Fla. Democrats May Outlast Howard Dean

By Bill Rufty, Lakeland Ledger

Monday, August 27, 2007

Some Democrats in Florida probably are beginning to ask, "Has Howard Dean lost his mind?"

The one-time presidential candidate and current chairman of the National Democratic Party, has begun to seem to some like der Demo-führer, appearing to think autocratic rule is more important than winning the key state of Florida in next year's presidential election.

Because both Democrats and Republicans in the Florida Legislature moved their presidential primaries to Jan. 29, both major parties have stated they will punish their Florida party. Republicans are going to reduce the number of delegates from Florida. Dean and the Democratic National Committee basically are going to ban Florida.

It is hard enough for those Florida Democrats who actually work for their party to hold things together down here and to deal with the increasing number of factions and a growing GOP that has controlled the governor's mansion since 1999 and both chambers of the Legislature since 1996.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the only Democrat consistently to carry Polk County, has hinted state Democrats could sue the national party over Dean and its decision to ban all delegates earned in the Jan. 29 primary. As a compromise, he suggested that perhaps some of the many states holding their primaries a week later on Feb. 5 might move up a week to join Florida.

Banning delegates or not, the current leaders of the national Democrats may already have sealed their fate. The Iowa straw poll didn't chose delegates, but media coverage was everywhere and one Republican presidential candidate even dropped out after the results. So, what do you think will happen when the largest state to date, Florida, reveals the results of its primaries? Newspapers, television and bloggers will cover it like crazy.

Presidential candidates in both parties know the publicity will be irreplaceable and that it will set the stage for the myriad of states holding primaries one week later.

They aren't going to stay away.

A few months back Dean announced, "Anybody who campaigns in Florida is ineligible for delegates."

In reality, maybe that might be rephrased a little: Anyone standing with Howard Dean after the Democratic convention may be out of a job like him.

And why is that? It's because the presidential nominee of either major party becomes the de facto head of the party, at least until after the election. And no Democratic nominee is going to risk the anger of voters within his or her own party in one of the most crucial states.

In fact, if the choices are made early, you just may see both the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees cancel their parties' "punishment" of Florida before their respective conventions.