Democratic delegate debacle

Re “Democrats grapple over next moves,” March 6

The continuing attempts by Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign to count delegates from Michigan and Florida, when Sen. Barack Obama didn’t campaign in either state and wasn’t even on the ballot in Michigan, is little different from the so-called theft of the election by George W. Bush in the 2000 Florida debacle.

It’s ironic that the very people who screamed the longest and loudest over that are now willing to ignore the hypocrisy of this effort when it’s in their own best interest.

Kevin Arthur

Fullerton

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The Michigan and Florida Democratic organizations wanted to increase the influence of their primaries by moving up the already scheduled elections. The Democratic National Committee sanctioned both states when they did so. Now, having bent the rules to inflate their importance and gotten slapped down in the process, they want second chances to be influential -- now with even more riding on it.

By allowing them re-dos now, the DNC would be trivializing its own authority and rewarding Michigan and Florida for flouting the earlier ruling. The two states would be getting what they wanted all along: disproportionate clout for their own Democratic voters. They would get their way by breaking the rules. That rankles. The DNC should stick with its earlier ruling and, if necessary, let the party’s decision go to the convention.

Donald J. Loundy

Carlsbad

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As a registered Democrat and Obama supporter, I have intended to support Clinton in the general election should she win the nomination. That is, unless she and her campaign try to use the almost comical (if it weren’t so sad) imbroglio involving the Florida and Michigan primaries to put her over the top. It is undeniable that hundreds of thousands of Obama and Clinton supporters did not vote because their states were stripped of delegates, and Obama wasn’t even on the Michigan ballot.

Should Clinton use the fact that she got more votes in those two states to tip the nomination in her favor, and succeed because of that, I will sit this one out and let the Democratic Party deservedly immolate itself so it can be born again and get it right -- someday.

The whole mess is a disgrace on both national and local Democratic leaders.

Nicholas Peters

Monrovia