Finally, my thoughts on the primary/caucus fiasco

So, as you probably know, a number of Presidential candidates - including my favorite, Barack Obama - withdrew from competing in the January 15 primary here in Michigan.

As someone who has been angered by the disproportionate share of the nominating power held by four states whose combined population just barely exceeds Michigan's, I also know that having a small amount of influence is better than having zero influence.

Michigan is supposed to send 156 delegates to Denver next year. Holding the primary on January 15 will put in doubt the likelihood of Michigan having voting delegates. If we lose our delegates, not only would this deny 156 good Michiganders the chance to represent our state at the largest, most prominent quadrennial gathering of Democrats, it would also impede Michigan's ability to have an impact on the Democratic platform.

Each state gets a certain number of delegates to the Convention's Rules, Credentials, and Platform committees (Michigan will have 6). If we lose our delegates, we will have less of an opportunity to shape our party's platform in a manner that will favor the concerns of our state.

Furthermore, holding the primary on January 15, I believe, will only make Michigan look worse, thus reducing, not increasing, the likelihood that the primary calendar will be changed to benefit Michigan in the future. Who wants to cater to the wishes of a group that has broken the rules - which this primary would do?

Moreover, it makes no sense to me that we in Michigan should have only four candidates from whom to choose, as opposed to eight, as the rest of the country has. The fact that four of the eight candidates for President have said they won't participate in the caucus - and that a fifth one tried to remove his name from the ballot - is reason enough for the Michigan Democratic Party not to partake in the early primary.

I believe it's important that the MDP keep fighting the good fight for fairness in our party's nominating process. And I realize that sometimes one must take risks to ensure that justice reigns supreme.

But this is a risk we shouldn't be willing to take. The MDP needs to focus on changing the primary calendar in future election cycles.

I urge you to take action by letting the MDP know that you want a February caucus instead of a January 15 primary. Please see this post on Michigan Liberal for more on how you can let the MDP know your thoughts.