Opinion: Michigan and Florida voters participated in “events,” not primaries

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As secretary of the Democratic National Committee, Alice Travis Germond will call the roll of states later this year when the party nominates its presidential ticket at its convention in Denver. She took note of that today as a member of the party rules committee that met in Washington to try to figure out if -- and to what degree -- the Michigan and Florida delegations would be part of that confab.

Germond noted early during the panel’s deliberations that in her secretary’s role, she looked forward to including the two states as she works her way through the roll call. But she was very careful with her language in discussing the dispute over the nomination contests that Michigan and Florida conducted in violation of DNC rules.

Germond -- for many years a key behind-the-scenes player in California’s Democratic Party before she moved East -- seemed loath to use the term ‘primary.’

Her favored term for the votes: ‘events’ (which drew a chuckle from the committee’s audience the first time she used it).

No doubt such attention to detail is crucial to her job, which includes certifying all convention delegates and vote counts.

-- Don Frederick