNC discounting the primary votes in Michigan and Florida, but not as bad and Clinton promising to make those delegates count after winning the Michigan primary (Obama was not on the ticket) and being up 30 points in the polls in Florida. I still wonder if she would have made that promise had she lost the Florida primary.

CHRISTOPHER MILES

Brooksville

Votes Should Count

Who is the DNC to tell me my voice cannot be heard? It is the law that people have every opportunity to attend and participate in voting and yet one partisan organization has the power to block the votes of an entire state, let alone two? Is that even legal? Where is the ACLU; why is no one fighting for my rights?

Did I move the date for the primary? No. Did we vote to do that? No. So why are we being penalized for a bill signed by a Republican governor I didn't even vote for? I am an American and my vote does count!

PATRICIA L. MUNIZ

Tampa

Try Regional Primaries

Matt Curran's Feb. 16 letter is right on. There would be what would amount to a civil war in the Democratic Party if the Florida and Michigan delegates were now to be counted, especially since Obama wasn't even listed as a choice in Michigan - only Clinton was on the ballot.

The solution is the one that has been urged by Joseph H. Brown lo these many years: regional primaries. Divide the nation into four regions, each holding its primaries or caucuses in a different month, rotating who goes first every four years.

How do we get such a change instituted? Who do we talk to? It would seem impossible to get the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee to embrace anything so logical!

HUGH SMITH

Lakeland

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