DSC Changes Course -- Requests Open Draw Ballot Placement

by: Juan Melli

Wed Dec 19, 2007 at 06:47:24 PM EST

In a letter issued this afternoon to county clerks, Democratic State Committee attorney William Northgrave reversed the previous undemocratic and possibly illegal request that certain candidates receive preferential ballot placement and asked county clerks that the process for listing presidential candidates on the Democratic primary ballot be by "open draw." The letter reads:

The New Jersey Democratic Committee ("State Committee") has been contacted by the major presidential campaigns to request that, instead of the process for ballot draws outlined in my letter on December 17, 2007, that the State Committee request that an open draw be conducted among all Democratic Presidential Primary candidates. Accordingly, the State Committee is hereby respectfully requesting that each County Clerk conduct an open draw among all candidates for placement on the ballot. The choice among the presidential primary candidates and their respective delegate slates should still be made through a use of a single "button".

Juan Melli :: DSC Changes Course -- Requests Open Draw Ballot Placement

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DSC Changes Course -- Requests Open Draw Ballot Placement | 5 comments

Now THIS is democracy (4.00 / 2)

Round of applause for a really good outcome.

by: Jeff Gardner @ Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 01:16:35 AM UTC

Good job, Democratic Leaders! (4.00 / 2)

Way to listen.

by: huntsu @ Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 01:27:15 AM UTC

Congrats (4.00 / 2)

I applaud the DSC. This is a win for Democrats, the democratic process, and for the people-powered grassroots.

I look forward to uniting behind the eventual Democratic nominee and a strong Democratic victory in November.

by: Brian McGinnis @ Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 02:10:02 AM UTC

Weels that don't squeak (especially in the dark) don't get greased. Let the Sunshine in! Let's keep "squeaking"!!! n/t (0.00 / 0)

by: Nick Lento @ Thu Dec 20, 2007 at 02:43:26 AM UTC

I guess that what happens in NJ stays in NJ (0.00 / 0)

I am very disappointed that some of us are as satisfied with the outcome of this situation as they seem to be. In fact, I am surprised that nobody titled their comment "Mission Accomplished".

Many, if not most of the county chairs in this state plays games like this every year with the ballots, but only once (Maryanne Connelly in 2000) have I seen someone beat them at this game.

The party establishment in this state will continue to play these games until they experience real consequences for their actions.

When Bob Kerrey and Bill Shaheen talked about Barack Obama's Muslim father and paternal grandfather and past drug use respectively, the Clinton campaign had to take responsibility and the appropriate amount of heat for these remarks.

But considering the potential importance that NJ's February 5 primary election might hold for the Clinton campaign if Barack Obama wins Iowa, NH, SC, and NV, the fact that the state party would try to rig the election in her favor should be a much bigger issue and story than the Kerrey/Shaheen remarks.

But yet it isn't. Has the MSM taken a pass, because to them, it is just politics as usual or are we just so desperate to call something a win that we will take this reversal for what it is and call it a day?

With the exception of the original Blue Jersey and PolitickerNJ.com stories, XT's nj.com story, and two diaries on Kos, I have not been able to find anything else about this anywhere. Where's Matt Stoller? Are his past Corzine ties preventing him from covering this story?

I am too much of a blogosphere neophyte to have the slightest clue as to how to make this story grow virally, so I sent it to a guy I know who is on the campaign trail for MSNBC/National Journal and am hoping for the best, but is anybody else interested in doing what it takes to let people know what Clinton's surrogates in NJ tried to do to help her win our state's Presidential primary election?

The party establishment will continue to play these games until someone important loses an election because of it and the only thing that this incident has done is made them realize that they have to be smarter in how they go about doing it in the future.

A reversal should not be sufficient. Jon Corzine and Joe Cryan should have to experience the same amount of embarrassment that Kerrey and Shaheen did and the Clinton campaign should have to take responsibility for the actions of its surrogates.

Mind you, I don't expect that this incident will cost Clinton the Democratic nomination on its own, but it should take its rightful place alongside the Kerrey/Shaheen incidents and impact her candidacy appropriately.

by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Fri Dec 21, 2007 at 13:25:21 PM UTC