Clinton: Popular Vote Count Must Include Florida, Michigan

Political Radar:

For a while now, Sen. Hillary Clinton has been saying that the winner of the popular vote should matter.

But if Michigan and Florida don't count in the Democratic nominating process, it might be difficult for Clinton to catch up to Sen. Barack Obama in the popular vote. So during a campaign stop in Hillsboro, Ore., today she offered some new language outlining how she feels like those two states should be added to the official tally.

Read the whole story: Political Radar

Comments

[Ping]

There were no valid election in MI or FL. Thus there are no votes to be counted. End of argument.

[MoeGreen]

Popular vote is merely statistical. Perhaps a barometer but meaningless. The nominating Delegate system as well as the Electoral College means that popular vote is just a meaningless total of smaller numbers of people who voted in the ELECTORS. The first semester exam in Politician school tests all of them on who the people vote for in reality and then who really nominates and elects the President and Vice-President. They know that popular vote means nothing. Who sqwaks about popular vote? The loser. Always.

Know also that the electors that are voted upon to nominate or elect a President aren't obligated to vote for who they were elected to vote for. While Hillary talks about these all-important voters that didn't once matter to her when she was the pre-ordained nominee that agreed they didn't matter formally, is now telling Obama delegates to switch to her in Denver. Hey, if popular vote was what mattered, why try to steal pledged delegates?

[harriscrl3]

In other words we must do whatever it takes to make Hilary win. I mean give me a break if Hilary didnt win these states wasnt behind she would care about disenfranchising these voters. She didnt have a problem about them not counting until AFTER it looked like she was going to need them in order to surpass Obama. So because she needs them we are suppose to make exceptions because she is so special and worthy of it. She screwed up her campaign screwed up because they got over confident and now they want rules change to accomodate them. Its utterly ridiculous if this was someone else you would hear how the Clintons would be whining about them winning fair and square now because they are losing they want to change the rules to win.

Carol

[RThM]

Stop is already, Hillary. The issue is a dead horse and you signed its death warrant. Own up to your actions.

[kettletop]

Please. Stop messing with math. There are many states for which there is no popular vote because they had a caucus. Which Clinton discounts. Because it doesn't help her cause.
Having more poplular vote is a fallacious arguement.
As silly as saying she won the big states, so she is more electable.
As if those same big states would not be won by Obama in the general.
As silly as continuing to say she won Texas.
When clearly Obama won more delegates in Texas.
Her arguements are weak and then insult the intelligence of the superdelegates.

[Jenz0r]

So... Florida and Michigan should count, even though their primaries violated the party rules, but North Dakota, which voted on schedule but for Obama, should switch and give her their delegates? Hillary's desperation gets uglier and uglier, and I have completely lost patience with this woman and her revolting tactics.

[kellygrrrl]

how about instead of worrying about counting the votes,
we just start counting the lies she has been caught in.
The last 48 hours alone is enough to make your head spin.

[Independent voter]

Excellent!

Don't miss this lie that cost her a job!

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/04/hillary-clinton-fired-from-wat.php

[Biracial1]

This is why the turnout in FL's primary was high (not because of HRC)

Referendum:
A controversial measure that aims to slash property taxes by $12.4 billion and boost the state"s flagging real estate market.

[memoryaid]

Yeah, so the only people that went to vote were the ones that own property.

No bias at all in that sample, right?

[Biracial1]

Don't read anything else into my statement but the words that were typed. Nothing more, nothing less! I am not one for making 'mis' statements.

[iPolitics]

Hillary MADE the rules. She was the front-runner who approved them. Coronation!

[memoryaid]

Ooops! They got the wrong person aparently!

Stop the coronation?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/06/hillary-clinton-it-is-not_n_95293.html

[kellygrrrl]

I believe the Fat Lady has already been booked to Sing at the Coronation

[ROBOT8]

THAT'S JUST GOING TO MAKE THE DEMS LOOK LIKE BIGGER IDIOTS AND I'M A DEM........... RULE NUMBER ONE......... NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE YOUR OPPONENT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FACE IT!!!!!!!! BUSHCO'S TEAM IS SMARTER AND MORE UNSCRUPULOUS....... YOU'LD THINK BILLARY WOULD LEARN FROM HER LAST INCURSION, TRYING TO STEM ROLL HER OWN AGENDAS WHEN HER HUSBAND WAS GETTING BLOW JOBS!!!!!!!!!

[memoryaid]

The popular vote is a completely ridiculous measure, because it completely discounts caucus states - some caucuses haven't even reported vote totals yet, and ALL caucuses by design have much smaller turnout.

So counting the popular vote that way, you're basically saying "caucus states don't have a say, but FL and MI do, even though they didn't get to meet the candidates, and many people didn't vote because they were told ahead of time it wasn't going to matter".

It just makes no sense, and the supers know that. Of course they can use any excuse to vote for whomever they want, but if they use THIS excuse, which the Clinton campaign is throwing out so hard, it's pretty clear that they'll just vote for Clinton and are using a weak excuse to cover their asses.

[snowcat]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/6/12656/59124/210/490995

[Markometer10000]

Next, she'll be arguing that the superdelegates should be selecting the candidate with the most X chromosomes.

[ElliottPhD]

2008 Primary and Caucus Vote Totals in states where Republican totals exceeded Democratic totals:

Alabama (D) 539,925 (R) 564,016 (open primary)

Alaska (D) 406 (R) 11,620 (closed caucus)

Arizona (D) 443,426 (R) 525,257 (closed primary)

Florida (D) 1,684, 390 (R) 1,920,350 (closed primary)

Maine (D) 3,493 (R) 4,539 (closed caucus)

Michigan (D) 593,837 (R) 867,271 (open primary)

Nevada (D) 10,560 (R) 44,324 (closed caucus)

Utah (D) 122,617 (R) 283,759 (semi-open primary-D; closed primary-R)

All calculations are my own, based on raw votes reported at http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/

The big surprises in these totals are Maine, which voted D in the 2000 and 2004 general elections and Florida and Michigan, both considered swing states. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah are considered red states and in recent presidential election years went heavily Republican. Given that voters in Florida and Michigan were told before the primaries were held that votes in these Democratic primaries wouldn't count, the vote totals are not likely to reflect voter sentiment.

[jojojo]

Earth to Hillary--

You agreed that Mi and Fl woudn't count.

End of story.

Only way that changes is if there are re-votes, which you've scotched along with Obama. I agree that some way to seat Fl and Mi delegates is right, but you can't simply go back on your agreement about discounting the earlier votes. A revote or 50-50 split seem fairest ways out of this.

And how can you count the popular vote in MI, especially, when Obama wasn't even on the ballot?

Oh, and don't try to laugh off your lies about ducking and running from sniper fire.

I voted for you twice for the senate, and twice for your husband for prez, but I sure as hell won't vote for you again. You care more about you than about us, clearly.