Pledges are Just That
It all started with this letter:
Hillary Clinton signed it:
So did Barack Obama. Upon signing the letter, Obama did not campaign or participate in either state’s primary, and withdrew his name from Michigan’s ballot.
Hillary, on the other hand, did no such thing. And then she started losing contests to Obama. Now she has this to say:
Now, I know that Senator Obama chose to remove his name from the ballot in Michigan, and that was his right. But his choice does not negate the votes of all those who turned out to cast their ballots, and we should not let our process rob them and all of you of your voices. To do so would undermine the very purpose of the nominating process. To ensure that as many Democrats as possible can cast their votes. To ensure that the party selects a nominee who truly represents the will of the voters and to ensure that the Democrats take back the White House to rebuild America.
Now, I’ve heard some say that counting Florida and Michigan would be changing the rules. I say that not counting Florida and Michigan is changing a central governing rule of this country - that whenever we can understand the clear intent of the voters, their votes should be counted. I remember very well back in 2000, there were those who argued that people’s votes should be discounted over technicalities. For the people of Florida who voted in this primary, the notion of discounting their votes sounds way too much of the same.
She has fought a valiant campaign. I’m sure she and her supporters are crushed and disappointed. But she will not win the nomination. Not unless she futzes with the rules to such an intense degree that the other people - the people in the states that chose Obama over her - are magically disenfranchised. She signed a pledge and is looking to renege on it. She wants to subvert the rules to which she agreed. Why she’s choosing so brazenly to damage her reputation and family legacy is inexplicable.
Barack Obama » Pledges are Just That Says:May 21st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
[…] 1984 Watch wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptSo did Barack Obama. Upon signing the letter, Obama did not campaign or participate in either state’s primary, and withdrew his name from… […]
Richard Strongbridge Says:May 21st, 2008 at 10:45 pm
She’s just laying the groundwork for her run in 4 years against McCain.
Mike In WNY Says:May 21st, 2008 at 11:48 pm
The Democrats’ nominating process, to borrow a phrase used elsewhere, is FUBAR. You speak of the people who “chose” Obama as if the convoluted rules don’t exist. There are States with primaries, caucuses, some have both, and then you have open primaries and all kinds of craziness.
Obama may have the majority of delegates under a highly flawed system, but he still does not have enough to secure the nomination without the votes of the superdelegates.
Either candidate could ultimately secure the nomination via the convention and it would be according to the “rules”.
mike hudson Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 12:41 am
i think it’s comical that those who bitched loudest about the florida voters being disenfranchised in 2000 are the same ones who are clamoring to disenfranchise them in 2008.
obama’s name was on the ballot in florida and so was clinton’s. neither of them campaigned there. clinton won by a large margin.
far more democrats have actually cast votes for clinton than have voted for obama. the party’s name springs of course from the word democracy which, simply put, means the will of a majority of the people.
if mccain is savvy enough to pick romney for his vp, he will take michigan and probably indiana, ohio and maybe pennsylvania. add that to florida, the rest of the south and the west until you cross the rockies — where obama won quite a lot of his meaningless caucuses —
and your dreamboat will then become this year’s adlai stevenson or george mcgovern or fritz mondale or michael dukakis or al gore or john kerry.
kennedy won it in a squeaker, against nixon, in peacetime, with more than a little help from sam giancana. other than that, you have to go back to franklin delano roosevelt to find a northern, ivy league grad successfully winning the presidency for the dems.
i know that for you lads history kind of began circa 1988, but even today there are a lot of people earning under $50,000 a year who don’t have any ethnic stake in the obama candidacy. such people are currently voting, in droves, for clinton. and my guess is that, come november, they still won’t be won over by obama’s special brand of vague charm, no matter how much you and michael moore try to beat it into their heads that it’s in their own best interest.
C. Byrd Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 am
Asses and Elephants…who needs them?
hank Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 8:26 am
Well, After Hudson tore the guts out of this post, It’s hard to find something else to say.
But I did hear something interesting yesterday on talk radio.
First the quote “The Clintons still have plenty of arrows in their quiver”. Which I believe is true, regardless of how I feel about both of them, and the pity I have for their daughter.
The citizens of NY have enabled and emboldened this woman into a wolverine who, if indeed nothing in the Clintonian Bag of Tricks cannot get her the nomination, will have to be forcefully removed, kicking and screaming, from the convention floor. She’s NOT giving up. Especially now that her dearest supporters(like in WNY for example)are going turncoat on her.
If she loses,NY’ers should expect Nuclear Winter in places where folks have gone against her, if they want her help. Learn the definition of VENGEANCE.
Superdelegates, part and parcel of the bizzare mess that is called the Democrat nominating process, will end up being the decider. There are Superdelegates that owe ZERO to the Clintons. But there are Superdelegates that have to think about pledging themselves to Barry O after a call or two from Slick Willie asking them to pledge to Hillary.
Think about it. You’re a superdelegate, say–Senator or Governor of a state, and you’ve pledged yourself to “I’m gonna look like a jackass in debates with John McCain” Barry O. And you don’t do a 2004 on Barry O and stick with him when it’s time to vote.
And all of a sudden a Jon Powers type decides to challenge you in the next Democrat Primary for your job. Guess who’s gonna funnel money and contributors to your Challenger, and hit the campaign trail for him too-You guessed it–the all time best campaigner, Bill Clinton. And your ass will be out of a job in no time flat. Gotta think about that before you make your final vote at the convention, no?
Frankly I think Hillary has a MUCH better chance of being elected if nominated than Barry O., regardless of what kind of monkey-shines she pulls at the convention, or the Superdelegates decide not to be stylish and pull away from Barry at the last minute, which is possible.
But in the Utopia that is the brain housing group of most liberals, shoot for that pie in the sky, and end up with your dick in your hand, and nothing else.
Buffalo Pundit » Blog Archive » Florida and Michigan = Zimbabwe Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 am
[…] already saw yesterday that Senator Clinton likened the Florida and Michigan primaries to what happened to Democrats in […]
Jim Ostrowski Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 am
Okay, there was a bar on primaries before Feb. 5th. But Obama opposed them after that. Why? Because he would lose. A real man of principle; that principle being self-interest.
Chris Smith Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am
kennedy won it in a squeaker, against nixon, in peacetime, with more than a little help from sam giancana. other than that, you have to go back to franklin delano roosevelt to find a northern, ivy league grad successfully winning the presidency for the dems.
Hillary Rodham Clinton - Graduate of Wellesley College and Yale Law. I love how the daughter of a millionaire with several tens of millions in her own bank account and a graduate of the finest private schools in America has cast herself as the “down home” choice as opposed to the son of a working single Mother. Message spin is fascinating.
if mccain is savvy enough to pick romney for his vp, he will take michigan and probably indiana, ohio and maybe pennsylvania.
Actually, in polling, Romney appears to be a bad choice in the states you mention and nationally.
http://tinyurl.com/48lw3k
In the end, whether you agree with the DNC’s decision to strip Florida of their delegates, all candidates knew of this going into the process. They supported the decision and made a pledge to not seat the delegates.
To turn it around now and claim that they were disenfranchised by “the powers that be” (which Hillary’s campaign supported) and that she is now fighting for their “re-enfranchisement” is disingenuous and the ultimate in personal desperation. She wouldn’t give a fucking rats ass about any of it if Obama had “won” the delegates.
It’s a shame the Republican legislature forced the move of the primary date upon the voters in Florida, but that’s legislative politics for you.
Mike In WNY Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 11:07 am
I guess that “right” doesn’t mean “correct” unless it has the legislative stamp of approval. It doesn’t matter what the “people” prefer. That’s a pretty good description of what is wrong with our government.
Peter Herr Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
What’s really bad about this whole thing is that the DNC is who really loses. There is no way that they come out of this unscathed. If they were to seat all of the delegates and count all of the votes from Florida and Michigan they are then so weak that the rules will never be followed again. If they stick to their guns, there will definitely be some disenfranchisement of voters. Those voters are more likely to be angry now because Hillary’s campaign continuously stirred them up. I don’t think her attacks on Obama were is dangerous as this path. I do believe she helped to strengthen him against the upcoming GOP onslaught. This Florida/Michigan thing is what is going to be bad news. She is a smart lady, and should have seen this. I almost believe she just doesn’t care. I was a dyed in the wool NY Clinton Democrat at the start of this race, and I have seen a self-serving reckless side of her that is not very endearing. Howard Dean will quite probably be a casualty here. Hillary has probably destroyed any effectiveness he had, regardless of outcome.