Clinton Campaign: We Want the Michigan Uncommitted to Stay Uncommitted

[MadBadger]

I dont have words for this anymore

Ickes: We want the Michigan uncommitted to stay uncommitted


In a conference call with reporters, Clinton Senior Adviser Harold Ickes clarified their position on Michigan -- they don't want the 55 "uncommitted" delegates to go to Obama (his name did not appear on the ballot in Michigan).

There have been reports that some of the uncommitted delegates in Michigan already selected are union supporters of Clinton. This solution, unsurprisingly, would make it much harder for Obama to clinch a pledged delegate majority.

Last week, the Clinton campaign was agnostic on the issue -- but they seem to ratcheting up the noise, or at least their negotiating position.

Ickes also mentions that the co-chairs of the Rules and Bylaws Committee -- which will rule on Florida and Michigan on May 31 -- have been holding "informal meetings" with leaders of both of the campaigns.


http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Ickes_We_want_the_Michigan_uncommitted_to_stay_uncommitted.html#comments

[Max_powers94]

1. WOW!!! these people are crazy

:crazy:

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

29. Nope, their not crazy - they know EXACTLY what they're doing.

[Epiphany4z]

2. can you imagine if

it was her name not on the ballot?

[Yael]

3. Someone get her a pony, will ya?

Unbelievable gaul.

[ErinBerin84]

of all people

They have the nerve to put Harold Ickes out there for this. The irony.

[babylonsister]

4. Such bullshit. They ARE making it up as they go along. nt

[Duke Newcombe]

5. Wow. Not EVEN _any_ pretense of fairness, now....

Amazing.

Duke

[reflection]

52. Craven lust for power.

Everyone who runs for President has a desire for power, but Hillary strikes me as different. I truly believe that if she had a big enough army, she'd just TAKE the presidency. What an amoral piece of crap she is.

[book_worm]

6. she wants, she wants it's time the super delegates put an end to this farce

she hasn't the say.

[DangerDave921]

7. I'd go farther

I'd say that yes, the Michigan voters were uncommitted at the time. But with my recent surge in the primaries, including PA, KY, and WV, I am confident that all of these uncommitted voters would swear their allegiance to me. So I want all the Michigan votes to count for me.

Not that far-fetched I have to say.

[cali]

8. they're ratcheting up the noise because they already know the decision

Hill doesn't get what Hill wants.

Tough shit.

[PBS Poll-435]

9. My solution is much more fair. (And doesn't require psychic powers)

Give Obama 1/3 of the "Uncommitted" delegates.

[thewiseguy]

12. So Edwards got 2/3 of the uncommitted?

[PBS Poll-435]

16. No...Richardson got 1/3 too!

Nice and equal.

No attempting to divine voter intent.

[thewiseguy]

17. Bullshit

Not going to happen.

[PBS Poll-435]

19. Seems more fair than some of the other proposals I have heard.

[thewiseguy]

21. No Thanks. Not going to happen.

[cali]

42. LOL!! You guys need to do better than that.

not that it'll make any difference for Clinton.

[PBS Poll-435]

43. If it is over*, why does any of this matter?

If Obama has won, why not give every delegate to Clinton.

It would be like a peace offering.
















:rofl:

[cali]

46. that's up to the RBC.

But why feed her delusions?

[anigbrowl]

47. You forgot Biden. Of course I think Edwards and Richardson would just hand their delegates to Obama.

Actually, I doubt they'd have anything to do with such an obvious farce.

[cali]

22. nothing fair about that. And tough for you that it won't happen

The RBC has made it's decision. He'll get the uncommitted delegates- and maybe a few more. How do I know? Obama would not be transitioning his people into the DNC and merging it with his campaign if the RBC hadn't reached a decision and if that decision hadn't been leaked to both campaigns. That certainly explains Hilly's temper tantrums of the last two days. And Obama wouldn't have leaked that they're starting a vp seach.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

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[cottonseed]

56. I say subtract the "uncommitted" from Hillary's total.

It was an "anyone but Clinton" vote anyways, so remove that number from Hillary's total. I actually saw someone else make this suggestion. It's funny, but I think it makes sense.

[4themind]

10. Listen everyone, please Don't even get upset about this

anymore than those people that say the earth is flat, because it's not going to happen in my view. I think There is absolutely no way that Michigan will ever be seated at full strength without SOME of the delegates going to Obama, and the BEST reason for that, is the own state will be bringing it's OWN compromise to the RBC that does give obama some of that Uncommitted vote. Hillary has said that she is willing to take this as far as the state delegations will allow it. However the state delegations have their OWN competing interests to get SOME of their votes counted, and I think they'll be more willing to give some of the uncommitted vote to obama, then prolong the fears of NONE of them being seated at all. These politicians have their OWN futures to worry about and the only way it pays of for them in the short term is if hilary is the nominee (even V.P. alone won't do it IMO). But this prospect is looking increasingly unlikely and politicians are always the first to jump ship if they feel it's sinking, and by June 3rd I think that will be apparent.

In summary Hillary's camp breaks from a compromise that a working majority of state legislators and officials want on this issue. In other words don't worry about it, because it's not going to happen (although the whole process is worrisome, just not the possibility of this specific thing occuring in my view)

[rucky]

26. it would be comical if it weren't really happening. n/t

[DearAbby]

11. Yeah...

and people in hell want Ice water too...:eyes:

[helderheid]

13. NO FUCKING WAY. Just when I think my respect couldn't drop lower.

[RainDog]

14. The damage she is doing now outweighs the positive of waiting

We've had candidate after candidate who was known before every state voted. we are so close to the end, but every day the super delegates refuse to acknowledge that her campaign is futile, the more she and her surrogates use lies to create the illusion of unfairness to her.

Where's Willie Wonka when you need him?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

15. Okay, this has been a long time coming...

but here it is:

Fuck You, Hillary Clinton.

As far as I am concerned, you are attempting to steal an election with these kinds of tactics, and I was outraged when the GOP tried and I'll be just as fucking outraged to see a Dem pull that kind of shit. :mad:

My screen name was picked because of my outrage at the 2000 stolen election -- "Hell Hath No Fury Like A Voter Scorned"

You are quickly becoming no better than BushCo, lady. And man is that saying something.

Hell

[truebrit71]

20. I agree 100% with your entire post. This is beyond despicable.

...

[NatBurner]

18. lord

i'm getting dizzy trying to keep up

i wonder what it'll be tomorrow?

in an HOUR?

[rucky]

23. THEY DIDN'T VOTE FOR YOU WHEN THEY HAD THE CHANCE

get a clue, Hillary!

[smalll]

24. It makes sense. These delegates are actual people - who were chosen to be "uncommitted" -

I say seat them "as is" - I don't see why an imposition of a requirement that they vote for Obama is necessary. I'm sure MOST of these delegates WILL vote for Obama, and they would be entirely in their rights to declare this up front. I don't see why the rejection of an extra rule upon these people seems so ridiculous to you and other Obamatrons on this thread.

[CTLawGuy]

34. I thought they were supposed to represent the will of the people

why should any of them vote for hillary when the people they represent clearly did not?

[ejpoeta]

44. thats bs!

i say that they should split the michigan delegates 50/50. You could have an argument for florida, as they were both on the ballot there. But Michigan only had Hillary on it, so no one even had the option to vote for anyone else but uncommitted. The delegates should be 50/50 or let obama have the uncommitted. It's asinine! What a mockery HRC has made of this process. I am already depressed today because we have had no sun for days. But I am just at the end of my rope right now. The audacity of this woman and her people just irks me to no end!

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

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[billyoc]

25. Paging Thom Hartmann...

:eyes:

[NC_Nurse]

27. Veruca Salt and her minions strike again!

I need to go do something else for a while...this is really disgusting me.

Y'all have a great day! :hi:

[high density]

28. I refuse to continue to get my blood pressure up about this

It WILL be put to an end on May 31, and the Clinton team will have to just accept what is laid out. This Saddam Hussein-style election on MI is not going to be counted as is, nor is Florida for that matter.

[Kokonoe]

30. Hillary holds the Lieberman card and she will use it

I have no doubt she is daring anybody to not give her what she wants.

Knows she lost the democratic nomination, She just needs a reason to feel cheated.

[tulsakatz]

31. that's never going to get past the committee!!

If she wants the delegates counted, ok....that's one thing. She's going to have a difficult enough time getting that done since Obama's name was not on the ballot (since he was obeying the rules).

But to not give the uncommitted votes to him, that's just plain wrong!!

No one is ever going to approve that!! And talk about unfairness of the system.....if anything is unfair, this is!!

[AllentownJake]

32. She doesn't have enough Super Delegates

To get her anywhere near the nomination. I guess she's trying to create 55 more.

[ShortnFiery]

33. WTF, OVER!?! eom.

[Tom Rinaldo]

35. Ask me what I think after the DNC meeting

That is when I will know what all of this now means. There are many types of negotiating strategies, up to and including potential brinksmanship. There is bluster, there are bluffs. Insider politics can be like a Poker championship, and outward appearances can be planned strategic posturing. No one can deny that this is a game being played for very high stakes.

If an agreement can be worked out at the meeting that all sides can sign off on NONE of this strategic prelude will long matter, it will become yesterday's news quicker than a clock tick.

If Clinton's team, when push finally comes to shove, refuses to budge an inch, it will be a terrible mistake on their part which will long haunt them and our Party, and possibly our nation.

[marmar]

36. Hillary,don't go away mad.......

.... Hillary, just go away.


The music has stopped and you don't have a chair. Deal with it, and move on with your life.

[AtomicKitten]

37. The Clinton campaign is sounding more and more like this.

[DefenseLawyer]

38. If Harold Ickes falls in the woods and no one is listening, does he make a sound?

Who really cares what they want? They are no more than an annoyance at this point.

[madrchsod]

39. is there anyone in her staff know

what is being said by others on her staff?

Harold Ickes says one thing and Wolfson says something else....

is this the way she`s going to run the whitehouse?

[Adelante]

40. There's only ever been one reasonable way to do this, to my mind

Take the delegates in both states and have the DNC award half to each candidate. Anything else is bullshit.

[PBS Poll-435]

41. How is that even close to fair, though?

Award Obama delegates for votes that he didn't receive?

:crazy:

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PBS Poll-435]

53. We have established that.

So tell me how votes that didn't go to him are now supposed to be transformed into his Pledged Delegates.

[Adelante]

54. The elections were not legitimate. The votes were not valid.

How do you account for the voters who would have voted if they believed their votes would have resulted in delegates? You can't. Florida and Michigan both committed the same violation and must be treated equally. There has to be some price paid for breaking the rules. The simplest thing is the national party awarding the delegates equally in each state. Neither state and neither candidate gets everything they want, but the delegates are seated.

[PBS Poll-435]

55. If the delegates were awarded equally, Obama would benefit greatly from this scam.

Tell me again how neither candidates get everything they want....

[Adelante]

57. They each get a fair share of delegates

You're right, it's not all Clinton wants, but it's fair. This has been my position all along. I've stated it several times over the past six months. The integrity of the party's rules has to be protected. That's my bottom line. They can't change in the middle of the game when they were agreed to by all parties beforehand and were obeyed by 48 other states. These were rogue elections conducted in full understanding of the consequences. That the voters in those states were misled by their state leadership is a terrible shame, but it doesn't make illegitimate contests legitimate.

[JimGinPA]

45. Well Harold, Wish In One Hand...

[nomorewhopper]

51. hillary sickens and disgusts me

dirty politics at its worst