Surrender the Fantasy

To this lifelong Republican woman, the little thing called the Democrat National Committee meeting held today in D.C. and filmed for C-SPAN was an exercise in wading through the weeds. I thought, well, who knows when this will happen again, this whole deciding if two states are represented at a national convention thing. May as well see the circus when it's in town.

The verdict was that Florida and Michigan get to go to the big show but only half of their votes will count. They split the baby in half.

The theatrics were entertaining. There was Congressman Wexler, from Florida, soundly patting himself on the back for all his work in getting votes counted in Florida. Team Obama sent him to argue their case for the people of Florida. His voice was loud and he aptly used the hitting the table for sound effect gesture, too. Quite the performer. Applause, applause.

The award for best performance for Team Clinton went to Harold Ickes. Just count the votes. The fine people of Florida and Michigan do not deserve to be disenfranchised. He had a very vocal and enthusiastic cheering section up in the balcony. Go, Harold. Go, Harold. He was on a slow boil most of the time. No one produces a sneer like Harold.

Remember when 'disenfranchisement' wasn't a part of regular political discussion, much less so very overused? Since November 2000, all of a sudden all the cool kids use it.

The co-chair of the Rules and Bylaws Committee welding the gavel, Alexis Herman, used the tool frequently and I can only imagine it was a form of release of her tension headache she must have developed as the meeting progressed. Formerly of the Clinton administration, Herman was Secretary of Labor and her co-chair is James Roosevelt, Jr., grandson of FDR.

As the final state was decided, Michigan, and it came time for Ickes to make his statement, the Clinton strategy was clear. "Mrs. Clinton has instructed me to reserve her rights to take this to the credentials committee." Da-da-dum.

At the close of the session, Herman promised the committee that the next meeting would be conducted via telephone conferencing. Back to the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing. Aren't the Democrats suppose to be for the average guy?

All in all it was a strange way to try to unify the party. It simply didn't happen. Clinton supporters were yelling "Denver, Denver, Denver" every chance possible. Actually, when Alice Huffman stated to the audience that when the final vote was taken, everyone would leave the room unified much more than when they entered the room, she was booed and laughed at by the crowd.

Ickes final parting shot: "I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen, that...this is not a good way to start down the path to party unity." Cheering all around.

As Winona Ryder said in Reality Bites, "Surrender the fantasy".