RBC vs. some numbers

Josh Marshall nails it (nailed it, actually. As in well before the RBC meeting):

The Clinton campaign argues that if the delegates from these non-sanctioned primaries are not seated hundreds of thousand of voters in Florida and Michigan will be disenfranchised.


[snip]

What doesn't get mentioned, however, is this: it was widely reported and understood in both Florida and Michigan that the results of these primaries would not be counted. And based on that knowledge, large numbers of voters in both states simply didn't participate.

If the DNC were now to turn around and decide to make these contests count after all, these non-participating voters would be disenfranchised no less than the people who did turn out would be if the DNC sticks to the rules and doesn't seat any of the delegates.

Exactly.

How does this get solved with the least amount of screwage? Because the primary was a total clusterf*ck, it cannot be viewed as representative. It cannot be done over. The RBC is making the best out of a bad situation.

This crowing about disenfranchisement is just the GOP/Clinton campaign talking point they want to stick in your head. The Clinton campaign was all for punishing these states when they believed they were inevitable. The GOP simply wants to fan the flames because disgruntled Democratic voters give them better odds than a matchup of Obama vs. the trainwreck that is McCain.

All this crap about how disgruntled Clinton supporters sitting on their hands (or voting McCain) is such obvious bravado. Sure, it makes a good soundbite - but there's no way they have any data.

Any Clinton supporters out there who are pissed off - I feel your pain, I do.

But I got two numbers for you:

75 and 88.

Write these numbers down.

When you're stewing in your car in November, thinking about how pissed off you are about Obama, misogyny or how your state's delegation got screwed - I want you to take out that piece of paper and say to yourself:

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 75 years old.
Justice John Paul Stevens is 88 years old.

And then I want you to go to the polls and pull the lever for the Democratic nominee for President.

Scalia, Thomas, Alito, Roberts - and two more to be named in the next decade.

You don't screw around with that.