May 14, 2008
Dwindling Options
MISSOULA, MT - Bill Clinton made an expanded and direct argument for seating Florida and Michigan delegates Wednesday, suggesting his wife is being punished even though other Democrats supported moving the primary elections earlier in both states and did not back a recount when she did.
"I never thought it would be the Democratic Party that didn't want to count votes in Florida," he said at a rally at the University of Montana. "I thought that was a Republican strategy - or strategery as the case may be. And I just ask you all this, do you really believe Florida would be getting this kind of treatment if the vote had turned out the other way?"
For more than six minutes, Clinton went through the timeline of how both states lost their election delegates, and who he believes is to blame. While he has made the case before, he placed new emphasis on it Wednesday, as it becomes clearer that seating the delegates from both states is one of the few remaining options to help Hillary Clinton defeat Barack Obama.
"Hillary offered a revote in Michigan, we offered a revote in Florida," Clinton said. "In both cases, the other campaign said, 'Nope, no re-vote, we will just see what to do when this thing is over.' Why would we put Michigan at risk and pretend that these people didn't show up and pretend that somehow she is responsible and the voters themselves are responsible and she should be punished for what intermediaries did?"
Clinton said the docking of delegates from Florida and Michigan had a "superficial element of fairness" because Obama and John Edwards took their names off the ballot. But, he said, they did that because Hillary Clinton was ahead in the polls and there was a "very organized and funded campaign to get everyone to vote uncommitted."
"So, if we are gonna decide a closely held contest, it shouldn't be decided with those kind of tactics and those kind of principles," he said. "This should be a great empowerment election, and how ironic it would be, if after so many people have been empowered thru internet giving and active participation, if the thing would be decided by the most disempowering top-down, and I think mindless decision I can recall in a month of Sundays."
(NBC/NJ's MATTHEW BERGER)
Posted at 02:54 PM
Comments
Bill sounds bitter! He's just mad that he has the short end of the stick. He doesn't honestly expect us to believe they would've cut Obama any breaks if they were in the driver's seat? This charade the Clintons have been playing trying to act as if Florida & Michigan should count as voted is insulting to one's intelligence, if one has any. Obama is now agreeing to a 69/59 delegate split in Michigan, but it is Clinton that is balking. I wouldn't agree to anything less than 50-50 if I were Barack.
Mike | 05.14.08 03:54 PM
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Bill sounds bitter! He's just mad that he has the short end of the stick. He doesn't honestly expect us to believe they would've cut Obama any breaks if they were in the driver's seat? This charade the Clintons have been playing trying to act as if Florida & Michigan should count as voted is insulting to one's intelligence, if one has any. Obama is now agreeing to a 69/59 delegate split in Michigan, but it is Clinton that is balking. I wouldn't agree to anything less than 50-50 if I were Barack.
Mike | 05.14.08 03:55 PM
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Clinton takes Indiana by a ‘razor’ and Obama wins North Carolina by a huge margin. Nevertheless, Kentucky, Montana and West Virginia are still to come.
The Democratic race for nomination is still very much alive – and most likely to be decided by superdelegates
If you’re tired of waiting around for those super delegates to make a decision already, go to LobbyDelegates.com and push them to support Clinton or Obama
If you haven't done so yet, please write a message to each of your state's superdelegates at http://www.lobbydelegates.com
Obama Supporters:
Sending a note to current Obama supporters lets them know it's appreciated, sending a note to current Clinton supporters can hopefully sway them to change their vote to Obama, and sending a note to the uncommitted folks will hopefully sway them to vote for Obama. It's that easy...
Clinton Supporters too …. !
It takes a moment, but what's a few minutes now worth to get Clinton in office?! Those are really worth !
Sending a note to current Clinton supporters lets them know it's appreciated, sending a note to current Obama supporters can hopefully sway them to change their vote to Clinton, and sending a note to the uncommitted folks will hopefully sway them to vote for Clinton. It's that easy...
feeba | 05.15.08 06:23 AM
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