Naked self interest, democracy, it's all the same thing

If Hillary Clinton had cared so passionately about the democratic voting rights of Michiganders and Floridians, she would have done something about it long before those states ran their front-loaded, illegal primaries in defiance of party rules. Instead, she chose to have her campaign issue press statements supporting the DNC decision, lauding the special position of Iowa and New Hampshire in the primary process, and pledging not to campaign in those states. Now, naturally, she's so very concerned with Michigan and Florida as she attempts to conjure some scenario by which she nabs the nomination.

I'm not even going to get into the nonsense that's been spewing from her on this issue over the past few weeks -- well, other than to say that if you consider the ability to tell big, whopping lies with a straight face and steady voice to be a prerequisite for occupying the White House, then Clinton is your candidate -- but it's important to remember that while citizens should have the right to vote in a democracy, a democracy doesn't mean you get do-overs.

Clinton's push for a mulligan distracts from the fact that there are many people responsible for this clusterfuck:

First, the candidates -- all of them, but Clinton, Barack Obama and other top-tier candidates in particular -- should have been vocal and active in opposing the draconian punishment the DNC imposed on the states for violating primary schedule rules, and supported some alternate plan that would allow a vote, campaigning and some measure of representation in the process.

Second, the DNC and the Florida and Michigan parties for all the obvious reasons. Should've been this, should've been that. Politicians in those states wanted to play as big boys in the process and they got burned for it. They should have thought twice about playing a game of chicken with their constituents' votes.

Which leads to the third and, I think, most important cog in this blame machine: the people of Michigan and Florida. You sat back and let your legislatures, elected representatives and party elders get you into this mess. Democracy means that you get a vote. Democracy also means you should be paying attention to what your government does, particularly on such a high-profile and well-covered issue as this one. You didn't do that, so you don't get to go twice because you realize you screwed up. That leaves you with one very democratic option -- in the next election use your vote against the people who got you into this mess in the first place.