正文
McCain backers sniff opportunity as Dems\' hopes fade for a primary do-over
Posted by Ted Roelofs | The Grand Rapids Press March 20, 2008 17:57PM
After days of wrangling, Michigan Democrats are back where they started: Nowhere.
Attempts to convene a proposed June 3 do-over primary collapsed today amid partisan bickering as the state Senate Legislature adjourned today with no deal in sight.
That leaves the Democratic delegation unseated at the August national convention, the prospect of angry, disillusioned voters -- and an opening for presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, in a state that has not gone Republican since 1988.
It\'s not breaking my heart, said Kent County GOP chairman Dave Dishaw.
From a John McCain perspective, obviously I\'m very excited that they can\'t get their act together.
Continued Democratic infighting, Dishaw believes, will only enhance McCain chances to take Michigan.
McCain has the luxury of uniting his base and burnishing his image abroad, as shown by his recent trip to the Middle East, he notes.
Moreover, McCain\'s appeal to independent, working-class voters should play well in a state where they are a significant part of the electorate, Dishaw added.
And in Kent County, the GOP has already shifted gears from a primary election mode to organizing for the fall.
It cannot be overemphasized how beneficial, that time to organize, is to a campaign.
The party found itself in this fix when the national party punished Michigan by stripping it of all delegates for holding its primary Jan. 15, earlier than rules allowed. Clinton, the only major candidate on the ballot, won 55 percent of the vote to 40 percent for uncommitted.
Jeff Williams, a senior vice president with Public Sector Consultants in Lansing, believes that Michigan still leans Democratic.
But he agrees that McCain\'s image as a political maverick who speaks truth to power could help him win independent voters. His chances improve each week and month the Democrats fail to find a candidate, he believes.
He is probably the most attractive crossover Republican. The longer this goes on on the Democratic side, the odds are better for the Republicans.
Clinton and backers including Gov. Jennifer Granholm pushed hard for the proposed state-run primary, to be paid by $12 million in private funds, as a fair way of deciding how its 128 delegates should be split.
Obama officials balked at the idea, questioning the funding and saying it could bar voters who voted in the GOP primary on Jan. 15 from voting in the new contest.
The Obama campaign came back today with a proposal to split the delegates, a gambit quickly rejected by Clinton officials.
Posted by Ted Roelofs | The Grand Rapids Press March 20, 2008 17:57PM
After days of wrangling, Michigan Democrats are back where they started: Nowhere.
Attempts to convene a proposed June 3 do-over primary collapsed today amid partisan bickering as the state Senate Legislature adjourned today with no deal in sight.
That leaves the Democratic delegation unseated at the August national convention, the prospect of angry, disillusioned voters -- and an opening for presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, in a state that has not gone Republican since 1988.
It\'s not breaking my heart, said Kent County GOP chairman Dave Dishaw.
From a John McCain perspective, obviously I\'m very excited that they can\'t get their act together.
Continued Democratic infighting, Dishaw believes, will only enhance McCain chances to take Michigan.
McCain has the luxury of uniting his base and burnishing his image abroad, as shown by his recent trip to the Middle East, he notes.
Moreover, McCain\'s appeal to independent, working-class voters should play well in a state where they are a significant part of the electorate, Dishaw added.
And in Kent County, the GOP has already shifted gears from a primary election mode to organizing for the fall.
It cannot be overemphasized how beneficial, that time to organize, is to a campaign.
The party found itself in this fix when the national party punished Michigan by stripping it of all delegates for holding its primary Jan. 15, earlier than rules allowed. Clinton, the only major candidate on the ballot, won 55 percent of the vote to 40 percent for uncommitted.
Jeff Williams, a senior vice president with Public Sector Consultants in Lansing, believes that Michigan still leans Democratic.
But he agrees that McCain\'s image as a political maverick who speaks truth to power could help him win independent voters. His chances improve each week and month the Democrats fail to find a candidate, he believes.
He is probably the most attractive crossover Republican. The longer this goes on on the Democratic side, the odds are better for the Republicans.
Clinton and backers including Gov. Jennifer Granholm pushed hard for the proposed state-run primary, to be paid by $12 million in private funds, as a fair way of deciding how its 128 delegates should be split.
Obama officials balked at the idea, questioning the funding and saying it could bar voters who voted in the GOP primary on Jan. 15 from voting in the new contest.
The Obama campaign came back today with a proposal to split the delegates, a gambit quickly rejected by Clinton officials.
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