June 3 at 1:36PM
The Colbert Report — Michigan and Florida: What Would You Have Done?
Last night Stephen Colbert asked a bunch of people hanging out at Union Square here in New York City how they would have solved the delegate allocation issue in Michigan and Florida.
Which of the below responses best echoes your own thoughts? Let us know.
Watch the clip below the fold.
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if i want to send a funny pic in to the report….how do i go about doing so? thanks.
Poll is flawed and shit.
There is a choice to beat the shit out them and an instinct to hit them. Look at the numbers. RECOUNT. I'M TAKING THIS TO DENVER.
This is ridiculous… Both Florida and Michigan were told by the DNC that if they broke the rules that they wouldn't have a vote. They broke the rules. NOW they are whining about how "it shouldn't matter?"
Here's the kicker though: no one seems to even remember anymore that in Michigan all of the half a dozen nominee hopefuls held a meeting and all of them agreed to remove their names from the ballot…. But Clinton, and Clinton alone; LIED! Not that it did her much good, even after her cheating, 43% of that vote was still undecided…. And yet, none of this seems to say anything to anyone?
I know, I shouldn't be surprised- after all, we are currently debating on whether or not it's acceptable to break rules knowing that there are consequences and then complaining about how those consequences are suddenly "unfair." Which is not unlike thrusting your hand in a fire with someone telling you that it's going to hurt and then blaming that person for your pain.
Michigan and Florida got far more then they deserved because here in the Real World dearhearts- one either plays by the rules or one does not play at all!
While it's a fair point that the states were told ahead of time that their votes wouldn't count, part of me still thinks it's a bit of a slap in the face to the voters.
Maybe another couple of primaries would solve the issue? Or maybe the point is moot now that Obama seems to have the nomination sewn up.
I live in Michigan, and am a democrat. Where did I get a say in this? I thought it was stupid to move up the primary. Our whole election process is stupid. Why can't we just have a popular vote?
I'm inclined to agree with Tad Devine on the issue that a symbolic gesture of halving the delegates was a good reconcilation package for Mrs. Clinton (and more importantly her supporters). In a way it is possible to see it as an attempt to patch up the party, however if it helps to perpetuates the primary race to convention then (which as Hillary claims she has the popular vote appears it will) the DNC's decision could prove to be a thorn in Obama's side come November (there is some political reality in Clinton's claims that Michigan and Florida voters could be disenchanted by the compromise).
And as My Stephen walked away there was a slight pause in the air as one of the girls said a little too loud, "I'd hit that"
Actually, Adrian, you are right about that. The fact that this mess winds up screwing over the voter is indeed valid. Those decisions to ignore the DNC rules were made by local officials who chose, for whatever reason, not to give a flying fig about the voters and that is ONE thing that I honestly think that EVERYONE in the US can agree with right now: life is anything but what it should be when our government chooses to ignore the will of the voters.
To be honest, that's one thing that has suprised me with all of this, because I know that if something like that happened in my state, I know that I would CERTAINLY be looking for whoever made that decision and making darned certain that they did not remain in their job or preferably even the state for long. That's what surprises me- not the anger, but the fact that it's entirely misdirected at the DNC.
Everyone in Michigan and Florida have a right to be fighting mad, but they need to be angry at the right people. The DNC just did precisely what they said that they were going to, it was the morons who decided to ignore them and the rules that need to pay. You guys (the voters) have my sympathy and my support, none of you should have gotten screwed like that, but none of us, nor the DNC were the ones that did it. If any of you decide to go after the bozos who DID, II'll be one of the first to cheer when they're forced out of office because not only do I understand, but I honestly think that a blow like that can only send a message for us all.
Yes, those should've not counted, according to the warnings the DNC gave them.
And damn it, no one is faulting the voters for going ahead and voting! Don't they watch their TV's in those states?! For crying out loud, it's the most blatant ignoring of news I've ever seen. If people are that stupid that they'll ignore important information, they DESERVE to lose their voice in an election.
It's the same as telling people, "don't stand in water when you plug in an electrical appliance." Then when they do, they try to claim ignorance of the consequences.
I'm from Michigan.
We damn well know it wasn't going to count. In fact, until a judge ruled it illegal (because the election was using state money), only the DNC and RNC would have the lists of those who voted in their corresponding primary.
So I voted Republican, just to see if I'd get anything in the mail.
Oh, and because the Democratic vote meant jack.
We had some state Dems who wanted to feel special, and Hillary was gonna win anyway, so we move up our date, everyone wrings their hands, but it's all well and good and next election there's a precedent!
… oops. Idiots.
I'm so happy to be registered independent, sometimes.