What happened in Michigan?
Michigan, which had traditionally held caucuses during the delegate selection process, wanted to hold a primary to include more voters. Their state legistature, supported by Senator Carl Levin, moved their presidential primary to January 15 to gain more influence in the party's nomination process. Like Florida, this move violated DNC Delegate Selection Rule 11A, which prohibited Michigan from holding a primary earlier than February 5.
Levin's contention is that Iowa and New Hampshire should not have the priviledge of holding the first contests because the residents of those states are not truly represenative of the country's population. He further described New Hampshire's tradition of holding the first presidental primary as "cockamamie". This change in the primary schedule prompted New Hampshire to move its primary to January 8 in order to keep its 'first-in-the- nation status.
On January 15, 2008 approximately 600,000 voters particpated in the Michigan primary. By comparison, the 2004 Michigan caucus had a turn out of 123,000, which at the time was deemed as "phenomenal"
As punishment for breaking the rules, the DNC has stripped Michigan of all of its delegates and prohibited the Democratic presidential candidates from campaigning in the state. Further, presidental candidates Barack Obama Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, and John Edwards voluntarily removed their names from the ballot. Although supporters of these candidates were encouraged to vote 'Uncommitted', polling done a week before the primary showed that the outcome of the contest would not have been different even if their names remained on the ballot. Like Florida, the primary was largely dismissed as irrelevant, and the winner received no momentum.
The Republicans were also in violation of party rules for holding their primary before February 5. The Republican National Committee (RNC) stripped the state of only half of its delegates, and it allowed their candidates to campaign in the state. So, like Florida, the Republicans have been given a head start on the general election.
Whether we agree with Sen. Levin or not is irrelevant to our cause. The Black Sheep Delegation's position is that the Democratic voters of Michigan were not responsible for their state's decision to move their primary forward in violation of DNC rules. Thus, they should not be penalized for their state's action. And while we are encouraged that Michigan has allocated the delegates, we will not be satisfied until they are seated.