Circular Reasoning

What to do about Michigan and Florida? This is a big dilemma for the Democrats. Howard Dean is all for seating the delegates but not until the candidate has been selected. Hillary is still pushing a second vote. Obama has suggested that the delegates be split evenly. Someone else proposed giving Hillary all of her Michigan delegates and Obama the remaining ones.

Most of these solutions will anger the voters from these states. Other states were allowed to move up their primaries and only lost half their delegates. The DNC is practicing preferential treatment. This is understandable, they are Democrats and that's what Democrats do. Still, the experience can be galling for those left behind. Neither of these states voted so solidly that they can afford to alienate voters.

Many, especially among the Obama supporters, are quite happy to leave things the way that they are. After all, these states brought it on themselves by moving their primaries even thought they are not among the favored states that are allowed to vote early.

Here is a bit of circular reasoning in favor of leaving things as they are.

Myth: If they don't get seated until the convention but a nominee is selected before these poor people get counted then these states are disenfranchised.

There are two ways to debunk this myth: semantically and practically. The first is based on the word "disenfranchised:" these people have not been deprived of their right to vote. Through the actions of their states, their votes don't impact the outcome. Now, you may say that that is specious semantics (Myth: I do say that!) but practically speaking, this is the usual effect of the nominating process, anyway.

This in effect says that these states have a choice between letting other states select the nominee before Florida and Michigan get to vote or losing their vote. I understand their frustration. Here in Ohio we vote so late that the nominee has normally been chosen a long time before our vote. While Ohio got to keep Hillary in the contest, McCain was already a forgone conclusion.

The powers that be have allowed certain states to select our elected candidates. They aren't even representative states. The Republicans at least allowed a trade-off - vote early and lose half your delegates. If the Democrats had done the same thing then Hillary would still have likely carried those states but Obama would still be ahead and unsullied.