Clinton: Florida, Michigan Primaries Were

Clinton: Florida, Michigan Primaries Were "Fair" And Should Be "Honored"

Huffington Post   |   March 12, 2008 12:38 PM


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Sen. Clinton, speaking today at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, argued today that the delegates from Florida and Michigan should be seated, in some form or another:

"If you are a voter from Florida or Michigan, you know that we should count your vote. The nearly two and a half million Americans in those two states who participated in the primary elections are in danger of being excluded from our democratic process and I think that's wrong. The results of those primaries were fair and they should be honored. Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of discussion about what we should do to ensure that the voters in Florida and Michigan are counted.


"In my view there are two options: Honor the results or hold new primary elections. I don't see any other solutions that are fair and honor the commitment that two and a half million voters made in the Democratic primaries in those two states. Whether voters are clamoring for solutions to the challenges that we face or not, or whether people are coming out in droves to be heard, we have a basic obligation to make sure that every vote in America counts.

I hope that Senator Obama's campaign will join me in working to make that happen. I think that that is a non-partisan solution to make sure that we do count these votes."

These comments follows a public letter from her campaign manager Maggie Williams sent to Obama's David Plouffe, seeking a resolution of the delegates from both states. Here is the text of the letter:

David Plouffe Obama for America Chicago, Illinois


Dear David:

The 2008 primary campaign has been a spirited contest that has resulted in record voter turnout. Both of our candidates can proudly boast of bringing new people into the process and energizing our Democratic Party.

With the campaign now entering the final phase of the nominating contest, it is vital that both of our campaigns come together to ensure that the delegations from Florida and Michigan be seated to reflect the will of the voters.

In Florida and Michigan, nearly 2.5 million Americans made their voices heard and participated in primary elections. We think the results of those primaries were fair and should be honored.

Over the last few weeks, there has been much discussion about how to ensure that the Florida and Michigan delegations are seated. We think there are two options: Either honor the results or hold new primary elections.

To that end, we are in active consultation with all of our supporters in Florida, including Members of Congress. In Michigan, we are in active consultation with the committee appointed by Governor Granholm.

We hope that your campaign will join us in our efforts to ensure that these votes are counted.

Sincerely,

Maggie Williams
Campaign Manager



 
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Correction above: The votes in question were at two Texas caucus sites, NOT primaries.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:08 PM on 03/23/2008

Split 'm & seat 'm. That's my take. I heard this interview with Clinton while driving to work and couldn't believe my ears. She is absolutely shameless. To suggest that those were fair election is truly "Orwellian"as Tucker Carlson just suggested. (By the way, I'm not in the habit of quoting Carlson but this comment was totally apropos)
What does she say to all those people who were under the impression that the elections in Florida and Michigan would not count and decided not to take time away from work and family to vote in a sham election. She herself admitted asmuch when she said a while back that the votes from those states wouldn't count. If she can lie repeatedly and with a straignt face, what kind of person would want this liar holding the highest position in the land. If she can lie this easily about these two state elections, what else is she lying about? I will never vote for her despite being an "older democratic woman" If she gets the nomination, chances are I will for the first time in my life become an "older Republican woman"

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:27 PM on 03/13/2008

I am a resident of Florida. The primary here was not "fair" simply because the public had been told that their votes would NOT count. There is no way to tell how many people would have voted (in addition to those who did) if they had known that their votes would, in fact, count. They have been denied an opportunity to vote. What would be more unfair than that? Clinton is only saying it's fair because the votes that were made were in her favor. If the vote had been in Obama's favor, she would be saying something entirely different.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:19 PM on 03/13/2008
- LeftLeaner I'm a Fan of LeftLeaner 26 fans permalink
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Florida was fair and should be honored.

Michigan did not all the names on the ballot, and therefore should NOT be honored.

End of story

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:44 PM on 03/13/2008
- billrott I'm a Fan of billrott 9 fans permalink

Yup, another sign of Hillary's great leadership abilities. You tell em Hillary. If you say the votes were fair, they have to be. I mean all the voters would told the election results would not count so they stayed home. Your opponent was not on the ballot. Yeah, none of these facts matter. Your campaign pledges about these states don't matter. You tell em.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:38 PM on 03/13/2008
- knerd I'm a Fan of knerd 20 fans permalink
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What is fair about one candidate not even listed on the ballot ???

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:20 PM on 03/13/2008

Fair?????? Give me a break!!!...........

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:10 PM on 03/13/2008
- 2belinda I'm a Fan of 2belinda 6 fans permalink
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HRC knows the primaries in Fla and MI were not democratic or fair but she knows if she says it enough times folks who do not read or investigate the facts for themselves will believe that what she says must be true. Soon it will be a "Clintonian fact " and that folks is the way the Clintons do business.
Bully, lie, cheat or steal. Politics of destruction. What an unholy pair. The Clinton have never played by the rules. Never will.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:44 PM on 03/13/2008

only a clintonista would believe that a primary where all the candidates were not on the ballot (MI) was "fair"--I would have maybe bought her idea if she had said FL was fair, MI needs to be redone...but to say both are fair portrays her and the clinton campaign for what they are: selfish, opportunistic, and UNfair! in light of this clinton campaign ploy to be greedy, it is becoming more and more clear that the only way to handle this debacle is for an "adult" to get between the "children" and to split the delegates evenly between the candidates in BOTH states.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:23 PM on 03/13/2008
- frappe I'm a Fan of frappe 208 fans permalink
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Clinton proclaims: "The FL and MI primaries were "fair" and should be "honored""

Do you believe this nonsense?! Incredible. The insufferable hubris of a candidate who claims to have the best interest of the American people at heart.

What pathetic drivel from a losing candidate who, if she really did have the best interest of the American people and the Democratic party at heart, would have withdrawn from the race by now and placed her firm support behind Obama so that we can FINALLY deliver the PINK SLIPS to the ever-so-deserving slate of Republican candidates in November.

For those of you who have conveniently forgotten, Clinton and Obama both agreed PRIOR to the primaries that FL and MI would not count in the final delegate count. Now, what has changed since that time when she was Ms. Inevitable?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:24 AM on 03/13/2008
- in4success I'm a Fan of in4success 44 fans permalink

do we need another leader so morally bankrupt and delusional they don't even have the inherent sense of reason to comprehend the philosophy of reason? --"fair?"

like: "is" legitimacy does not depend on what your definition of "fair" is.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:31 AM on 03/13/2008

She really sucks.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:01 AM on 03/13/2008

NEWS FLASH

A mail in ballot is not permissible under Florida Law for the purpose of a Primary

See Florida Revised Statutes Title IX Chapter 101 2(a)

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0101/SEC6102.HTM&Title=->2000->Ch0101->Section%206102#0101.6102

FRS IX 101.6102 2(a)

2) The following elections may not be conducted by mail ballot:

(a) An election at which any candidate is nominated, elected, retained, or recalled; or
(b) An election held on the same date as another election, other than a mail ballot election, in which the qualified electors of that political subdivision are eligible to cast ballots.

Someone pointed this out to me and somehow the $million dollar consultants are peeing on the poundcake again. These guys are incompetent.

Hillary - Plan G - as in gas up the bus and go home.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:48 AM on 03/13/2008
- busybeez I'm a Fan of busybeez 4 fans permalink

Well Hillary, I feel disenfranchised because my vote here in Texas was undone by Bill's friend Limbaugh, which is why you won the primary in our state. And the people in Mississippi are probably feeling kinda frustrated when they learned that 25% of your votes in Mississippi was courtesy of Republicans who support McCain (according to MSNBC). Yeah, makes me real sympathetic to your position on the sanctity of those Florida and Michigan votes--which you knew beforehand would not count. Are you trying to make people think you are crazy? That's not really a characteristic we are looking for in a president.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:51 AM on 03/13/2008
- lbrillante I'm a Fan of lbrillante 7 fans permalink

Ludicrous and ridiculous. The election was not 'fair' . Hillary Clinton was a household name and Barack Obam was an unheard of Senator from Illinois. They both agreed not to campaign in Flordia and they knew that it wouldn't count. Well so did the voters so how many people didn't vote becase the knew it wouldn't count. They did not get to meet Senator Obama and make an educated choice between the two candidates or 'all' at that time. They went to the polls and voted for the person that they already knew. It's ridiculous to expect us to give Hillary delegates or popular vote numbers based on that election. You signed a contract Hillary and you agreed. You want it now not because it was a fair election but because you need more help to have any chance of winning. So now because it's convenient for you, you expect everyone to just lay down and let you walk all over them 'because your a girl' and they are so tough on you, you fighter you.... and take whatever you want. I think everyone wants to include the voters of Florida and Michigan and to find a fair way of doing this that will work for everyone. IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT BY GIVING YOU VOTES THAT YOU DIDN'T REALLY EARN AND DON'T REALLY BELONG TO YOU. That is just NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
You are shocking me with your behavior anymore. You've proved to me that you are all over the map and will do anything to try to win.
I am now among those that wouldnt vote for you period!
Someone needs to talk to Hillary and help her understand what we're seeing because it looks awful and definitely not presidential.

OBAMA/EDWARDS '08

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:40 AM on 03/13/2008

There is no way that, at the time of the Florida and Michigan primaries, Barack Obama was just and "unknown Senator from Illinois." GMAB. I have never met Barack Obama NOR HIllary Clinton. I've never "seen" either of them campaign except through television, newspapers, and the internet. How condescending of you or anybody else to think that 2.5 MILLION voters are so uninformed.

Does this country REALLY want to disenfranchise, AGAIN, TWO POINT FIVE MILLION Americans? By not counting them in the primaries, they will not be "allowed" to vote in November either.

The two Republican Governors from Michigan and Florida who very cleverly set this up longggg ago, should be removed from office if the votes don't count.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:03 PM on 03/23/2008
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