Guest Column: State Democratic party should pay for new primary

Guest Column: State Democratic party should pay for new primary



By William C. McCormick
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 03/11/08

The Florida Democratic Party must move forward quickly to assure that Florida voters are not disenfranchised from the presidential nomination process.

Florida taxpayers should not have to pay for another democratic primary and Democratic National Committee leaders say the national party will not help pay for a second Florida primary.

Therefore the FDP should pay the cost of a second primary, even if initially it has to go into debt to do so. Actually, in the long run with the right strategy, the FDP could end up significantly improving its long-range financial situation.

American voters know that financial support within each political party flows upward, not downward. I send money to national committees representing the senate, the congress and the party, as well as the national candidates, and they are constantly requesting more financial support. Then they decide where and how that money is spent.

Florida contributors including all large and small donors as well any special interest groups should direct their donations to the Florida Democratic Party.

Also, when our eventual presidential nominee comes to Florida we should welcome him/her to rallies, but not to fundraisers, unless most of the funds go the Florida Democratic Party.

In this era of political change, it's time the state parties start providing more support to their nominees who don't head the ticket.

We all know that those states where the presidential nominee is not expected to win, receive little or no campaign funds from the national party.

Perhaps the real impact of Florida in this year's election, with the unintentional assistance of the DNC, will be to reassess the way we the voters direct our campaign contributions and therefore change who determines the allocation of those donations.

If so, I believe we will have begun a campaign funding movement that other state parties will follow.

n

William C. McCormick is the Democratic state committeeman for St. Johns County, but the views expressed are solely his own.

Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/031108/opinions_stories_043.shtml

© The St. Augustine Record