They’re joined by state Democratic party chair Mark Brewer, who is telling Democrats to vote in their own party’s caucus. The state is shelling out between $10 million and $15 million to run the elections, and more than a few Michigan taxpayers are
grumbling that they’re shelling out for a primary, when under the previous caucus system, the parties covered the costs.
A state primary in which a significant number of the state’s Democrats didn’t bother to vote in their own party’s contest — in a historic, hard-fought battle between the potential first black nominee and the first woman nominee — would be a serious embarrassment.
Not everyone got the memo: Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas
called for Michigan Democrats to vote for Mitt Romney. Reaction to the post ran the gamut: from those who incredulously objected to “tell[ing] Democratic voters in Michigan to keep the candidacy of a photogenic white guy with lots of money (and the ability to tap corporate interests for more) alive,” to those who felt other GOP candidates were more deserving of their faux support, to those who objected on principle to interfering with the other party’s primary. More than a few thread respondents recognized that the plan would more or less hand the primary to Hillary. Strikingly rare were any self-identified Michiganders pledging to follow the Kos plan.
One Romney campaign insider said that they were aware of the Daily Kos “endorsement,” and characterized it as, “neither good [news] nor bad. Just interesting, because we had expected Dems to vote for McCain.”
One poll has been conducted in the state in the new year, by East Lansing–based Denno Noor. They offered 300 Democratic primary voters the options left on the ballot and found Hillary Clinton at 48 percent, “Uncommitted” at 28 percent, “unsure” at 11 percent and “other” at 10 percent. The other named candidates were afterthoughts — Dennis Kucinich at three percent, Christopher Dodd (who dropped out, but whose name remains on the ballot) at one percent and Mike Gravel at one percent.
Obama and Edwards have to be concerned about their commitment from uncommitted voters. Uncommitted delegates will not be counted unless “uncommitted” tallies at least 15 percent in the primary. Even then, there’s no guarantee that those delegates will support the candidates who complied with the DNC and removed their names from the ballot. It is presumed that most uncommitted delegates will favor Obama or Edwards — after all, Hillary supporters can still find her name on the ballot — but once the convention starts, those delegates can support anyone, even Hillary. As
Captain Ed noted, “Vote now for no one, and we’ll use your vote . . . wisely. Uh-huh.”
With the array of forces urging Democrats to vote in the Democratic primary, the crossover vote should be limited. If registered Democrat turnout is high, but the vote total in their primary is low, it will be a supreme embarrassment all around — particularly for the state party.
Under that scenario, Michigan could find itself shut out in any future, modified primary system. Why give Michigan Democrats an early say in their party’s process, when their state’s voters are more interested in mucking up the Republican selection?
— Jim Geraghty blogs at “The Campaign Spot.” < Back 1 2 
