Democratic Party give the District of Columbia Primary the Big Brushoff

[cryofan]

WASHINGTON - While most of the 2004 Democratic presidential candidates flock to Iowa and New Hampshire for the two states' highly publicized contests for national convention delegates next month, the first actual primary - here in the District of Columbia - is getting the cold shoulder from them.

The District will hold a preferential, or "beauty contest," primary Jan. 13, six days before the Iowa precinct caucuses and two weeks before the "real" New Hampshire primary at which convention delegates will actually be elected.

....

The five others - Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina, Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri and retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark - have had their names removed from the ballot.

The five have knuckled under to the call of Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe to boycott the D.C. primary in deference to the traditional kickoff states of Iowa and New Hampshire, which are protected by party law in their positions at the head of the delegate-selection calendar.
....



more here:
http://www.sunspot.net/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.witcover31dec31,0,6066421.column?coll=bal-home-columnists

I call for Dennis Kucinich to publicize this DC primary whenever and wherever he can. Time to step up and make the Democratic nomination process revolve more around the average Demcratic voter.

[cjbuchanan]

1. I don't think they caved to pressure...

I think those five were afraid that Dean was going to win, thus they pulled out. If they are not there, then they can say they did not loose. When D.C. first announced their plans, none of the five disagreed. It was not till polling showed Dean with a lead that they asked for their names to be removed from the ballot. I could be wrong, but that's the way it looks to me.

[Atlant]

2. "Shocked! I'm shocked, I say!" (NT)

[Cheswick2.0]

3. here's the part you cut out

Only four of the nine declared candidates - former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont, civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois and Rep. Dennis Kucinich - are entered. In a recent WTOP-AM radio poll, Dr. Dean was running far ahead, with 45 percent of the voters surveyed, to 11 for Mr. Sharpton, 8 for Ms. Braun and 4 for Mr. Kucinich.

[cryofan]

4. A kick for Democratic party hypocrisy!