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

[brizzle]

For everyone who thinks the FL vote was fair, consider this. Many Floridians went to the polls knowing that the Democratic Presidential race was not going to count. So they voted for Governor, judges, local pols, and other ballot measures that don't pertain to the Presidential race. Some voters, perhaps, also voted for Clinton or Obama, just for giggles...­or because they didn't know the vote wouldn't be counted. But what about all those voters who went to the poll knowing the Presidential race would not count, and therefore DID NOT VOTE for Clinton or Obama?

Many people, properly, did not vote for a Democratic Presidential nominee because they knew it would not count. If the FL vote is counted, then all of those people who did not vote (because they knew better) would be unfairly disenfranchised.

This is why keeping the current totals is not right.

Both Michigan and Florida were warned before making their decisions. Both state governments went ahead with decisions they knew would cause problems. This is not the sort of behavior that should be rewarded by the DNC, or by any of the candidates.

If Clinton wins the Dem nomination, I will be voting Republican in the fall. Do you hear me, Pennsylvanians?

[soundbite]

Just what we need---a President who believes that breaking the rules is fair. I seem to be waking up every morning and saying: "Today, Hillary has finally gone over the edge."

[nellie]

It's a little too much like what we've already got.

And just think, democrats should have had this election in the bag. Things are not looking good.

[BetterDays]

Simple, yet very telling, Nellie. It seems we are buying into another 4 years of debauchery where the rules don't apply if you are in power.

[kellygrrrl]

She is "More of the Same" even more than McCain

[margotb822]

C'mon Clinton, we all know that you want the delegates. I would not consider those primaries fair, especially MI, where your name was the only one on the ballot. If people are told that their votes are not going to count, then the voting is not fair.

And, what does Clinton suggest we do about the superdelegates. While agree that the voters have to suffer because of their dumbass lawmakers, many of those state legislators are superdelegates. Maybe we shouldn't seat them because of their disregard for the rules.

www.serveoutloud.blogspot.com

[AMERIKA]

Dear Senator Clinton,

When Obama won Iowa, your campaign said it's not the number of states you win, it's "a contest for delegates.­"

When Obama won a significant lead in delegates, you said it's really about which states you win.

When Obama won South Carolina, you discounted the votes of African-Americans.

When Obama won predominantly white, rural states like Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska, you said those didn't count because they won't be competitive in the general election.

When Obama won in Washington State, Wisconsin, and Missouri -- general election battlegrounds where polls show Barack is a stronger candidate against John McCain -- your campaign attacked those voters as "latte-sipping" elitists.

And now that Obama has won more than twice as many states, your spin is that only certain states really count.

But the facts are clear.

For all of your attempts to discount, distract, and distort, Obama has won more delegates, more states, and more votes.

Meanwhile, more than half of the votes that your have won so far have come from just five states. And in four of these five states, polls show that Barack would be a stronger general election candidate against McCain than you are.

I also think that there is no way you can win the race and anything you do at this time other than withdraw is a waste of time and money. No chance for you to win in by 70% in Florida, no chance for you to win my 70% in Michigan. time to hang it up. Thank you for not fracturing our party, thank you for your leadership.

[THEINSULTEDANDINJURED]

I personally don't care who wins the Democratic nomination because the corporations are calling the shots, not the voters, not blacks, not whites, not Christians, not Muslims not anybody. But Clinton certainly didn't ruin the Democratic nominating process or the Party or anything. In fact, one could argue that Obama, who came late to the process in announcing ruined it for the Party. But unfortunately if he wins the nomination that realization will come too late as McCain takes the oath, Obama will never win the general election.

[OverIt]

Check your facts! Obama announced his candidacy BEFORE Clinton!

[Barbarossa03]

He's a hell of a better shot than Clinton. You need to check your news, Obama matches up better in the election against McCain than Hilary does. No wonder we have so many Republican loudmouths voicing fake support for Clinton (Limbaugh, Rove) because they know they can easily destroy her during the national election against McCain.

[spiritualized]

what? obama came late to the process? okay......
and if obama will never win a general election, why does he consistently beat mccain in polls while hillary consistently loses?

[DoninJoisey]

Bill? Is that you? This is Obama's fault? Wow...

[Lars]

So sure?

[Sylvarose]

Another prime example of why I have not been a Sen. Clinton supporter since the beginning of this race.

Sen. Clinton, with all due respect..t­he time for fighting for FL and MI was when the threats to strip them of their delegates were being made! Instead, you agreed to the rules and now you have to live with the choices and decisions you made! You cannot come out as a "fighter" for voters rights NOW when you weren't THEN!

If it mattered to you then you should have stood up and said so. Stuck by your principles. Used your influence to make a difference if you could and let the world know if you couldn't.

This is like the Iraq War vote...or the bankruptcy bill vote...or the border fence vote! You can't make say "yes" back when it was strategically comfortable and now sing a different tune UNLESS you are willing to say I MADE A MISTAKE! I AM SORRY! I WAS WRONG! Give me a chance to make it right.

Again, you aren't doing that with the FL and MI primaries. You are just trying to change the rules, donning on the armor of the fighter when you already capitulated on the battlefield.

I did not like what happened to MI and FL. I did not like it then and I do not like it now, but the rules were made and agreed upon by all the candidates. Now what was sown must be reaped...a­nd the biggest losers will not be you but the voters in MI and FL.

sr

[hank48188]

You think the DEMS can win in November if Michigan and Florida vote Republican?

[DoninJoisey]

Principles? What are those? There's only one guiding principle - win - by any means at all.

[Hoelder]

Can anybody explain to me how Clinton will benefit from that. Especially since Republican governor seems to support Clinton. Who will fill the credibility hole?

[SDgirl]

She is truly hideous.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

Just a gut feeling but I fear that Obama will get the shaft from the Dem leadership. Hillary will end up as the nominee. At which point it will be pointless to even care if she beats McCain because they are both the same thing.

[riverhouse]

McCain will whip her from one end of the country to the other.

[SouthCentralDel]

There is no way the Dems will let that happen. They realize they will lose a generation of staunch Democratic supporters whom will just become apathetic and stay away from the polls.

[happycozy]

Yeah, I think you're right. It's a lot easier to lose the black vote--when they only make of 13% of the population--than to lose the white female vote--when they make up 30% of the population.

The DNC will look at this at this practically. (I don't agree with this logic, and I denouce and/or reject it)

[jdkjdk]

States that move up their primaries in violation of the DNC shall not have their delegates seated at the DNC Convention!

Everybody better understand the rules of procedure, because if the whole DNC doesn't meet and change their past rule, it really doesn't matter what kind of "do overs" might be "arranged".

There needs to be a very careful look at the language. This isn't even Dean's decision, the whole DNC has to meet or the whole convention has to adopt a new rule. Having moved up their primaries they got disqualified. "Redoing" them doesn't change the fact that they moved them up originally, so it might not even matter.

Of course, insiders should know about Clinton 1996 stuff in Florida maybe even in 1992 -- going to nursing homes and getting people to sign requests for absentees and then "helping" them complete the ballots.

How do you think "mail in ballots" are going to actually work?

I have this vision of Hillary Clinton playing the part of Imeldo Marcos at the convention when he Superdelegates broker this up for her, with all of the dissappointed and disallusioned delegates holding up their shoes in disgust and chanting "Imeldo must go - Imeldo must go"

[karmafriend]

all promised not to campaign in florida and michigan, but clinton broke that promise.

all removed their names from the michigan ballot, except for chinton

clinton working so hard to break the rules has her looking like bush.

clinton's idea of "fair" has her sounding like fox news.

[OneLiberalLady]

Agree with you and the others who posted in a smiliar vein! And she is working very hard to spin it that if the delegates from both states are not seated according to the original vote it is democracy that will suffer. Another example of her "black is white, day is night " approach. If the lie is big and audacious enough, everyone is supposed to believe it. The sad thing is, many will. And she knows it.

[DoninJoisey]

But she can't even add "balanced", because her recent behavior is downright unbalanced­....

[apcalc]

Get your facts straight..­..

Clinton did not campaign in Florida.


If Barack and Edwards removed their names from the Michigan ballot they did that by choice. Kucinich was on the ballot in Michigan as was Clinton.

[nochickenhawk]

So is this a threat that she is risking going to court to avoid a revote?

[moodyring]

I don't know which is more amusing - that Maggie Williams pretends to be civil or that Hillary has the nerve to call the Michigan primaries fair.

[patriotscholar]

This is a person who wants to be President? This is disgusting. This is not democratic. This is pure chicanery. This is trying to steal votes. Period.

[JohnFromCensornati]

This is not a democracy!

[hank48188]

Not counting the votes of 2,500,000 DEMOCRATS in Florida and Michigan is DEMOCRATIC?

[260Parkway]

The MONSTER shrills again. Shrillary Omarosa Clinton and her political goons aka : Yoda ( James Carvelle); Howard Wolfson;Mark Penn and Gerry can't help themselves. Forget the kitchen sink, I'm waiting for the whole house to cave in dealing with people of their ILK. Every time I see this woman the YUCK factor in the Democratic Party gets greater and greater. I used to actually like her but now, I can't stand to look at her. Hillary this is not Great Britian becoming President is not a birthright nor can the position be inherited.

Every ugly thing you and your GOONS say, can and most likely will be used against you in the court of public opinion.