A pox on the Democratic National Committee and its arrogance and elitism!

Since when does any political party - Democratic, Republican, Green, Socialist, Whig, etc. - have the authority to tell any state when and how it is to conduct an election? It kinda reminds me of the Tudor TV series. States are the sovereign, not the folks who maintain offices at 430 S. Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC. How and when a state wants to hold ANY election is not dependent on the wishes of some party committeepersons. It's the political party(ies)'s job to adjust to the state - not the other way around.

What if the Republicans, Greens etc. had done the same? The same would be true!

This argument that Florida "needs to be punished" for breaking "the rules" is balderdash. All that means is that Florida voters and legislators are to be considered peasants who need to do homage to the DNC royalty. That shoots a big hole in the projected image of being the "party of the people." They don't give a tinker's dam about "the people," and this proves it. The only thing that matters is "following the rules" as dictated from 430 S. Capitol St. What utter arrogance!

THIS IS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. If the DNC, specifically the insiders at 430 S. Capitol St, can "control" how states do their sovereign business and "set the rules" for how and when elected governments can do things, and "punish" when "the rules" aren't followed by the people and their elected officials, what will it be like should the Democratic candidate win the U.S. Presidency? NOW WE HAVE BEEN SHOWN that elected Democrats fall a distant second to the commands of the DNC.

Please remember - the Florida legislature, including members of the Democratic Party, exercised their lawfully delegated authority to set the election date. In this matter - save two abstaining - the matter was unanimously decided.

For a couple of decades, until 2004 when work brought me to DC/Maryland, I was listed as an Independent in FL. After a year or so residing in Montgomery County, MD I registered to vote as a Democrat because of how well (overall) the elected leadership was running the county. In two weeks my back-and-forth commuting gets cut back to more manageable times as my retirement date approaches (almost there!), and I will re-register locally, but definitely as an Independent again.

Democratic National Committee - you had me and you lost me. I'm not a half-vote, for you or anyone else. You have shown you are only concerned with how much power you can gather at the boardroom within 430 S. Capitol St.

Whether the Democratic candidate is Sen. Obama or Sen Clinton, it no longer matters, as the REAL candidate is the Borg-like collection sitting at the 430 S. Capitol St conference table - and everyone else is a puppet.

The last time I checked, I haven't ceded any authority to anyone or any group housed at 430 S. Capitol St, and I will be &%@^#% if I accept any "punishment" from them for any action. So, out with a Democrat - back in as an Independent. Time to spit out the Kool-Aid.

Half-votes went out with the repeal of the poll tax.