Mike Viqueira of MSNBC's First Read reports:
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A small but very fired up group of Floridians rallied in the street outside the Democratic National Committee's headquarters here today, demanding that their primary votes be counted and threatening to literally block the doors of the Democratic Convention if they aren't.
"We will shut down the convention!" exclaimed Rep. Corrine Brown. "If we are not seated, then nobody is going to be seated!" ...
But others were adamant that this was about right and wrong, not Obama and Clinton. "We've been robbed. I didn't get a say," said Glenda O'Laughlin of Clearwater. "This is a betrayal of our rights as citizens," added Branford Fambro, also of Clearwater.
I hate to put a damper this beautiful expression of democracy, but it's not the national DNC's fault that Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates. It's the Florida and Michigan state parties that intentionally violated the rules and thus cost themselves their delegates. So I'm not terribly moved by these superdelegates (who do have a vote) arguing for the voting rights of citizens. And I have my doubts that this demonstration is indifferent to the outcome of the Florida primary. The League of United Latin American Citizens, which organized the protest, received the backing of both of Florida's senators, Bill Nelson, who has endorsed Clinton, and RNC Chairman Mel Martinez. Hardly disinterested actors. Indeed, the First Read story was only able to dig up quotes from Clinton supporters, which leads me to wonder whether any Obama supporters were present at all.
Bonus trivia: Clearwater, Florida, is the worldwide "spiritual headquarters" of the Church of Scientology. Awesome!
--Mori Dinauer
