OUR VIEW - March 5

April 07, 2008 01:43 pm

— It angers us too that the Democratic National Committee has disenfranchised 1.7 million Floridians by making it clear their votes in the Jan. 29 presidential primary won't count. The DNC had threatened not to seat Florida's delegates should the state hold its primary before Feb. 5. Florida did it anyway, and here we are.
In recent weeks, however, cries have risen for a re-vote in Florida - a do-over. We think that's a bad idea. Forget the logistics and forget the cost. The real reason is simpler than either of those. It's credibility.
Considering how the political landscape has shifted in recent weeks, a do-over might well yield different results than the original vote. Just the possibility calls into question the motives of those pushing for a "second primary." Credibility - faith in the basic fairness and predictability of the system - is the foundation without which democracy falters. A re-vote at this date could cause cracks, however small, in that foundation.
What's the alternative? The DNC could seat the Florida delegation and be done with it. But that's been called unfair as well, since neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama campaigned here (both having signed an agreement with the DNC not to). Of course, if both candidates were equally constrained, it's hard to see anything unfair about it.
Here's the better reason for leaving things well enough alone. Simply put, the Jan. 29 election was illegitimate. Holding the primary earlier than party rules allowed was akin to a state holding its congressional elections in April. This isn't a question of votes not being counted. It's a matter of votes improperly cast to begin with.
Let's lay the blame for this fiasco where it belongs - at the feet of Florida Legislature. It was that august body that decided to move the primary to begin with. It's too late to do anything about it this time. But let's remember it the next time our lawmakers decide to tinker with the gears of democracy.