I know it was a great gesture of unity and all, but I was so disappointed when they stopped the Roll Call at the great state of New York, the Empire State!
It would have been especially entertaining if they’d departed from the usual script and used instead the state nicknames and mottoes set out by John Hodgman in his book The Areas of My Expertise. Using Hodgman’s almanac as a reference, New York’s nickname, for example, would have been: “The Affiliated Businesses of 9/11-Related Tourism State” and its motto: “9/11 Changed Everything, Even Our Motto, Which Had Been EXCELSIOR!”
Update: Poor Jonathan Strong simply couldn’t figure out why the California delegation passed during the roll call. “I don’t know of any precedent for such a move by a state delegation, but something seems fishy,” he said, donning his little foil hat. Evidently, it never occurred to him that the move was simply orchestrated so that Obama wouldn’t reach the magic number too soon, preventing another state — like say, New York — from having its say.
No sir, not in the crackpot world of the “Strong Conservative” where it’s assumed that “…the good people of California might have a problem being disenfranchised from their party’s nomination process for the Democratic presidential candidate.” Urgh. Idiots.
Red Tory v.3.0.3 
Perhaps I am not able to recognize the lefty nuance you intellectual giants so easily identify, but if you were watching, the other states “yielded” until NY called for the suspension of the rules. California passed without yielding or putting it’s votes forward toward either candidate.
That’s what was surprising and unprecedented. Feel free to enlighten me with your wisdom, I’m not so proud as to be unable to learn from those who have actual answers.
It’s not a “lefty” thing, it’s a procedural thing. Yielding and passing are both ways of choreographing the numbers. When a state “yields” it defers to the next state in order on the roll, when a state chooses “pass” however, they’re skipped in the roll call vote and moved to the end of the list. You might have noted that Illinois also passed.
That’s exactly my point, there is a difference in the yield and the pass… So “poor” me, wasn’t perhaps as dim as you indicated in your post.
BTW, I like the new site format, looks good. Opponents can still compliment each other can they not?
Of course. And thank you.
Your mistake was assuming there was something “fishy” about CA passing and inferring from it, for some mysterious reason, that the California delegation may have felt “disenfranchised” from the nomination process. Why? The Dems don’t have a “winner take all” system like the GOP does, so they could have cast their 204 votes for Clinton (166 for Obama) had they chosen to.
If anything, it’s Republican voters in California who should feel disenfranchised, at least the 1 million that voted for Mitt Romney whose votes counted for ZERO because McCain got 1.2 million.
I see your point, but CA GOPers knew that the winner would take all. CA Dems voted thinking that their candidate, HRC or BHO, would walk away with delegates no matter what because of the proportional system. To me, that makes the choice to pass extremely odd. The point of the proportional system is to avoid having someone like Romney not get anything.
But perhaps we’re debating semantics now.
Red and J. Strong.
I have nothing to add to this debate except my compliments.
Two obviously thoughtful people from different ends of the political spectrum engaging in a polite and thoughtful discourse without resorting to the usual ad hominem attacks and shouting.
Thank you.
Well, I did call him a crackpot and an idiot in the post. 😉
JS — Well, the whole roll call was just kabuki in any case and everyone knew it, so the procedural maneuvering was strictly theatrical to set up the big dramatic acclamation by Hillary Clinton speaking for the NY delegation. Passing safely removed California and Illinois with their huge blocks of votes off the table so they could orchestrate that historic “moment” symbolizing the newfound unity of the party. Or some such nonsense.
“I did call him a crackpot and an idiot in the post.”
truth ain’t ad hom.
KEvron
“CA Dems voted thinking that….”
crystal ball or tea leaves?
KEvron