Obama stirs fight with Florida memo

[William769]

The Clinton campaign criticizes her rival's insistence that the state's votes won't count.

Barack Obama doesn't care what Florida Democrats say on Jan. 29.

In a memo released Tuesday, he reiterated his long-standing view that their primary votes will be worthless. And he vaguely charged that Hillary Rodham Clinton may violate her pledge not to campaign in Florida by holding events here later this month.

"We signed a pledge not to campaign in Florida before Feb. 5, and we're not going to campaign in Florida," Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee said. "But it is disappointing that the Obama campaign continues to tell people that their voices don't count, that they continue to disenfranchise people. Hillary Clinton wants to be president of all 50 states."

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/16/State/Obama_stirs_fight_wit.shtml

[sunonmars]

1. To be honest, i'd like this solution

I think all of the camps should now ask for the sake of voters rights that they should lift the ban on Florida's and Michigan delegates as a gesture of goodwill, they then become free to campaign in Florida immediately.

I really do not think its fair to penalise the people. They could slap them on the wrists saying it was wrong but it is equally wrong to disenfranchise the voters. This would put them in good stead with the states voters.

They could agree to settle this with giving Michigan voters delegates equivalent to the polling that was evident in the last few weeks. Hillary was always going to win there.

Give Hillary 45% of the delgates, Obama 30% of the delegates, Edwards 20% after all she did poll 55% and give Kuchinich his 5%. Polling suggested this was going to be the outcome anyway.

They could settle this easily with a statement and agree to let them campaign in Florida but warn those 2 states that severe penalties will ensue and put a heavy fine on them.

I would like to see all voters delegates seated.

Sod all this about campaigns fighting.

[William769]

3. 1. Obama is belittling Floridians.

2. Once again Obama campaign is not being truthful.

The true losers in this primary are the voters of Michigan and Florida, NOT the DNC, NOT the MDP, Not the FDP and Not the Candidates.

[LisaM]

2. Obama has certainly perfected

stirring something up and then pretending to be above the fray.

[damntexdem]

4. It's unfortunate that he supports disenfranchising FL voters.

It's truly unfortunate that that is what the national party is doing, in MI as well as in FL.

The voters didn't set the dates of the primaries, state party officials, or legislatures, did.

[Barack_America]

6. As much as Hillary loves disenfranchising voters in NV?

Get with it, none of the candidates had anything to do with the messes in MI and FL. That was a fight between the state and national parties ONLY.

But the lawsuit in NV to disenfranchise voters after their union backed Obama? There are Hillary operatives associated with that from top to bottom!

[William769]

7. And where did she do that?

[jackson_dem]

13. That is because of a rivarly between Nevada's two biggest unions, not Hillary

[Barack_America]

5. Wow. What a slanted article. Here's a quote from the actual memo.

Which was conveniently buried in the middle of the article.

"Our position and the position of the DNC is clear -- neither the Florida nor Michigan primaries are playing any role in deciding the Democratic nominee and we are not campaigning in either state," said the Obama campaign memo. It also said, "Clinton may be planning to campaign in the state -- inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity -- ahead of the Florida primary."

Here's a more full look from MSNBC:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/15/580733.aspx

"Florida, whose primary was scheduled for January 29th, is just like Michigan -- the DNC applied full sanctions for setting an early primary date and there are no delegates are at stake. As with Michigan, all of the Democratic presidential candidates signed a pledge to not campaign in Florida.

"Although Senator Obama did not remove his name from the Florida Primary ballot because Florida law did not allow him to do so, Senator Obama is firm in his commitment to neither participate nor campaign in the Florida Primary and its outcome has no bearing on the nomination contest. We raise Florida today because Senator Clinton has scheduled a fundraiser in Florida on Jan. 27th, and there are signs -- despite Senator Clinton’s public pledge to the contrary -- that she may be planning to campaign in the state -- inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity -- ahead of the Florida primary."

Please tell me what's so wrong with that?

[William769]

8. The first two paragraphs says it all.

[pampango]

10. "Please tell me what's so wrong with that?"

Answer - It doesn't make Obama look bad. (You really need to get better at pulling quotes out of context and making a big issue of them, if you are going to improve your mud-slinging ability. :) )

[redqueen]

9. So the truce only means let's be more civil in our slams.

It's still an improvment. :thumbsup:

[CyberPieHole]

11. Obama is not concerened with disenfranchising the voters of Florida...

Just like he didn't care enough about the voters of Michigan to leave his name on the ballot. It was not a requirement to remove one's name from the MI ballot, Edwards and Obama chose to do so because they don't care about those people. Senator Clinton at least kept her name on the ballot and showed who's side she is on: The American voters.


:kick:

[sb5697]

14. Please stop the lying. She did that so that she could try to pull a

Repug type election theft. The DNC STRIPPED MI & FL of their delegates, thus no reason to spend money and & or time campaigning there or giving people false hope by putting your name on a ballot. If this thing comes down to the wire this woman will as sure as hell try to have it decided in A COURT OF LAW, aka, GEORGE BUSH. She will say she is the rightful winner because she won MI even thought the DNC said it's not going to count before the race even begun.

[bpeale]

12. i think the resolution to this is to hold ALL primaries/caucuses on the same day

that way no one state has more say than any other state