It looks like Michigan legislature Dems are colluding with Republicans to put Obama/Edwards/Richardson/Biden onto the 1/15/08 DNC-rulebreaking primary ballot after they withdrew, see Detroit Free Press, Michigan voters close to ugly [!] win,
...House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, says he intends to hold a vote Monday on a bill that would reinstate the names of four presidential candidates who withdrew from the state's Democratic presidential primary last month. ...
The Republican state Senate quickly voted to restore the dropouts' names to the ballot. ...
This doesn't help the DNC and national Dems, the four forced-emballotment candidates (facing a Mich Dem establishment heavily pulling for Hillary), or Mich rank-and-file Dems (whose votes may not be counted since the DNC has said delegates from the too-early primary won't be counted); but Mich Repubs, and the Dems colluding with them, love it. Go figure.
(more below, including action)
(Forcing someone onto the ballot against his will, including two minorities, Obama and Richardson, is extremely creepy; maybe not "involuntary servitude" per se, but still reprehensible and disgusting.)
Add this all to the unethical voter-list-theft that both the MDP and MRP are doing (okayed recently by a Repub-dominated Mich. Supreme Court--see MissLaura's Musical Primaries on this topic), and the stench from this whole thing is incredible.
What can you do? I'm not sure it's worth mailing Dillon, who may be beyond saving; but you can at least mail MDP chair Mark Brewer, and DNC chair Howard Dean who may have to take serious steps to lay down the law here.
Something succinct like "I condemn Michigan legislature Democrats' unethical collusion with Republicans in forcing Democrats onto the 1/15/08 primary which breaks DNC rules, and demand that this not happen and that Michigan Democrats agree to a primary or caucus on February 5 or later so that Michigan delegates can be counted." may work, or your own version.
Well, just mail them all, by clicking here:
deanh@dnc.org, midemparty@michigandems.com, andydillon@house.mi.gov
Phone numbers as well:
MDP: (517) 371-5410
DNC: (202) 863-8000 (ask for Chairman's office)
Speaker Dillon: (517) 373-0857 or (888) REP-DILLON
If Democrats aren't ethical and decent, they ain't worth squit. Thanks for your efforts at keeping the Party honest!!