When Michigan and Florida moved up their primaries so they took place before February 5th, the Democratic National Committee "punished" the state Democrat parties by stripping them of their delegates, essentially making these states not worth the win. As a result, the Dem candidates didn't campaign in Michigan, and they aren't campaigning in Florida. In Michigan, all the Democrat candidates, except for Hillary, went so far as to take their names off the ballots, so Hillary won uncontested. Now, Hillary is working to get these delegates reinstated. From HillaryClinton.com:
I hear all the time from people in Florida and Michigan that they want their voices heard in selecting the Democratic nominee.I believe our nominee will need the enthusiastic support of Democrats in these states to win the general election, and so I will ask my Democratic convention delegates to support seating the delegations from Florida and Michigan. I know not all of my delegates will do so and I fully respect that decision. But I hope to be President of all 50 states and U.S. territories, and that we have all 50 states represented and counted at the Democratic convention.
I hope my fellow potential nominees will join me in this.
I will of course be following the no-campaigning pledge that I signed, and expect others will as well.
Sure, Barack Obama will be thrilled to join her on this since Hillary has already won Michigan and Florida's primary is right around the corner. How brazen. The Clintons are two of the most conniving people I have ever seen.
McQ at QandO writes this:
And of course she makes this statement just prior to FL and after MI is a done deal.That while giving lip service to the party's decision (yet leaving her name on the ballot in MI) to bar them both while at the same time appealing to the "fairness" of such a decision and its exclusionary nature (both supposedly anathema to liberal principles). As Klein points out, if she's successful, and that puts her over the top in the delegate count, there will be hell to pay from supporters of the other candidates.
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2008 Presidential Race
Comments (11)
Wow. America's first Black ... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Les Nessman | January 25, 2008 10:53 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Wow. America's first Black Co-Presidents are sure trying to screw Obama.
Why should any Black Americans ever vote for Hillary?
1. Posted by Les Nessman | January 25, 2008 10:53 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on January 25, 2008 22:53
2. Posted by Jim Addison | January 25, 2008 11:13 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
It was always inevitable that the states penalized for early primaries by the DNC and RNC would get their full delegations restored.
Once a candidate clinches the nomination, he or she then controls the convention in every respect: the platform committee, the rules committee, and the credentials committee are all comprised of majorities pledged to the winner. At that point, the National Committee becomes subservient to the nominee, and the nominee's interests have nothing to do with enforcing DNC/RNC rules, and everything to with winning the election.
Michigan and Florida are perennial battleground states, and neither nominee is going to risk alienating even 5000 voters in either one by enforcing the loss of delegates. The GOP nominee will restore South Carolina's, as well, to make it look good.
So this is nothing that wouldn't have happened anyway, no matter who gets the nominations. The Clintons are toying with Obama, trying to keep him off balance. These people are very good at politics, and they do not play "touch" rules, either.
2. Posted by Jim Addison | January 25, 2008 11:13 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on January 25, 2008 23:13
3. Posted by Dave W | January 25, 2008 11:29 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
It was pretty obvious here in MI when the filing deadline came up and Hillary was the only one who left her name on the ballot that this is what she was banking on. It wouldn't surprise me at all if she got her delegates.
3. Posted by Dave W | January 25, 2008 11:29 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on January 25, 2008 23:29
4. Posted by 914 | January 26, 2008 12:07 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
They should vote for Hillary because they are obviously too hypnotized to see their owners in the light of reality.
Stand up fellow Americans and defeat this scourge on our country..
4. Posted by 914 | January 26, 2008 12:07 AM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on January 26, 2008 00:07
5. Posted by sam | January 26, 2008 8:11 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Wake up folks, big league politics is not bean-ball. Does anyone seriously think that all delegates will not be seated?
5. Posted by sam | January 26, 2008 8:11 AM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on January 26, 2008 08:11
6. Posted by Mark L | January 26, 2008 9:44 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The Clintons behaving like louts? And your point is?
6. Posted by Mark L | January 26, 2008 9:44 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 26, 2008 09:44
7. Posted by 914 | January 26, 2008 10:52 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Racial politics by the kings of the plantation. HillBillary.
7. Posted by 914 | January 26, 2008 10:52 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 26, 2008 10:52
8. Posted by Les Nessman | January 26, 2008 11:08 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"Does anyone seriously think that all delegates will not be seated?"
Fine. Let them be seated. But make a third give their vote to Hillary, a third to Obama and a third to Edwards. The remainder could go to whoever's left.
If the DNC is concerned about 'disenfranchising MI and FL voters' and not just 'being a whore for Hillary', then they'll agree to it, right? Hillary will agree to that, right?
8. Posted by Les Nessman | January 26, 2008 11:08 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 26, 2008 11:08
9. Posted by ODA315 | January 26, 2008 11:59 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
"I hear all the time from people (insert selected issue here)"
- Hillary Clinton
9. Posted by ODA315 | January 26, 2008 11:59 AM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on January 26, 2008 11:59
10. Posted by LORRAINE LUBKER | January 28, 2008 12:32 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
If the Michigan and Florida delegates are seated at the convention, their votes should be equally divided between Obama, Edwards and Clinton.
10. Posted by LORRAINE LUBKER | January 28, 2008 12:32 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 28, 2008 00:32
11. Posted by Blaine Nelson | January 28, 2008 3:41 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Regardless of whether the delegates are seated or not, why did Edwards & Obama chose to remove their names from the Michigan ballot when they must have known something like this could happen? In choosing to punish the state for moving its primary, they forfeited any right they have to delegates of that state and may have substantially damaged their images there. There is no reason Michigan delegates should be split since they chose to remove their names from the ballot, the only question is if the delegates should be allowed.
11. Posted by Blaine Nelson | January 28, 2008 3:41 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on January 28, 2008 15:41