Election time in Florida has become a somewhat sordid affair. After giving the election to Bush in 2000 - despite his actually losing - we have managed to have some stupid controversary in every election cycle that serves us up as the national embarrassment.
We had been making some progress - the state had agreed to adopt optical scan technology and do away with touch screen, no paper trail machines, even funding the effort for affected counties. The formality of that implementation is included in today's exciting "F-you" to both parties, but most especially to DNC Chair Howard Dean.
Our Republican-controlled state legislature voted to move up our presidential primary date to January 29, a week ahead of the February 5 date that both national committees wanted.
The RNC will penalize us by withholding half of Florida's delegates from the nomination. The DNC, however, will withhold all delegates and will penalize candidates who campaign in Florida.
But, our state legislators don't think Dean will follow through:
Florida lawmakers have repeatedly said they will not cower in the face of sanctions from the national parties because they believe choosing the next president is more important than sending delegates to a convention with a preordained outcome. Democrats in particular have questioned whether their national party would actually penalize individual candidates and jeopardize its electoral chances.Dean said earlier this week he most definitely would.
Listen. I agree that the conventions have been just a formality but this can always change. Does anyone rightly believe that Obama, Clinton or Edwards will emerge at the front and stay there? We have a real horse race this time out.
But to the subject at hand: Can Florida just get through one election cycle without being the frontrunner for late night television ridicule?Maybe no one will cover it but we're Florida, the eternal punchline. I don't hold much hope.
Nope, Florida wants to feel more important. Gee, I would think giving the Presidency to King George would have been all the importance we could stomach.
