This whole situation has now officially gone into the realm of the COMPLETELY INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't think anything could shock me more than the chain of events that has already unfolded, but this is just UTTER MADNESS! Now, even if the DNC comes to its senses and/or the courts decide that FL and MI voters can't be disenfranchised, it is too late for the voters of Michigan, as they have just had two of their first-tier candidates removed from the ballot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STOP THE MADNESS, DEMOCRATIC PARTY! Why are you intent on implosion?!!!!!

I have not been as furious about anything since...well, since the year 2000, let's put it that way.

WTF?! :?: :wacko: :wacko: :!: :bad:

P.S. Dear God, I got so upset and infuriated that I forgot to include a link:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/elec...h-primary_N.htm

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pb...EWS01/710090363

Published October 9, 2007

Obama, Edwards, Richardson, Biden pull out of Mich. primary

Midday update

Associated Press

Updated 1:48 p.m.: Four Democratic candidates have withdrawn from Michigan's Jan. 15 presidential primary, undercutting the validity of the contest.

Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson filed paperwork today, the deadline to withdraw from the ballot, said Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for the Michigan Secretary of State's office.

A fourth candidate, Joe Biden, said in a statement that he was withdrawing from Michigan's beauty contest.

"Today's decision reaffirms our pledge to respect the primary calendar as established by the DNC and makes it clear that we will not play into the politics of money and Republican machinations that only serve to interfere with the primary calendar," said Biden for President Campaign Manager Luis Navarro.

All of the Democratic candidates already have agreed not to campaign in Michigan because it broke Democratic National Committee rules when it moved its primary ahead of Feb. 5.

Other Democratic candidates had until the end of the day to decide if they'll stay on the ballot.

Party rules say states cannot hold their 2008 primary contests before Feb. 5, except for Iowa on Jan. 14, Nevada on Jan. 19, New Hampshire on Jan. 22 and South Carolina on Jan. 29.

The calendar was designed to preserve the traditional role that Iowa and New Hampshire have played in selecting the nominee, while adding two states with more racial and geographic diversity to influential early slots.

As punishment, the DNC has vowed to strip Michigan and Florida, which scheduled its contest on Jan. 29, of their delegates.

"We're very disappointed and this is another example of why the monopoly that Iowa and New Hampshire have needs to end," said Michigan Democratic Party spokesman Jason Moon.

He declined to speculate about whether the party may decide to move back its primary, or to hold a caucus instead.

The four dropped out on the same day that all nine Republican presidential candidates were scheduled to participate in a debate in Dearborn.

Well, I'm in a white-hot RAGE at the DNC, white hot, I tell you. I don't know what they did to pressure these candidates, but they did something, both to get them to sign the boycott pledge in the first place, and now this, which is far, FAR worse, imo.

Any candidate with one ounce of sense would have NOT signed the boycott and certainly not removed her/his name from any ballot!!!!!!!!! All they have to say is that they are remaining above the fray and will let the national party and the state parties work out the primary scheduling, but they will continue to campaign as normal. PERIOD. Surely that wouldn't have p*ssed off the good folks of Iowa and NH. Surely there was no reason to withdraw from the ballot!!!!!!!!!

I didn't know it was possible for me to be this angry with the Democratic party. I've never even been a little angry with 'em before. Never. And I'm a middle-aged, lifelong Democrat. That's a long stretch of time to go with nary a complaint. I don't always agree with my party on every single issue, but on the whole, I do, and I virtually always vote a straight party ticket, all the way down the line. But now I'm feeling like doing something RADICAL. Not sure what, but something! Surely not switching to the dark side, a.k.a., the repug party. That is NOT an option. There's radical and then there is insane. I'll stick with something radical, but that allows me to still vote my heart. Like, oh, I don't know, just riffin', but what IF Gore were to get ONTO the Democratic ballot in Michigan and Florida?

Come on, Gore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meanwhile, I'm off to DNC headquarters to chain myself to Howard Dean's desk and commence chanting: "No delegates, no peace!", alternating that with "YOU ARE A PARTY-RUINING WEENIEBUTT!"

:mad:

It is way past time to stop thinking as "Republican or Democrat"

How about everyone thinking as a true patriotic AMERICAN for a change .... or is this asking too much of this dumbed down poor excuse of a nation.

I am totally disgusted with this whole damned mess called the USA

And ... why the hell isn't the criminal IRS and the illegal Federal Reserve an issue?

I'll tell you why. Because that would threaten the bank accounts of the Pepug and Democrud puppets. Nader was right when he accused the Dems and Reps as being the same thing, just a different name.

I find myself praying lately that Al Gore is not part of the Illuminati

Ron Paul is looking mighty good as far as being serious about returning to the laws in the constitution.