Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean reminds me of no one so much these days as Dean Wormer. The Republicans are running a candidate with no natural base of party support, on a platform of continuing Bush's war and corporate tax cuts and the Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to snatch defeat from the mouth of victory.
Nader and Gore aren't really players this time around so the Dems have been forced to think creatively. What they've come up with isn't bad -- they've created a scenario in which Florida and Michigan, two swing states absolutely vital to regaining the White House, may not have their entire delegations seated at the Democratic Convention in Denver, basically guaranteeing a disaffected electorate when it comes time to get out the vote on November 4th. If Florida and Michigan vote red, Obama can talk about Colorado and Virginia and changing the electoral map all he wants -- there will be another rich, white guy with his hand on the bible come Inauguration Day.
In an attempt to find a way out of this game of Mousetrap they've created, the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the DNC is meeting Saturday in a Washington hotel. Members of the committee, as well as representatives of the Clinton and Obama campaigns, the Michigan and Florida delegations, the national and international press and hundreds of rabid spectators will participate in this day-long exercise in parliamentary procedure. A DNC spokesman, Luis Miranda, said he expected most of the 30 members of the RBC to attend.
Say what? "Most" of the members? What possible excuse could a panel member have for not showing up at this meeting? "I'm sorry, but this is my time-share week at the Ocean City condo?" "Geez, I'd love to but I promised a buddy I'd help him move?" Gimme a break. I don't know what the hell the Rules and Bylaws Committee actually does but I have to think they share some of the responsibility for designing this absurd nominating process the Democrats have inflicted upon us. The least they can do is show up to help clean up their mess.
Not to put too fine a point on it, Howard Dean and the DNC are screwed. By voting to strip the two states of their delegates to the convention, they backed themselves into a corner they cannot defend. The Dems need Michigan and Florida. Refusing to seat the delegations would be the most Pyrrhic of victories for the party's administrators. Realizing this, they've spent the last weeks pivoting out of their corner and backpedaling away from their tough talk. It is now apparent that the DNC will cave -- a compromise is evidently in the works. Florida may get all of their super delegates seated but only half of their pledged delegates. Obama will receive most, but not all, of the Michigan delegates assigned to "Uncommitted," Clinton's only opponent of note on the January 15 primary ballot. But make no mistake about it, her campaign is not going to be happy if the committee doesn't rule in her favor, seating the entire delegations from both states based upon the votes cast in the primaries. Meanwhile, some in the Michigan delegation claim the DNC has no authority to assign uncommitted delegates to a specific candidate, in this case, Barack Obama.
See what I mean? It's the Homecoming Parade in Animal House. Or, more accurately, a cross between the toga party and the food fight.
Best case scenario is they seat the entire delegations proportionally and pledge to blow up the current nominating process and rebuild it by 2012. Take a long, hard look at super delegates and whether they have a place in a democratic process for the Democratic Party. Revisit the caucus debate -- are they really the most fair way by which to divine the voters' will? Is there any good argument remaining for Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to kick off the primary season every four years? Is proportional allotment of delegates a better system than winner-take-all?
Worst case, no compromise is reached and the Dems remain in limbo until, perhaps, the Credentials Committee takes another shot in August. It would give the Republicans another couple of free months to come up with some kind, any kind, of cogent message for the McCain campaign.
The Democrats are probably too smart to let that happen. Right? This election should be unloseable, even more so than the Gore and Kerry fiascos. So why is it that I can't shake the image of Howard Dean furiously gaveling the meeting tomorrow to a close, the room in chaos, as he sentences both the Florida and Michigan delegations to Double Secret Probation.
Just like Dean Wormer.
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