Breaking: There Will Be a Do-Over Caucus, MDP Reaches Agreement (Misreported by WUOM ...)

by: philgoblue

Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 18:39:04 PM EST

Michigan Public Radio just reported that the  MDP has reached an agreement to old a do-over Presidential Caucus. It'll be on a Saturday, details forthcoming.

Hurah!  Way to go Mark and the Guv!  Finally (and I have to say I told you so) YOU GOT IT RIGHT!

This should be a great way to leave the battles over the primary behind us and move forward with Party building throughout Michigan, getting the candidates to address Michigan issues, etc.

More when I get a chance.

Update II:

This is up on the MPR site (did they let it slip out too soon?)

MICHIGAN RADIO INCORRECTLY REPORTED WEDNESDAY EVENING THAT A DEAL HAD BEEN REACHED TO HOLD A NEW DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATING CONTEST.
NO DEAL IS IN PLACE, THOUGH STATE & NATIONAL PARTY LEADERS, AS WELL AS THE CLINTON AND OBAMA CAMPAIGNS CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THEIR OPTIONS.

WE SINCERELY REGRET THE ERROR.

Update I:
This is the most up-to-date print report from the AP -- it might give us an idea of whatever agreement has been or is in the process of being reached/finalized:

Do-Over in Michigan and Florida?
By NEDRA PICKLER - 1 hour ago (6:30 pm)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Officials in Michigan and Florida are showing renewed interest in holding repeat presidential nominating contests so that their votes will count in the epic Democratic campaign.

The governors of both states, along with top officials in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign, are now saying they would consider holding a sort of do-over contest by June. That's a change from their previous insistence that the primaries their states held in January should determine how the states' delegates are allocated.

Clinton won both contests, but the results were meaningless because the elections violated national party rules. Neither Clinton nor her rival Barack Obama campaigned in either state, and Obama's name wasn't even on the Michigan ballot.....

Now the Clinton campaign has begun expressing openness to a do-over. "Let's let all of the voters go again if they are willing to do it," said Clinton adviser Terry McAuliffe Tuesday night on MSNBC. "Whatever we have to do to get people in the system, let's do it."

The new contests could be part of a strategy for Clinton to come back in the race and attract votes from superdelegates who are not bound by any primary or caucus votes, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told the network. "Let's assume for the moment Hillary Clinton wins Ohio and Texas, she wins Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan have primaries in June, she wins both of those," said Rendell, who has endorsed Clinton. "Then, can the superdelegates look at that and say, `Gosh, she's won the last five big primaries in a row. She's won almost every big primary since we began.'"

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Clinton supporter, told the Detroit Free Press that Clinton's victory in Ohio changes "the landscape a bit." She said it could open the door to a caucus, if it can be privately funded and both candidates agree....

Getting funding from the national committee might be difficult when the party has a general election to wage. Last August, the DNC offered to pay for a later, alternate contest, but the Florida state party rejected the idea.

Michigan Democrats are discussing holding a "firehouse" contest in May or June that would be an alternative to a traditional primary or caucus and run by the state party, said a Democratic Party official who has been part of the discussions. "Firehouse" contests usually have fewer polling places and shorter voting hours than traditional state-run primary elections.

The party official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private, said there was general consensus that it could not be held at taxpayers' expense and would attempt to generate participation from about 1 million state Democrats.

House and Senate Democrats from Florida and Michigan planned to meet Wednesday night on Capitol Hill to discuss ways of getting their state's delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention, Democratic aides said.

The Obama campaign says whether to have a repeat contest is up to the national committee, but has signaled a willingness to participate. "We're going to abide by their rules as they exist now and whatever happens in the future," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters Wednesday....

"I don't think it's for our campaign or her campaign - we're in a heated contest here - to have to be the facilitators here," Plouffe said. "This is between the DNC and those state parties."

http://ap.google.com/article/A...