By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

This is rich:

In a crowded room in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Florida's Democratic House members met late into the evening but agreed on only two things: Any do-over election is unacceptable, and they're frustrated with Dean. Asked about his leadership before the meeting, Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa joked, "Who?"

(Emphasis supplied.) The House Dems, whose plan is NO plan and who are actively working to stymie the only viable plan on the table, are mad at Dean? Let me clue them in, Florida Dems are going to be mad at THEM when they found out the real obstacle to solving this problem, the group who is doing nothing to get Florida real representation at the Democratic Convention, and giving Florida Dems their voice back is THEM, the Florida Dem House delegation.

You know the old saying "lead, follow or get out of the way?" Someone needs to remind the Florida Dem House delegation about that one.

By Big Tent Democrat

Some good news:

The House Dem leadership's surveillance bill just cleared the House by a vote of 213-197 with 1 vote of present. 12 Dems crossed the aisle to vote against it.

The bill has stricter privacy safeguards than the Senate's version -- and of course does not contain a provision granting retroactive immunity for the telecoms' participation in the administration's warrantless wiretapping program.

Good show.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

I favor Barack Obama in this contest because I see no substantive differences on the issues meaningful to me (others see such differences, it is due to their taking meaning in differences I do not find meaning in) and because I find Obama more electable than Clinton (mostly because of how each is perceived and treated by the Media and existing negative baggage (unfair baggage no doubt) for Clinton.) Obama is also an electoral map changer in the West, where Democrats can make real short and medium term gains (as opposed to the South.) The one worry on that front is his weakness with Latinos.

Ron Brownstein reports on these electoral differences:

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

If, like me, you favor a revote in Florida, or if like Jeralyn, you oppose a revote in Florida, and you are a Florida Dem, here is your chance to tell the Florida Democratic Party what you think:

Please read the memo from Chairwoman Thurman about a suggested solution, and submit your input by Friday, 3/14/08, at 6:00 PM EST. No decision will be made until we hear from Florida Democrats. Thank you.

You can download the memo here: PDF Link

You can read the press release here: Link

Let's make this an Open Thread.

On January 15, 2008, 594,398 Democrats went to their polling places and voted in their state's primary. The official Michigan election results are here.

328,309 Democrats in Michigan voted for Hillary Clinton. She won all but two counties, Washtenaw and Emmet. 238,168 voted uncommitted. 21,715 voted for Dennis Kucinich. 3,845 voted for Chris Dodd. 2,361 voted for Mike Gravel.

Hillary got 55% of the vote. The uncommitted, who either were truly uncommitted or for Obama, Edwards or Biden, all three of whom voluntarily withdrew their names from the ballot, got 40%. Kucinich, Dodd and Gravel won 5% of the vote.

Barack Obama now proposes he get 50% of the state's delegates. That would be vote-stealing. It would be disenfranchising 5% of Hillary's voters. It would be assuming that every uncommitted voter and every voter for Kucinich, Dodd and Gravel now want their vote to go to Obama.

That's called stealing an election.

Obama prevails in this crazy theory at his peril. There will be hundreds of thousands of Democrats across the country who will refuse to vote for him in November, thinking better a Republican than a cheat. [More...]

By Big Tent Democrat

More thread.

By Big Tent Democrat

Your turn. Open Thread. Play nice. Hasta luego.

NOTE -Comments closed.

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only.

Update 2:45 MT: Looks like we've fixed the problem. Let us know in comments if you're still having problems. And welcome to our new readers.

***

There have been many e-mails from readers since Monday saying they are having problems creating accounts at TalkLeft. They get a message that their IP has already been registered for an account and there's a limit of two per day. We just changed the limit to five and the same message comes up (with five rather than two as the limit.)

We went to a new caching system over the weekend so some pages now load statically rather than dynamically (or something like that) to speed up the site, and since then, we've been getting these emails.

Colin, our webmaster, says it may be related to the new caching system and he hopes to have a solution shortly.

Thanks for your patience, and please use this thread for any issues or questions related to TalkLeft.

I'll be at work and the jail the rest of the day, so here's an open thread. I'll be back tonight.

Is anyone thinking about things other than Spitzer and Michigan and Florida? If so, please weigh in.

Update: Comments now closed.

With most of the progressive blogosphere seemingly behind Barack Obama, Tom Watson lines up the list of those favoring Hillary.

To be a Clinton blogger in the progressive blogosphere is to be hated, shunned, passed without notice in the street. .... We're not welcome at all the best dKos parties - if we show up, we're cursed with the universal epithet of those who challenge the Obama hegemony: "troll," they call us. ... Oh, the pain. The pure pain.

Give the gift of traffic. Here's Tom's list of bloggers writing favorably about Hillary: [More...]

By Big Tent Democrat

As we wait for Mississippi to vote, I find no news on MI/FL revotes, my new obsession. So in the meantime, Ezra points us to this interview with David Simon, the creator of an obsession of many bloggers, including me, The Wire.

Add your own obsessions in this Open Thread.