Who will pay for this fiasco?

Published in the Holland Sentinel on March 17, 2008 -

Last year, Gov. Granholm and the Michigan Legislature deliberately robbed all Michigan Democrats of their voice in this year's presidential primary election by violating national party rules. Now, they are scrambling to cover their tracks and to make up for their stupidity.

Granholm didn't think the Democratic National Committee (DNC) would stick to the rules of this year's election cycle, and she was wrong. Granholm didn't think her candidate, Hillary Clinton, would need Michigan's delegates in order to win the presidential nomination, and she was wrong. Granholm didn't care what her actions would do to Michigan voters, and once again, she was wrong.

Now, Granholm, the Michigan Democratic Party and the DNC are negotiating to correct the wrong done to Michigan citizens by their own leaders. All they need to do is come up with a plan (agreeable to both Clinton and Barack Obama) to hold a second Democratic presidential primary before June 10, so that Michigan's delegates can be seated and counted at this year's Democratic National Convention.

The big question I have for everyone is,"Who is going to pay for this fiasco?" Every moment spent on this disaster by any state official is costing Michigan taxpayers money we don't have. This "do-over" election will cost more than $10 million that Michigan doesn't have. Who is going to foot these bills? You can bet it won't be those responsible for causing this problem.

Michigan tax payers already paid millions of dollars for a special primary election on Jan. 15 of this year. The result of that "special" election was Michigan Republicans being robbed of one half of their delegates and Michigan Democrats robbed of all of their delegates. How wrong would it be to require the citizens of Michigan to pay for another election just to make up for the irresponsible actions of our governor and Legislature?

The sad reality of this matter is that both Michigan political parties believed this ploy would benefit their respective party. Both political parties cared more about politics than they cared about protecting the very people they are paid to serve; both political parties conspired to steal Michigan's presidential delegates; and both Michigan political parties were wrong.

Every red-blooded American should be outraged at the way Michigan's leaders defrauded their own citizens of their vote. Every red-blooded American should take a real hard look at Michigan's leadership to make sure they don't have their votes stolen from them by their respective state governments. And, every red-blooded American should stand with the citizens of Michigan in protest against our state government for the way they abused the national election process.

I have said this before about Washington, D.C., and I will now say this about Michigan: It's time to flush the toilet of political corruption in Lansing.

Comments

[Joshua Leatherman]

Al, great article. Despite the fact that it is becoming more evident that we will not have to pay for another Democratic primary, there has been a cost (both monetary and in resources) associated with the time our legislators have spent in the past weeks trying to make a second Democratic primary work.