Clinton Supporter Attacks "Exceedingly Unfair" Texas Caucus System

CNN:

Former HUD secretary and Hillary Clinton supporter Henry Cisneros excoriated Texas' arcane electoral process as "a great burden on voters" and said that losing the delegate count on Tuesday because of the state caucuses would be "exceedingly unfair."

Cisneros was speaking to a group of Clinton volunteers who had gathered on Saturday morning at Fox Tech High School to train for Tuesday evening's state caucuses, which follow a day of primary voting. One-third of the state's pledged delegates are allocated through the caucuses, while the rest are determined by the day's primary vote.

Read the whole story: CNN

Comments

[Seattlelite]

Is it just me or is anyone else tried of her and her supporters complaining about something that didn't seem a problem until she was losing.

[zakon]

I'm offended by Hillary's threat to sue to Texas' Democratic Party in an effort to change their form of democracy. Her campaign did not properly plan for caucuses in advance. This strikes me as poor leadership, judgment, and ethics. Resorting to legal arm twisting to achieve a 'democratic' result smacks of Bush in Florida.

[Tsunami]

A Caucus is a very undemocratic way to choose delegates. Obama supporters are threatening caucus goers much as the Repugs threatened those counting the votes in Florida.

[Darnamell]

Having been through one in Nevada, I can promise you how this goes.

In my precinct a Clinton supporter held every post. They locked the doors early, turned people away who decided they were uncommitted after the first declaration, "forgot" to vote until it looked like they might lose a delegate and then voted 10 minutes AFTER everyone else had, and had to be watched like hawks when trying to proportion the delegates.

The official Clinton rep went after the folks who didn't have a viable candidate so aggressively that all but one of the 11 went over to the Obama camp in disgust. I heard similar things from other precincts. I imagine the Obama or Edwards supporters aren't blameless in this, but it serves as a disturbing trend that the campaign now DEMANDS this kind of behavior.

The caucus was VERY damned democratic and a nice exercise in civic politics until the under-handedness of Clinton supporters soured it. Yeah, I'm an Obama supporter and have a definite bias, but the Edwards and Kucinich supporters and those who still supported those no longer in the race had pretty much the same impression.

[SaveTheCrying]

Hey Hillary lovers,

You must be so proud of your girl!
http://deepbackground.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/29/718285.aspx

LOL!

[PJay]

I wish someone could send that to SNL, you know, where "bitch is the new black".
Let's see if Tina Fey stands by her woman with that little tidbit of inofrmation.

[rbile]

In light of this development, I don't want to hear another Obama-Rezko reference from the Clinton camp. Not only is this amount significant more than what Obama was said to profit from Rezko, but Obama gave the Rezko donation in question to charity and even called it a mistake while Clinton is actively benefiting from this firm's scandal-tainted money.

[TimeForChange]

Message to Hillary and staff: Bill Clinton ran in Texas - twice. You should know the rules of the primary there by now.

The problem isn't the complicated rules in Texas, the problem is Obama is gaining ground and Hillary is now trying to change or challenge the rules to win. Look for her to try to get the MI & FL delegates seated too, even though she agreed up front with all the other candidates & the DNC that they wouldn't be counted.

Hillary may have had 35 years "experience," but I seriously question that she learned anything useful.

I'll take judgment over experience. Go Obama!

[Denni]

Does anyone in the Clinton camp realize that whining is neither an artform nor is it attractive? Anything that doesn't benefit them is 'unfair' or 'biased'..­. It's unreal.

[PJay]

You forgot "insignificant".
And she wasn't even gracious enough to congratulate Obama's wins and concede her losses in those "insignificant" states.

[gevan]

Gosh! Only twenty-five weeks left before the convention. Now we wonder whose collective geniuses decided to front load this years primary system. If this Tuesday IS decisive, what will we do for entertainment for the next five months? Watch J. Sidney McCain III(4th) spin into insanity? Suffer Billary's interminable pout? Slip into another war in Kosovo?

[darlamc]

Where's Hillary?

www.politicalamnesia.blogspot.com

My source is telling me....

[TheSecularist]

If she hadn't been so arrogant in assuming the nomination was already hers and that our primary votes were simply an annoying formality, she might not have been on the losing end. Ever since Super Tuesday, she has done nothing but scheme and use underhanded tactics to get what's "rightfully hers". She was happy with the rules until she was out-strategized and out-maneuvered by Team Obama! Does she really think the electorate will vote for her if she succeeds in stealing the nomination?

Emily "Hussein" M.

[savertime]

Hillary and Bill should stop campaigning for Obama. They spend more time talking about him than Hillary. It just sounds so desperate. And so negative. And dumb.

I could have run a better campaign than this; pathetic.

[PJay]

Unbeknownst to BIll, he DID campaign for Obama ----- in 2004!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe0BPwWAxnk

[musselmanm]

What the rules in Texas do to Hillary are, that she cannot get many of the Hispanics to come back to the caucuses. This will in effect give the caucuses to Obama, thereby wiping out her hispanic voter edge in the primary portion of the texas primary/caucus.

[acanthus]

It's not just that. In the Democratic primary process in Texas, 126 of the 228 delegates are allocated to the state senatorial districs, and those delegates are up for grabs in the straight balloting process. Each district is allocated anywhere from 2 to 8 delegates, depending on the district's Democratic voter turnout in the previous two general elections. Because districts with high Latino populations had lower turnout for Democratic candidates in 2004 and 2006, those districts will be allocated fewer delegates. So, even if Latinos vote heavily for Clinton next Tuesday, she won't pick up as many delegates as her campaign thought she would under those circumstances.

[hank48188]

The way the DEMS in Texas seems quite strange, if you already had a primary for a week with early voting why do they also have a caucus? A Primary seems DEMOCATIC to me, a caucus doesn't

[CaptainVideo]

"she cannot get many of the Hispanics to come back to the caucuses."

That brings out another weakness in her candidacy. Her supporters are not as enthusiastic as Obama's and less willing to make an extra effort to help her win. A candidate with enthusiastic, highly motivated supporters like Obama has a much better chance of beating McCain.

[coonce]

Instead of running a campaign on her own merits, Hillary has done nothing but complain about being mistreated, either by the media, the DNC or different States that don't have any REAL say during the general election.

Grow up Hillary.

[CaptainVideo]

Do we really want a chronic complainer in the White House?

[riverhouse]

This is getting painful to watch. Hillary needs to give up the ghost and head home.

[2008andbeyond]

Unfair would be seating delegates in Michigan and Florida as they currently stand, after saying that they would not be, especially in Michigan where it was Hill and Gravel on the ballot. That means no candidate was able to campaign there (though Hill did in FLA) and get to know the voters. How many voters did not participate or seriously review the candidates because they knew it wouldn't count?

Since Hillary refers to how Bill didn't win certain states in his 1992 primary yet still became the nominee, she should note that he won in Texas under this same "unfair" system. If it was good enough for a Clinton before, it should be good enough for a Clinton now!

[Independent voter]

The Texas system, although unusual, was good enough for Slick Willie. Now because the bleached blonde harpy is losing, it's suddenly a bad system?

But does Cisneros have any moral high ground to stand on????

In December, 1997, Cisneros was indicted on 18 counts of conspiracy, giving false statements and obstruction of Justice.

In September, 1999, Cisneros negotiated a plea agreement, under which he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of lying to the FBI, and was fined $10,000. He did not receive jail-time or probation.

Cisneros was pardoned by President clinton in January 2001.

Lacking a little credibility there Henry?


You can't sue your way to the White House Hitlery.

[jackpinesavage]

And don't forget, the Barret Report (the independent counsel investigation of Cisneros and his DC connections) had 128 pages redacted from the original 400 and some odd pages. The redaction occurred in 2006, spearheaded by several Democratic Senators..­.including John Kerry. However, the redacted portion can be requested by any sitting member of Congress.

Some rumors have it that there was tampering with the DoJ and the IRS to help Mr. Cisneros out of his jam.

I would imagine that if Sen Clinton wins the nomination, we'll see some freshman, Republican representative on the evening news waving those 128 pages in the air...some­time around the third week of October would be my guess.

[Independent voter]

I think that you're right. If clinton manages to lie, cheat or steal the election from Senator Obama, the Repubs are going to have a field day opening clinton's dirty dealings for the word to see - including bisex with Huma

[mrdontplay]

more crying.

about everything.

waay waay waay....th­e rules are stupid.

waay waay waay...the media is not being nice

waay waay waay...oh.­...uh....I­'m ready on day one

sad.

[ScandalousCandice]

She should have disputed their rules long before now. But thats her problem with ego. She never thought it would go this far. Now everything is unfair because Barack is beating her. What a sad cow.

[JoelNH]

After she is president.­..

waay waay waay...why is this $*&%($ phone ringing at 3am!