Bill Clinton Charges Voter Suppression In Nevada

A half-hour before caucus sites opened in Nevada, former president Bill Clinton accused the powerful pro-Barack Obama Culinary Workers Union with deliberately misleading members who wished to caucus for his wife Hillary Clinton.

In an exclusive dialog with The Huffington Post outside the doors of the caucus site at the swank Mirage Hotel on the Vegas strip, Clinton charged at least three times that the union was deliberately trying to suppress votes of pro-Clinton union members.

The former president's charges are consistent with a memo issued last night by Clinton campaign strategist Mark Penn which suggested that unfair advantages possessed by the culinary workers union would give Obama a "5 point" advantage.

After Mr. Clinton made his comments to reporters, the former president positioned himself inside the door of the caucus site at The Mirage and individually lobbied voters as they entered, persuading them to stand for his wife.

Clinton made his remarks to The Huffington Post and US correspondent for The Independent of London, Andrew Gumbel.

Comments

[BigBen]

Since the Culinary Worker's union endorsed Obama and the workers supported Hillary perhaps Clinton's objection had some validity,but that contradiction seems to have been ignored.No bloggers asked the question why the Union did not represent it's workers?

[independentrepublicrat]

And the teachers union and the other unions supporting Billary are supposedly different? Clinton had more unions supporting her in Nevada, Senator Obama just had the largest single union. She was not at too much of a disadvantage when you add all of her different unions together. Politically, unions are expected to deliver the votes for their candidate. Rest assured there was no less power brokering amongst the Hillary unions than any others. Hillary Clinton has more union support across this country than Edwards and Obama combined. Leave the holier than though victimization alone; your candidate and her supporters have no real legs to stand on with any of their distortions regarding the union or caucuses in NV---unless Billary firmly stands on their hypocrisy because that is all they have with any of their crying about the one union that didn't swing their way.

[IndyProd]

How can anyone in his right mind want Hillary and Bill back in the Whitehouse? Policy aside. And it’s a major aside. Do you really want four or eight more years of this pathetic dysfunctional family in your face and in your news every day? Aren’t you just disgusted enough with their soap opera that even if you like Hillary’s policies, to want someone new, someone more normal, someone more statesmanlike?

[sarnold49]

I was so happy that he spoke out because I had proof that the Bush campaign was trying to get people from Alabama to vote absentee ballots in Florida for Bush in 2004 since they didn't need the votes in Alabama and I turned the info which was an order form for the absentee ballots for yourself and a friend sent to my sister who had lived in Alabama for over 10 years over to John Kerry's campaign and they didn't do anything with it. I still have one of the forms right now because they sent her 3 of them but my mom and my sister gave them to me to see if I could get something done about it.

I am so happy to see someone willing to fight to make things fair!!!

[bija]

I am glad there are people speaking out about voter suppression and other similar problems in elections. I am still boiling mad at the Supreme Court for stopping the vote counting in Florida in 2000.

[BillyCioffi]

I swear a few moments ago Matthews said that Obama's Regan remark was playing into the hands of the Clinton's implying that the Clinton's had somehow manipulated the Obama campaign into doing it and it was part of the Clinton masterplan. To quote John Stewart "He is insane" and somebody should muzzle his "little buddy" Shuster.

[teahead]

Can Bill just SHUT THE F*CK UP!?!?

Karl Rove would be so proud. Sorry, but I'm staying home if she gets the nomination.

I'm just disgusted.

[pnwskier]

This is so depressing. The lawsuit and Bill Clinton's blow-up with the reporter was again just another Machiavell­ian/Rovian ruse to lower expectations for a win that she was almost predestined to get anyway. Remarkable how well Obama has been able to do against such a formidable machine.

I'm contemplating what it will feel like to cast my first Republican vote for any office ever.

[xargaw]

If Hillary is the nominee, I will be praying for a Bloomberg candicacy. I can't vote GOP, but I will never vote for her either, and I am a woman in her age group that is supposed to be where her support comes from

[jackpinesavage]

Always been a liar, probably always will be a liar. He's petulant too. But, sigh, it looks like either four more years of Clintonian neo-liberalism or four more years of whatever evil shit the Republicans have in store for us. This is just depressing­...

[ImayAgree]

Personally I think a lot of you are or are beginning to sound like Republicans. Yeah, "Clinton is a Liar", was the leading cry for impeachment by the republican congress. That was supposed to be an impeachable offense. You talk of dirty tactics but you play along with them in the blogs, both sides do dirty tactics neither Obama or Clinton are innocent babies. To think that I have voted for democrats the last 7 years I hope I have not been mistaken in this.

[AxelDC]

This is pretty rich since the Clintons filed a lawsuit trying to prevent service workers from voting, citing "illegal immigrants" as justification for their measure.

How nice that the Clintons have learned from Karl Rove and can use his both his tactics and bald-faced lies against members of their own party.

[ebbtide]

I am sick of these two--the all American tag team of Bill and Hillary.

[sarnold49]

I would like to point out that caucuses would automatically lead to a type of voter suppression.

Here's an example my husband is the supervisor here at his job and there is about a dozen employees say he says they are going to support Edwards but some of the employees want to support Obama and some want to support Hillary and they have to stand in front of him and tell who they are supporting, it will kind of depend on his personality whether they feel pressured or not. I know he and two of his supervisors would not tell their boss that they are democrats because she made it clear she expected them to vote for Dubya in 2004 but behind her back he got people to register and vote for Kerry.

[tom928]

I used to be a major fan of Bill Clinton. My stomach is now queasy at the shameless tactics they've been pulling against Obama the past few weeks. Perhaps there is and perhaps there is not truth in what he's saying today, but it has been clear for the past couple days that their strategy is the expectations game (to deflate a loss and enhance a win) and this plays right into it.