Legal Commentary

Is The Florida Dem Race Getting Traction?

By Big Tent Democrat

The Florida Democratic primary today will not select delegates, according to Democratic rules. The candidates did not campaign here or run ads, other than a national ad run by Barack Obama. Howver, all the candidates are on the ballot. It seems likely that the largest number of Democratic voters will cast ballots today in Florida that have voted in any state to date. Indeed, RECORD turnout is forecast. Can these votes be ignored by the Media? The Obama camp seems worried that it will not be:

. . . [O]n a media call that was led off by Sen. John Kerry. Here are quick translations of Kerry's opening remarks, which were directly specifically and near exclusively focused on the Clinton campaign's attempt to claim significance from what happens today in Florida:

"The bottom line is that Florida offers no delegates. It should not become part of some spin campaign. . . . You have a contrast today, a juxtaposition. You have an avoidance of a rule set up by the chair to create something that isn’t supposed to be something. In my judgment, personally, as voters look at the meaning of the Florida primary, the voters are not looking for spin to win the news cycle . . .

More....

This is intriguing in that the Obama campaign accepts that no delegates will be chosen by insists that EVEN PAYING ATTENTION to the vote is wrong. It is a hard argument, or would be if this was not Obama's camp making it. IF the shoe was on the other foot, I feel confident it would be a big story tonight.

What should the Media do? How about report the news. To wit, explain there was no campaigning and no delegates will be awarded and then report the vote count. Reporting. Try it some time Media.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 29, 2008 (boomark / email).