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

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.

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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

Comments

[Windsor]

Here's what's going to happen. The DNC will reach a deal that the Clintons think is favorable to them. They'll seat Florida's non-competitive primary as is. As a compromise the Clinton's will accept a caucus in Michigan. At the same time the DNC will have had conversations with John Edwards and the Obama campaign. Senator Obama will make a committment to John Edwards to offer him a strong staff position, possibly even the VP position for his support and his delegates. The net result will be a tie in Florida, an Obama win in Michigan and Hillary Clinton losing the VP position - all because she tried to change the game after agreeing to the rules.

Sounds like poetic justice to me. Anyone else have a more dubious scenario?

[OlskoolDem]

John Edwards as AG

[copesthetics]

we can only hope

[boomslang]

Hillary has no honor

[Squirtapotamus]

If Clinton can't play by the rules as a candidate, she won't play by the rules as the President. We've had 7 years of that already. Do you really want more?

[Silpat]

Humm...Fair? Let's see, in Michigan Obama and Edwards' names were not even on the ballot and in Florida no one campaigned. This definitely proves that Hillary is an immoral sociopath.

The Democratic Party is in shambles and almost beyond compare. lol

[hank48188]

Obama and Edwards REMOVED their names from the Michigan Ballot to please the voters of Iowa and N.H. The DNC and Howard Dean should have no voice to the time or date of any State Primary paid for by the State. If the DNC wants to PAY they can call the shots.

[Silpat]

In that case, why not just have all the states vote on the same day? Why agree to the rules and then argue to change them in the middle of the game? Like I said before, Hillary is an immoral sociopath.

[Gmoney1]

Like Obama said - What kind of judgement does Hillary have - she's telling the american people that even if there was no campaigning in Michigan and Florida and only her name was on the ballot in one of those states - ALL WAS FAIR - is their some medicine she's not taking or is this another face of the three faces of eve -

[WFV]

This may be the best evidence Hillary Clinton is certifiable. The elections in Florida and Michigan were FAIR??????????

If you know ANYBODY in Pennsylvania, call them and urge them to vote for Obama. Lets end this insanity in April.

[apcalc]

Barack will be beaten soundly in PA.

[rmetz74]

And it won't matter.

[Mollye]

I agree with Hillary. There was a record turnout and she won both states. Florida, definitely, should be counted and seated...AS IS.

[copesthetics]

i'm sorry, but can you really be so blind? pathetic... it's hillary's supporters who are almost cult-like in their perception of her infallibility. get a grip please.

[nepat]

Maggie Williams deserves a special award for mastering the dark art of illogic: "We think the results of those primaries were fair and should be honored."

Between all of her statements and reality sits a gaping chasm of epic dimensions.

[Ella20]

"The results of those primaries were fair."

Wow. Just....wow. That's just......it's..... there are no words.......the Clinton campaign jumped the shark a while ago and have now moved onto a whale.

[lbrillante]

NOW YOU ARE FLAT OUT NUTZ HILLARY!!!!! CLEARLY, ABSOLUTELY NUTS!!!!
OF COURSE YOU WOULD LIKE IT THAT WAY BUT THEIR WAS NOTHING COMPLETE, OR FAIR ABOUT THE ELECTIONS IN FLORIDA. OF COURSE THEY VOTED FOR YOU HILLARY. THEY DID NOT KNOW BARACK OBAMA AND YOUR NAME WAS A HOUSEHOLD BRAND, KNOWN NATION WIDE. YOU ARE INSANE TO STATE THAT WE SHOULD ALLOW THEM TO COUNT THE WAY THEY OCCURRED. YOU SIGNED A CONTRACT STATING THAT YOU WOULD NOT CAMPAIGN THERE AND IT WOULDN'T COUNT. IT ABSOLUTELY CANNOT COUNT THE WAY IT WAS!
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!!!
NEVERMIND PLEASE DON'T TELL ME...IT WOULD PROBABLY SCARE THE @&!%$ OUT OF ME!
YOU HAVE NO MORALS. YOU ARE UNETHICAL! YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT BE PRESIDENT!

[Kasandra]

I feel as if my thoughts have been given voice.

Thank you.

Now, we wait.

[LawProf]

I haven't read all the comments here, but it looks like not a single person, even Hillary supporters, will say publicly that these elections were fair. She has probably gone too far, especially with Michigan.

[utscha53]

This was agreed to before Iowa even happened. Clinton agreed, Obama agreed, and all the other candidates agreed as well that these delegates won't be seated. It's time to abide by the rules that were accepted and laid down.

[nazirmo]

In my view there are two options: Honor the results or hold new primary elections," Clinton, a New York senator, said in Washington.

I believe that it is better to hold new primary elections. And the DNC can pay by holding fundraising
concerts in L.A at the Kodak Theatre with appearances by stars and singers who support Obama and
Hillary but there would be no speeches supporting either candidates nor would there be any placards showing the candidates name. Volunteers would receive call during the concerts taking donations for the DNC and the funds collected can go towards the cost of a redo in Florida and Michigan.

[UppityNegress]

I'm an Independent living in a state that has had it's primary but unfortunately BECAUSE OF THE RULES I could not vote in the closed primaries. So eventhough I knew my candidate needed my vote, I should have changed my party affiliation or tried to change the law. Now both seems inconvenient and the latter, impossible as a layman not knowing the process. So when the primary day came I stayed away from the voting center. I knew the rules and no one was changing the rule for me or the candidate that needed my vote.

As much as I felt disenfranchised, I chose to live where I live and I did not fight the process before the elections. Legislators should have been fighting for independents like me but I and other consciously aware citizens should have been pushing the legislators.

Rules are not meant to be broken. They can be changed and that means following through the process, HILLARY. The process was fair. The public was told it would not count so many people stayed away such as I did. It was/is the rule.

You just can't break rules for your personal convenience in the middle of the ongoing process.