March 19, 2008
Hillary's MI Challenge
DETROIT - Hillary Clinton today stepped up the pressure on Barack Obama to back a re-vote in Michigan, calling it a crucial test of whether he means what he says.
"Sen. Obama speaks passionately on the campaign trail about empowering the American people," Clinton told members of the AFSCME union. "Today I'm asking him to match those words with actions to make sure the people of Michigan and Florida have a voice and a vote in this election. I have accepted the plan for a new vote in Michigan, proposed in draft legislation and approved by the Democratic National Committee, in fact the DNC put out a statement earlier this morning making clear that the proposal fits within the DNC rules. It is fully within the party's rules. I call on Sen. Obama to do the same."
Clinton said 600,000 voters in Michigan and 1.7 million Florida voters were at risk of being shut out of the Democratic process.
"I think that's wrong, and frankly, it is un-American, and we cannot let that continue," she said. "This goes way beyond this election, and it goes way beyond who's running, because no matter where you were born or how much money you were born into, no matter where you worship or the color of your skin, it is a bedrock American principle that we are all equal in the voting booth."
Michigan has 128 pledged delegates, but the state has been stripped of all of the because it broke party rules by moving up its vote. Clinton won the uncontested January primary, but Obama's name was not on the ballot.
Clinton's campaign has been pushing the revote issue for weeks. Over the last two days, her advisers accused her rival of standing in the way of the Democratic process; the state's proposal for a re-vote can not go forward until he signs off.
"This isn't about political gamemanship," Deputy Communications Dir. Phil Singer said on one call with reporters. "This is about counting votes."
The campaign sent out a memo pointing to remarks Obama made early last month supporting a do-over in the state His refusal to sign off one one now that an offer is on the table proves his earlier statement was "just words," Clinton spokesmen have said. The words vs. action theme is one the campaign has been pressing for months.
Clinton needs a re-vote in Michigan, primarily to run up the popular vote, gain more delegates and convince superdelegates that she should be the nominee. She trails Obama by more than 100 pledged delegates, though the exact count varies by media outlet.
Her camp feels she would do well in a do-over primary here, but advisers say the most important issue is allowing Michigan voters to have their voices heard and not to disenfranchise voters in a state Democrats need to win in the general election.
"It is the vote that has given voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless," Clinton told the small crowd today. "It is through that vote, that women, African-Americans, Latinos and so many others have claimed their rights as full and equal citizens."
Earlier in the day, Clinton's campaign sent around the Democratic National Committee memo she referred to in Detroit:
"Our review of this legislation indicates that it would, in fact, fit within the framework of the Rules if, it were, passed by the state legislature and used by the Michigan State Democratic Party as the basis of drafting a formal Delegate Selection Plan. If a formal Delegate Selection Plan is received we will convene a meeting of the RBC to consider such a Plan."
The Clinton camp argues the state must either re-vote or the original vote should be honored and those delegates seated at the convention. The Obama camp sent out its own memo, raising questions about the proposed re-vote arguing, in part, that it could disqualify some voters.
"The burden on voters here is one of complete disqualification—they cannot participate in the Democratic primary in June if they voted in the January Republican primary," Obama lawyer Robert Bauer argued.
Bauer also said a Michigan re-vote would be subject to pre-clearance under the Voting Rights Act, because of the voter disqualification feature, and that the Justice Department's review could be lengthy.
(NBC/NJ's ATHENA JONES)
Posted at 11:57 AM
Comments
Does she think we really can't see through her frantic efforts to get a revote done? Does she think we are stupid enough to think she really believes it is "just" to give Michigan a chance to get their "voices heard"? Give me a break, it's all so phoney. She didn't care about our votes when she agreed to the rules.....now did she?
Peg | 03.19.08 02:15 PM
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Michigan and Florida couldn't be bothered to follow the rules. It's a pity that Levin, Dingell, Granholm, and Brewer all wanted to play chicken with the DNC. But somebody has to lose the game. It looks like it was them. Maybe they won't be so cavalier about forcing the elections earlier next time.
Seth, a MI Voter
Seth | 03.19.08 03:45 PM
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Why doesn't Hillary honor her promise to abide by what they all agreed to at the beginning? When she thought that she was the shoo in, she didn't get a hoot about anyone's right to vote. What is wrong in this country? I am disheartened that people in this country have lost their way. They seem to have to direction or know right from wrong anymore. How can her supporters actually agree that she is right on this topic. I am an Obama supporter, but I can honestly say that I would stick by the original rules and I do not fault him for saying that he relies on the DNC. This is how it should be. I am tired of the Clinton's thinking they are royalty.
Tina | 03.19.08 06:44 PM
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All you good people out there calling Hillary 'finatical' need to take a look at the not so Reverend Wright's sermon(s).
With his God Damning America and all the disparaging 'whities' remarks, give me a break, man!
Now that he (Wright) and nObama are being called on their radicalism, boo hoo, they're crying foul.
Give em both some cheese with their collective whine!
Obama doesn't want a revote because, like the first time vote, he would LOOSE!
So, let's just let the votes that the folks in Michigan and Florida already cast, count.
Both candidates were on the ballot in Florida so nObama shouldn't cry and whine about loosing there.
And as for Michigan, it was HIS CHOICE to take his name off the ballot. Stupid as that was.
nObama's a liar!
Joel | 03.19.08 06:47 PM
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All you good people out there calling Hillary 'finatical' need to take a look at the not so Reverend Wright's sermon(s).
With his God Damning America and all the disparaging 'whities' remarks, give me a break, man!
Now that he (Wright) and nObama are being called on their radicalism, boo hoo, they're crying foul.
Give em both some cheese with their collective whine!
Obama doesn't want a revote because, like the first time vote, he would LOOSE!
So, let's just let the votes that the folks in Michigan and Florida already cast, count.
Both candidates were on the ballot in Florida so nObama shouldn't cry and whine about loosing there.
And as for Michigan, it was HIS CHOICE to take his name off the ballot. Stupid as that was.
nObama's a liar!
Joel | 03.19.08 06:48 PM
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All you good people out there calling Hillary 'finatical' need to take a look at the not so Reverend Wright's sermon(s).
With his God Damning America and all the disparaging 'whities' remarks, give me a break, man!
Now that he (Wright) and nObama are being called on their radicalism, boo hoo, they're crying foul.
Give em both some cheese with their collective whine!
Obama doesn't want a revote because, like the first time vote, he would LOOSE!
So, let's just let the votes that the folks in Michigan and Florida already cast, count.
Both candidates were on the ballot in Florida so nObama shouldn't cry and whine about loosing there.
And as for Michigan, it was HIS CHOICE to take his name off the ballot. Stupid as that was.
nObama's a liar!
Joel | 03.19.08 06:48 PM
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The voter issues raised by Hillary has more holes than swiss cheese. I distinctly recall her saying that after the Feb/08 big primary any other states votes didn't matter. A larger point is she KNEW the rules about the MI/FL primaries and agreed to abide by the rules of the DNC. Has she suddenly thrown in with the Bush camp's logic of WHEN THE METHOD (rule) DOES NOT FIT-----JUST CHANGE IT. Should that stance taken by her foreshadow how her Presidency will be run over the next 8 yrs? We don't need an answer, she should bow out of the race while she is behind.
Jac66 | 03.19.08 07:00 PM
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The voter issues raised by Hillary has more holes than swiss cheese. I distinctly recall her saying that after the Feb/08 big primary any other states votes didn't matter. A larger point is she KNEW the rules about the MI/FL primaries and agreed to abide by the rules of the DNC. Has she suddenly thrown in with the Bush camp's logic of WHEN THE METHOD (rule) DOES NOT FIT-----JUST CHANGE IT. Should that stance taken by her foreshadow how her Presidency will be run over the next 8 yrs? We don't need an answer, she should bow out of the race while she is behind.
Jac66 | 03.19.08 07:01 PM
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I thought that the whole idea of elections was to hear/heed the voice of the people/voters not bicker about some arbitrarily imposed rules. Why not revote or accept the delegates or whatever is necessary to hear the voice of the voters. Of course Obama wants nothing of it because his campaign doesn't want to hear the voice of the people, he thinks that Clinton will win if Florida and Michigan are recognized. This is not supposed to be a country governed by the voice of 48 states it is supposed to be governed by the voice of voters in ALL states and at last count I think there were 50 states! Also, I am greatly annoyed at the arrogance of Obama during the past week. He is taken aback by the outcry over the views of his church/minister. What did he expect? He has been a member of this church and heard these sermons/views for more than 20 years and yet he has remained a member and has not previously spoken out against these racist and anti-American views. This would lead me to believe that he agrees with or at least condones these views. I cannot imagine a church damning the very country that gives them the freedom of choice of religion and many other freedoms that citizens of other countries only dream about. I am outraged by such comments. I did not go to war and fight for this country so that some radical church could call for the destruction of this country and blame the country for the ills facing this minority such as drug addiction. I still have not seen Obama live up to his words, they are only words and I see no action on his part. If he is the Democratic candidate I think many Democrats will cross party lines and vote for McCain, not because Obama is black but because he is not truthful and committed to action.
BIG JOHN Lancaster | 03.19.08 07:08 PM
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Obama has shown his inability to exercise quick and focused judgment. This racial issue is unsettling and should signal to all Americans that a racist in the White House could be devastating. Additionally, he still has not respondede to having re-votes in Florida and Michigan.. I guess this is another quick judgment call he can hide behind later. VICTIM!!
Diane | 03.19.08 07:19 PM
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Obama has shown his inability to exercise quick and focused judgment. This racial issue is unsettling and should signal to all Americans that any hint of possible racism in the White House could be devastating. Additionally, he still has not responded to having re-votes in Florida and Michigan..don't Americans in these states have a voice? I guess this is another quick judgment call he can hide behind later. VICTIM!!
Diane | 03.19.08 07:21 PM
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Obama has shown his inability to exercise quick and focused judgment. This racial issue is unsettling and should signal to all Americans that any hint of possible racism in the White House could be devastating. Additionally, he still has not responded to having re-votes in Florida and Michigan..don't Americans in these states have a voice? I guess this is another quick judgment call he can hide behind later. Is he playing the VICTIM!!
Diane | 03.19.08 07:21 PM
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Sorry for the triple play!
Diane | 03.19.08 07:24 PM
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Sorry for the triple post ; I'm new to this stuff ; (
Diane | 03.19.08 07:25 PM
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The biggest problem is that, no matter what there
has been rules, and that is about Maturity. Hillary needs attempt a side bar conversation,because she does not understand in bounds and out of bounds. So what President is can be trusted under pressure who can not follow
rules? One who thinks she is above the Rules and
laws.
Nowlin wells | 03.19.08 07:28 PM
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Yada, yada yada. Let's disenfranchize voter's due to some political party stupidity. What a way to conduct fairness. Lets punish then for some one's stupidity and lack of caring. Howard Dean's an IDIOT for letting this go for so long. All I wanted was to be COUNTED! You all would feel a lot different if it was YOUR VOTE! I had nothing to do or agreed with the state's decision to move up the primary. All I did was VOTE! And it is not being counted. What a farce! Democracy HA! The Florida and Michigan vote must count BECAUSE PEOPLE BOTHERED TO VOTE!
Paul | 03.19.08 08:05 PM
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This nonsense has to stop. We are going to end up without a Democratic candidate if things don't soon run a little smoother. If Hillary's followers cannot see behind the fog of her campaign we are in deep trouble. She's no more royalty than you or I, and she thinks she has the lead in this election. If I lived in Mich. or Fla. I would make sure she didn't pull the wool over my eyes again. She is a sneak and can't sleep at night trying to find more loop holes to crawl through. Drop the race card and get on with it. Rush had an interesting tape of Clinton's pastor also. Disgusting. God Bless America.
JoAnn Pa. | 03.19.08 08:23 PM
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BIG JOHN- As a black woman and former Repub, nothing said by his pastor is surprising or even abnormal. The black church is a very complex cultural organism and in a society where so many don't have father-figures it is easy to see how Obama could come to respect a black man who challenges his mind. Do you know how many people at my church call the pastors mom & dad? Out of a church of about 500, 75% don't know or weren't raised by their fathers... What I am saying is the relationship is different and the strength of it- even if you disagree with that person you don't just leave.
toebaby | 03.19.08 08:28 PM
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It bothers me that Hillary NOW wants to count the votes in Fl when she originally agreed the votes would not count AND she agreed not to campaign. That said, how can the already cast votes count if everyone did not vote becasue they were told, not by the candidates, but by the Party leaders, that their votes would not count? The only fair theing to do is re-vote so that everyone can vote, or not vote, knowing that their votes count this time.
Rosetta | 03.19.08 08:29 PM
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This is just another ploy by Hillary, pulled from her sleeve to win. No one ever expected Obama to take the country by storm as he has and win as he has. Hillary was expected to just take the nomination with minimal effort. Now that she is having to fight for every vote, she's willing to get down in the mud and scrap for each vote, no matter how unfairly she has to do it and the DNC is letting her get away with it!
Marie | 03.19.08 08:37 PM
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toebaby
The problem is that no matter how it is presented, at this stage, to even get into an analysis of the Black Churches would only hurt Obama.
He was beholden to Wright as Wright was probably instrumental to his Senate win in Chicago while voters in general would have expected a more clear divorce between the candidate and the Pastor. This is where he is now, in the middle having to now calculate losses in order to make gains.
The same goes for the Democrats. They will either have to nominate a potential looser or insult and expend an important constituency. I m referring to the Supers nominating Hilary despite an Obama delegate win.
On another front, one needs to admit that if many African Americans are exposed to this sort of rhetoric in Church, especially from an early age, they will be indoctrinated into a reality which will only hurt their chances in the real world.
Dr.MLK presented a dream, Wright a nightmare
armaros | 03.19.08 08:47 PM
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look the bottom line really is:OBAMA GOES TO A RACIST CHURCH AND NOW HE WANTS TO BE PRESIDENT.
OH MEN CNN PEOPLE OF SO CALLED PRINCIPLE WHY ARE YOU SO AFRAID TO SPEAK UP?THAT'S RIGHT YOU WENT TO GOOD SCHOOLS,TO HAVE A GOOD CAREER-THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T SPEAK UP.IMAGINE NOT SPEAKING UP ABOUT A RACIST THAT IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.OH YEA,THAT SPEECH OBAMA WAS SO GREAT.YOU PEOPLE AT CCN ARE SO COWARDLY.
MIKE | 03.19.08 08:54 PM
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Will you please explain to the american people that if Hillary is not being honest about her past from the White House until now how can we beleive anything she says that she will do as president. She was made to release the papers, but it took so long because so much in them had to be deleted or left out. Obama has laid his whole life out for the American people and all they can still talk about is what Rev. Wright said. They need to get over it and get on with the campaign. I want to see if they will jump on and talk for two weeks 24/7 about Hillary and what she is trying to hide from us about her pass dealings and telephone conversations. Talk about that. The Rev. Wright story is getting so old that it is turning people away from watching cnn.
Deborah | 03.19.08 08:57 PM
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We profess to be a county of rules and laws. Consequently, the Democratic Party laid out the rules and Florida and Michigan decided to ignore them. Now Hillary wants to void the rules since they don't please her. What message does this send to our children and to the world that we can change the rules after we've violated them? Does this portend her executive behavior as a chief executive? She needs to resign immediately and withdraw from the race before her head permanently shakes forward and backward and that fake toothy smile freezes in place.
Dave | 03.19.08 09:22 PM
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We profess to be a county of rules and laws. Consequently, the Democratic Party laid out the rules and Florida and Michigan decided to ignore them. Now Hillary wants to void the rules since they don't please her. What message does this send to our children and to the world that we can change the rules after we've violated them? Does this portend her executive behavior as a chief executive? She needs to resign immediately and withdraw from the race before her head permanently shakes forward and backward and that fake toothy smile freezes in place.
Dave | 03.19.08 09:22 PM
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For those of you saying this isn't fair to the voter's of Florida and Michigan - what about the 20 or so states that have waited their turn for their primaries and haven't yet voted - like say north carolina. Those states did not illegally move their primaries up so their voters would be heard. Your anger is displaced and should go to those democrats and republicans in Florida and Michigan who chose to disenfranchise their own constituents. I am in favor of a revote, as I am sure Obama is - but to simply have those delegates seated when he was unable to campaign in those states is just absurd.
dvyne | 03.19.08 09:38 PM
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Around 11:30am today when I saw HRC acting Like it was BHO fault that the MI and Fl vote wouldn’t count. I thought to myself I cant be the only one who sees this as being VERY underhanded. In September of 2007 when She was heir to the throne she was perfectly fine with the set rules to strip Mi& FL of their Votes. Had NO problem with disenfranchising voters, could care less about their vote counting. I’ve even herd someone from her campaign say “we should just have a re-vote , no need to campaign in the states, just re-vote”! Are you not insulted? I’m not even saying vote Obama, but are you not upset that she puts this out here like, “they aren’t smart enough to see my real intentions.
mvpsdad | 03.19.08 09:50 PM
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Hillary doesn't give a darn about the voters in Michigan and Florida. the people of these state are ignorant to buy into this nonsense of hers. Hillary is deceptive and I am sick of her behavior throughout this campaign. I have lost all respect for the Clintons. This is only about her. You can bet if Obama had won those states she wouldn't be pushing for the delegates to be seated. They knew from the beginning that the delegates would not be seated so the rules should not change now!
As for Pastor Wright, I am sick of the nonsense. Obama is not responsible for what that man says and he can still care for his pastor and not agree with everything he says. I don't agree with everything my pastor says or does. I remember that he is a man, not God therefore not perfect. Since we are questioning Obamas church, why don't we question Clinton and McCains church which are probably all white churches and although the pastor may not speak openly about the races I am sure it is probably underlying due to the lack of other races in the church.
Jay | 03.19.08 09:57 PM
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What also saddens me is that I come here to get a pulse of what people are thinking. And the hate and lies being spread are as bad as Rev. Wright. I don’t agree with what he said but I can understand why he did. He grew up during a time of systematic oppression, openly racist south,Jim crow laws. And his elders grew up during a time when you could be killed for looking at a white woman. I can understand why he feels this way, BUT not agree. Have Any of you herd of the Tuskegee airmen? So how far fetched is his aids statement. Or even the FBI files on the introduction of Heroin to the black community to destroy the black power movement of the 60’s ? AGAIN I don’t agree with him but I can understand why.
mvpsdad | 03.19.08 10:02 PM
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What also saddens me is that I come here to get a pulse of what people are thinking. And the hate and lies being spread are as bad as Rev. Wright. I don’t agree with what he said but I can understand why he did. He grew up during a time of systematic oppression, openly racist south,Jim crow laws. And his elders grew up during a time when you could be killed for looking at a white woman. I can understand why he feels this way, BUT not agree. Have Any of you herd of the Tuskegee airmen? So how far fetched is his aids statement. Or even the FBI files on the introduction of Heroin to the black community to destroy the black power movement of the 60’s ? AGAIN I don’t agree with him but I can understand why.
mvpsdad | 03.19.08 10:02 PM
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Hey, how about Monica Lewinsky running for president? She seems to share the same expertise as Hillary does in the White House.
Mike Unstings | 03.19.08 10:06 PM
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This nonsense has to stop. We are going to end up without a Democratic candidate if things don't soon run a little smoother. If Hillary's followers cannot see behind the fog of her campaign we are in deep trouble. She's no more royalty than you or I, and she thinks she has the lead in this election. If I lived in Mich. or Fla. I would make sure she didn't pull the wool over my eyes again. She is a sneak and can't sleep at night trying to find more loop holes to crawl through. Drop the race card and get on with it. Rush had an interesting tape of Clinton's pastor also. Disgusting. God Bless America.
JoAnn Pa. | 03.20.08 01:01 AM
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