DNC Letter to FDP

The Florida Democratic Party is negotiating with the Democratic National Committee. Florida moved up it's primary date against the wishes of the DNC. A delegation of Florida DNC members will meet with the DNC on Saturday, 25 August 2008 at Congressional Ballroom of the Capitol Hilton. The fact that the FDP is sending Janee Murphy is not reassuring.

The FDP has to comply with the DNC guidelines or lose delegates. There is no guarantee that the DNC will allow Florida to have delegates at the Democratic National Convention.

This is an email sent by Jon M. Ausman to the FDP.

***

Dear Friend:

On Saturday, 25 August 2008, the Democratic National Committee (DNC)
Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) will meet at 10:00 AM in the
Congressional Ballroom of the Capitol Hilton located at 1001 - 16th
Street, Northwest, in Washington, DC, to review the Florida
Democratic Party (FDP) Delegate Selection Plan (DSP).

This plan causes for a binding presidential preference primary to be
held on 29 January 2008 which will result in the allocation of 210
delegates among those presidential candidates receiving 15% of the
vote or more in any of Florida´s 25 congressional districts or as a
statewide total.

The FDP DSP reflects the will United States Senator Bill Nelson, most
of Florida´s Democratic Members of Congress, State Chair and former
Congresswoman Karen Thurman and the FDP State Executive Committee.

The DNC in August 2006 passed a delegate selection plan and call to
the Democratic National Convention that states only four states may
legally, under national party rule, hold the "first determining step"
for delegate selection prior to 5 February 2008. These states are
Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Even though all the components of the FDP DSP, but one, meet the DNC
rules the FDP DSP will be found to be out of compliance by the DNC
RBC this Saturday around 11:30 AM. The FDP DSP will then give the
FDP thirty (30) days to bring the plan into compliance. Failure to
bring this plan into compliance may result in the following:

1.The elimination of all unpledged delegates from
Florida (this would include Senator Nelson, all the Democratic
Members of Congress, all Florida DNC Members and the three unpledged
add on delegates);
2.The cutting in half of the number of pledged
delegates which means Florida will only have 93 delegates;
3.The enforcement of the rule stating that no
delegates will be awarded to any presidential candidate that
campaigns in Florida; and,
4.The imposition of a DNC RBC delegate selection
plan.

All eleven Florida DNC Members met today on a conference call.
Present were: former FDP Chair Terrie Brady; State Representative
Joyce Cusack, First Vice Chair Diane Glasser; Secretary Janee Murphy;
former Congresswoman and FDP Chair Karen Thurman; Jon Ausman; DNC
Executive Committee Member Mitch Ceasar; Tallahassee City
Commissioner Allan Katz; former Mayor of Hialeah Raul Martinez;
Chuck Mohlke; and, Taylor County Commissioner Rudy Parker.

On Saturday at least six of these DNC Members will present the FDP´s
efforts to have a delegate selection plan which attempts to meet the
following five goals:

1.A plan the maximizes the number of Florida
Democrats participating in the delegate selection process (two
million Democrats will vote in the primary versus at best 100,000 in
a caucus);
2.A plan the allows Democratic candidates who
campaign in Florida to win delegates (which the DNC RBC may prohibit
from happening);
3.A plan which gives a Florida Democrat casting a
ballot a ballot which is worth just as much as one cast by a Vermont
Democrat (in short, the vote counts, results in the proper and full
allocation of delegates and in a delegation which represents the
principle of one man, one vote);
4.A plan which results in full delegate
representation at the Democratic National Convention;
5.A plan which does not cost the FDP treasury all
it has and allows us to save our funds and people power for the
November election rather than squander it on a caucus.

Every DNC Member is committed to this plan.

If the DNC RBC states the FDP DSP is not in compliance I will write
you and let you know. I will also let you know what our options are
to have a plan which most of the goals listed above. If the DNC RBC
states that no delegates shall be allocated based on the 29 January
2008 primary then we will need to have a gathering of the minds,
including yours, to decide how to proceed.

***

I have no idea what happens next. Moving up the primary date was stupid, selfish and forced other states to move up their dates. Michigan is moving their primary to January 15th. Florida treats election with an attitude of unseriousness.