Friday, May 23, 2008

Where's the Internet's corrections column?

This election season seems particularly rife with people holding strong misconceptions about candidates, probably because the Internet allows rumor and innuendo to spread so quickly. (How exactly do people manage to believe simultaneously that Obama is a closet Muslim, and that he's anti-patriotic because of the rhetoric of his former pastor?) One accusation I've been hearing a lot lately is that Obama blocked attempts to hold a do-over primary in Michigan. I'd like to do my part to support reality by putting that one to rest.

While it's true that Obama was not particularly enthusiastic about the idea, he's not the guilty party here. The Michigan Democratic Party officially pulled the plug on the idea on April 4, after a bill authorizing a June 3 primary died in the state legislature. The state party "concluded that it is not practical to conduct such a primary or caucus," mainly due to the lack of time to organize one.

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