Come On. Play By The Rules!

While our attention is turning more and more to the primaries, one might ask what our elected officials still in Washington are doing these days? Hmmm. Let me see, there are hearings about steroid use in baseball. They want hearings looking into the alleged cheating by the New England Patriots.

Ironic, isn't it? The "Patriots"? And who is in charge these days? The Democrats. Apparently cheating is a big deal to them, right? Maybe not.

The Democrat Party penalized Michigan and Florida for moving their primary process forward. The states wanted to have more of a say. Instead they were stripped of their delegates. One hundred fifty six for Michigan, two hundred ten for Florida. The candidates agreed not to campaign in either state. Why there were Democratic ballots even issued is beyond me, but they were and people voted or caucused and Hillary won; her name remained in Michigan and she held fund raisers in Florida. Nice number of delegates. Even with the screwball way they divvy them up, it could mean the difference between winning and losing.

Now she's demanding those delegates be seated at the convention. The opposition is calling foul and the Party leaders are wringing their hands, "Oh, what to do!" These states are too important to be left out.

Tough. They knew the penalty and chose to proceed. They don't want the trouble or the expense of a "re do". The whole situation strikes me as a bunch of kids being allowed to make up the rules as they go along.

Everyone should have anticipated trouble with this one. If the Democrats in those two states have a problem with the rules let them take it up with their leaders. If the Democrats truly want to move the country forward, want "change we can believe in" they won't ask a candidate to compromise his chance to win because the other has her nose out of joint or is losing without those unseated delegates. If they do, the message being sent to all those young and first time participants is it is all a fairy tale; it's nothing more than the ultimate betrayal and political business as usual.

It will be tough getting them back. That would be tragic.