Howard Dean was on both "This Week" and "Face the Nation" yesterday discussing the Florida/Michigan delegate situation. The latest proposal from Dean and the DNC is a new primary for Florida, conducted by mail. "It's comprehensive. You get to vote if you're in Iraq or in a nursing home," Dean said. "It's not a bad way to do this." Florida Dems seem okay with this plan. Overall, it's a pretty good resolution to the expense and voter-turnout issues presented by having a caucus or in-person primary.
But it still leaves the question of who will put down the estimated $6 million to fund a mail-in primary. The Florida Democratic Party only raised about $5 million last year, according to state records. Dean maintains that it's "not our problem," but if Florida Dems break the bank on a new primary, come November it very much will be. Democrats there have said repeatedly that they won't sacrifice their general election funds for another primary, and the DNC would be wise to recognize the validity of Florida's financial worries. I can't abide by the proposal of corporate sponsorship that Ben Smith floated on Friday, and I sincerely doubt that Gov. Charlie Crist is going to pony up the cash. What the state party and the DNC should do is suck it up and split the cost.
--Kate Sheppard
