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When Is "Disenfranchisement" Not "Disenfranchisement?"

By Big Tent Democrat

By Big Tent Democrat

Speaking for me only

Via John Cole, Steve Benen makes a sound point but then avoids an obvious one. First the sound point:

[F]or the Clinton campaign to argue that Obama wants to “disenfranchise voters” in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Oregon, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, Kentucky, South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, and Indiana is pretty ridiculous. Obama wants the nomination fight to end, Clinton doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean he wants to “disenfranchise” voters in the remaining states. That’s just how things go for states at the end of the nominating calendar. Indeed, the states know that, and have a choice about moving their contests up.

(Emphasis supplied.) Steve's last line is extremely ironic since it was Florida and Michigan's initial attempt to "move their contests up" which has led to their being disenfranchised - first by the DNC's unequal and improper application of its rules and later because Obama deliberately stymied revotes in Florida and Michigan.

Thus, when Steve writes:

How [disenfranchisement] applies to Florida and Michigan is open to plenty of debate

Steve is ignoring the obvious. Indeed, Steve provides this definition of "disenfranchisement:"

“Disenfranchisement or disfranchisement is the revocation of the right of suffrage (the right to vote) to a person or group of people, or rendering a person’s vote less effective, or ineffective, through processes such as gerrymandering.”

This is exactly what has happened to Florida and Michigan and Obama has been the culprit when it comes to revotes. Steve knows this and chooses to ignore it. That has been the pattern of pro-Obama bloggers. I think that is wrong of them.

It is especially wrong from those bloggers who were outraged by what they termed Hillary Clinton's attempts to disenfranchise Nevada voters because Clinton argued that the design of the cacuuses in Nevada diluted the votes of some Nevada caucus voters. Those bloggers were being less than honest at the time and we can see that now as they have stood mute about the REAL disenfranchisement happening to Florida and Michigan when it is clear that Barack Obama is the force making sure these two states remain disenfranchised.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on March 23, 2008 (boomark / email).