CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Jan. 25, 2008 – 5:20 p.m.
Clinton Defies DNC on Florida and Michigan Convention Delegates
By Marie Horrigan, CQ Staff
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that she would work to seat the entire convention delegations for Florida and Michigan despite sanctions from the national party for the states’ non-compliance with its rules.
“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,” Clinton said in a statement released four days before the Florida primary.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) cut the Michigan’s 156-person delegation and Florida’s 210-member delegation from the convention because the states scheduled their primaries ahead of the Feb. 5 date set by the national party.
Clinton won the Jan. 15 primary in Michigan, where she was the only major party candidate on the ballot, and polling indicates she holds a strong lead in Florida for its primary on Tuesday. Other candidates — including Clinton’s top opponents, Barack Obama and John Edwards — had withdrawn from Michigan’s ballot because the state broke national party rules. Clinton won that contest with 55 percent of the vote. Most Obama and Edwards supporters voted “uncommitted,” an option that won second place in the primary with 40 percent of the vote.
Clinton said she knew that she could not force her delegates to support seating the full delegations for Michigan and Florida, but said: “I hope to be president of all 50 states and U.S. territories, and that we will have all 50 states represented and counted at the Democratic convention.”
She added that despite her support she would not campaign in either state. “I will of course be following the no-campaigning pledge that I signed, and expect others will as well,” she said.
Throughout ongoing fighting between the state and national parties, the Democratic parties in Michigan and Florida have maintained that they will seat their entire delegations at the national convention in August, citing the importance of both states for the general election.
Karen Thurman, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, thanked Clinton for her support and underscored what she said was the state’s crucial role in the election. “Florida will play an extremely important role in this election . . . . The nation needs Florida, and Florida is ready to deliver,” Thurman said in a statement.
Luis Miranda, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, said the decision about seating delegations remains the purview of the national party’s Credentialling Committee, which is expected to meet over the summer. The state parties will be able to appeal the national party sanctions and the nominee can weigh in, he said, but the Credentialling Committee will make the final decision.
Comments
Had That Power-Preoccupied Witch lost MI - or were she on the brink of losing FL - would she be advocating this? Indeed, the latest stance is in stark contrast to her own Lifetime Political Partner's "rewarding those who work hard and PLAY BY THE RULES" mantra!
I can tell you that myself, some friends and family have gotten turned off by the Clinton's behaviour to do anything to win. Their behavior and distortions, like on Meet the Press, in which Hilalry said: "Sen. Obama's chief strategist accuses me of playing a role in Benazir Bhutto's assassination.' When in actuality David Axelrod never made such an accusation. He said former Prime Minister Bhutto's death will 'call into issue the judgment' of 'taking the eye off the ball and making the wrong judgment in going into Iraq.' and their recent attempt at voter suppresion in Nevada, entering racially devisive remarks into the campaign to dvide black and white voters in the following way -- On Martin Luther King's birthday, Hillary Clinton stood with Rev. Calvin Butts who read from hand-written notes to the general public aired on television: "I got several angry calls today from African American women who wanted to know how I could support this white woman". This was from a Rev. who being intelligent, and supposedly Christian, I quess, read this incensory and inciteful phrase knowing full well it's intention of creating a racial divide! While Hillary stood there looking smug and nodding her head in agreement. That phrase should have never been read -- all he had to say is that he supported Hillary and why he supported Hillary. Then there is a compelling story can be heard from the former President of Now, Lorna Brett Howard, who Switched from Clinton to Obama, You Tube Video in which she explains that Hillary lied on Obama in regards to womens' issues so she is now supporting Obama. http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/CG5nh These kinds of demeaning and unethical tactics from both of the Clintons, have shown a number of people another side to them which they did not know existed and it does not look pretty. In their attempt to achieve power, they have divided the paty and it is a deep division. They seem more like Karl-Rove Republicans than Democrats and it is a shame to see their moral demise! There is a negative way to fight (lies and distortions) and a positive way to fight. The leaders we elect into the highest office of the land should be men and women of principal and high moral character and should not engage in behavior unbefitting the highest office in the land. In the future, there will have to be some kind of Campaign Reform: Rules and Regulations from the Perspective Parties in the way politicians run their campaigns to keep them truthful and from distorting one another's records.
A Clinton who doesn't play by the rules? Who would have believed it? They are shameless. Maybe Hillary will cry if they don't seat them?
THX bacalove. If the internet were around in 1992 Bill Clinton would not been our President due to the scrutiny available today. It's a clear case of no core values on the part of both Clinton's. Unbelievable the level they will go to in order to get a vote or block a vote.
If you've watched every debate, both democratic and republican, like I have, then you'll know that every single person running for president has made some sort of distorted statement. Hillary Clinton makes the most sense. When you really listen to her, and get over all this commentary about her being so cold, you'll be able to see that she is the only person who can make this country what it SHOULD be for every American, not just for Americans with money. Having said that, I believe the Democratic Party has made a grave mistake in disqualifying delegates from both Michigan and Florida. Didn't we learn anything at all from the 2000 election? Every vote should count. This whole idea of spreading out primaries and caucuses serves to quiet the voices not only of the states who defied their rules, but for the last few states who get to vote. I think it's wrong that so much attention is given to these early states. Why shouldn't the people who vote in March or April be as important as those who voted in January? We need to start thinking of this country as more than just the little square of land we live on. My needs in Massachusetts are not the same as the needs of people in Arizona when it comes to immigration and fuel costs. Where I'm hit with skyrocketing fuel costs, Arizona is struggling with immigration issues. The needs of the people in Michigan where unemployment is so high are not the same as in a state where the economy is fairing well. Michigan and Florida have a right to be heard and the Democratic Party shouldn't be stifling them just because they stepped up to the plate and demanded to be heard. Hillary Clinton is listening. Who else is?
"...One problem with the George W. Bush administration is that it has brought a kind of plural presidency in through the back door. Vice President Dick Cheney has run his own executive department, with its own intelligence and military operations, not open to scrutiny, as he hides behind the putative president. No other vice president in our history has taken on so many presidential prerogatives, with so few checks. He is an example of the very thing James Wilson was trying to prevent by having one locus of authority in the executive. The attempt to escape single responsibility was perfectly exemplified when his counsel argued that Mr. Cheney was not subject to executive rules because he was also part of the legislature. We have seen in this campaign how former President Clinton rushes to the defense of presidential candidate Clinton. Will that pattern of protection be continued into the new presidency, with not only his defending her but also her defending whatever he might do in his energetic way while she's in office? It seems likely. And at a time when we should be trying to return to the single-executive system the Constitution prescribes, it does not seem to be a good idea to put another co-president in the White House." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/26/opinion/26wills.html?ex=1202101200&en=a7de8fbf5b1fc3c8&ei=5070
The Clintons have no opinion on any subject until they poll the populace. Once that poll is taken they immediately try to make everyone believe that their stance on the issues is in sync with the poll results and has been all along. How Shameful.
Lisa, whatever happened to the old Clinton mantra of standing up for those who work hard and play by the rules? Now Hillary doesn't want to play by the rules she agreed to. To avoid absolute chaos the Democratic National Committee decided what states would go in what order, Michigan and Florida were warned that if they didn't follow the rules they could lose delegates. Instead they proceeded, tried to go to court and lost, so don't cry for Michigan and Florida, both state parties were aware of the risk they just didn't believe the national party would actually follow through. AND, all of the candidates agreed to follow the lead of the national party, except now Hillary thinks it would be to her advantage so she's trying to change the rules after the fact. That's the real problem with the Clintons, their core principle is getting elected adn they will do anything or say anything to accomplish that. As a life long Democrat who voted twice for Bill Clinton, that is not what I want the Democratic Party to stand for. So on February 5th here in Arizona, I am voting for Barack Obama
Being a firm believer in states rights, all delegates should be represented at the convention. Those states had the right to change their primary date. If memory serves me right, the dirty politics onslaught started when Clinton took the poll lead. So let the democratic party play fair and let the chips fall where they may. Let the democratic candidate for president be the one we the people voted for. I am sick of the people being ignored by the Republican party. Let us hope the nominee ends up the most qualified for the position.
Lisa, disqualifying Michigan and Florida has nothing to do with wanting to stifle their political voice and what's more, I think that you, and certainly Senator Clinton understand that. If they want to make a change to how things are run in the party, they should try to change that. Instead, they tried to take the DNC on and they were burned for it. If a state wants to participate in an exercise aimed toward finding a candidate for the party to rally around, they need to respect the party. Clinton piped up and said she wants those delegates seated only now because only now has it come to her attention how desperately she is going to need their votes at the convention. That attitude - that her personal needs outshine the greater good and stability of her party - is only the most recent in a series of striking signs that her leadership could be disastrous, not only for democrats, but for the country.
Everyone has to check out the article "White Voters with a Side of Hispanics" on the blogzine Savage Politics. This is an awesome discussion and analysis on the current Democrat and GOP candidates and their eligibility. www.savagepolitics.com Here is an excerpt: "Tuesday night's Florida Primary was a very important episode in the drama in which both the Republican and Democrat Parties are unfolding towards the Presidency of the United States. It also dramatically demonstrated the incredible bias that the Media continues to display towards the Democratic hopeful Barack Obama, in spite of all the evidence pointing to his lack of viability. From MSNBC's Chris Mathews, who openly stated the day before that any Network that decided to report on the Democratic voting results in Florida was proving a "gross" favoritism for Hillary (ironically enough his Network ended up having to cover it nevertheless), to CNN's pundits, who continuously utilized the exact same rhetoric that the Obama Campaign was spewing to excuse their defeat ("Beauty Pageant" was their favorite phrase, with all the sexist connotations it implies). All the same, the Florida results in the Democratic side were overwhelmingly favorable to Hillary Clinton, who won a 50% margin, to Obama's 33%, Edwards' 14%, and Gravel's 1%. On the Republican side, it was John McCain who came out victorious with a 36% margin, to Romney's 31%, Giuliani's 15%, Huckabee's 14%, and Paul's 3%. Let's discuss each Party's results and their realistic consequence. First, we have the very significant victory of John McCain. His candidacy was, from the very start, labeled as a failure due to his unpopularity amongst most "base" Republicans, much of it owed to McCain's overwhelmingly dubious record on Conservative issues. His notorious tendency to side with multiple (highly despised) Democrats on issues like Immigration, Bush's Tax Cuts and other measures, have always been enough to marginalize him from even the "moderate wing" within his Party. Still, when the Florida Exit Polls are analyzed, they reflect many unexpected re-alignments in his favor. Evangelical/Born Again Christians voted for John McCain in a 30% margin, in comparison to both Romney's and Huckabee's 29%. This may seem like an insignificant difference, but when you also consider that the majority of non-Evangelicals (Catholics, Atheist, etc.) also..." Find the rest of the article at http://savagepolitics.com/?p=64
Obama broke the rules by running TV ads in Florida not Hillary. Obama said the Florida voters did not count so why did he campaign in Florida? Because he knows Florida's delegates will be seated at the convention!!!
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