Clinton Camp To Step Up Efforts To Count Michigan, Florida

The NY Time's Adam Nagourney writes about Hillary Clinton's dwindling chances and hopes for a final rescue after Tuesday night's vote tallies in North Carolina and Indiana.

Nagourney points out that the Clinton camp will ratchet up it's already aggressive attempts to have the results for Florida and Michigan - states both candidates didn't campaign in, but Clinton "won" - to be counted. HuffPost's Tom Edsall wrote Sunday about how the Clinton camp planned to carry out the "nuclear option" to get the Michigan and Florida votes counted.

With few states left, she and her aides said they would step up their efforts to count the disputed results in Florida and Michigan, where the states held contests in defiance of Democratic Party rules. If Mrs. Clinton can win the battle to have the delegations from those two states seated at the conventions on the basis of the vote there, she could greatly reduce Mr. Obama's lead in pledged delegates.

But neither candidate actively campaigned in Florida or Michigan, and Mr. Obama did not appear on the Michigan ballot.

Still, in a sign of where the Clinton campaign is going, her aides are asserting that the winner will need 2,209 delegates, not 2,025. That higher number reflects the full inclusion of Florida and Michigan, which held their primaries before the date permitted by the Democratic Party.

Comments

[Rubyfoo]

Confucius said: if you go nuclear, the wind may shift and blow the fallout your way.

[NotWaldo]

Sun Tzu said : if you go nuclear, everyone will be cremated equal.

[ChibiOne]

I say: if you go nuclear, you become poisonous.

[gopindrag]

Hillary can no longer win the nomination but it's still hers to steal.

[Midnightrain]

I think she just doesn't know how to go out, that's all. I think she's processing her options right now and looking for a way to hold onto her dignity. Something will happen shortly that will make this possible, I'm sure.

[sfsilver]

Didn't she sacrifice her dignity already? She's used tactics that Democrats oppose on principle (at least I do) when Republicans use them, why should we forgive her for it? Winning at all costs is not a Democratic party value. That's the example she set. It's low, it's mean spirited, it's selfish, it's about destroying your opposition, and I really don't think those are Democratic, liberal or progressive values.

[byrdland49]

Well said!

[Midnightrain]

Yeah, but a different sort of dignity is on the line. This is a test of her ability to recognize her own limitations and to admit them to the world. That's a hard test.

[mikonyc]

sfsilver, you gotta be kidding, not a democratic party value? thats the problem, we would not be in the mess this country is in, IF democrats would fight tooth and nail against the opposition, example, Kerry's lame and failed attempt to oust the most irrelevant, pathetic president in modern history. democrats HAVE to fight and get down.

[darcy]

Midnighttrain, they need to run together or the result will be McCrazy waging war from the Oval Office.

[partyofone]

Midnightrain said Hillary is "looking for a way to hold on to her dignity".

Now that's funny, Kinda like George W. Bush looking for the WMD.

Non-existent

[santamonica39]

The party leaders need to take this woman to the woodshed and make it clear that they will destroy her career if she continues to selfishly pursue her quixotic campaign.

[abby4ever]

How long have we all been saying this sort of thing? But nothing happens. I am ready to blame the party leaders as much as Hillary---Dean says we need time for the party to come together, before the election, yet he does nothing, he just talks, says he wants it sorted by June. But if, by June and when all the primaries are over, Hillary still won't quit, what then? I've never even heard of a party being so under the thumb of one couple, Bill and Hillary.

[renoir]

um. have you heard of ronnie and nancy?

[Ramus]

The the Clintons persist in trying to steal this nomination, other Democrats will react to this destruction of the party by the Clintons and Senator Clinton would lose all support in the Senate. If she congratulates Obama on a good race, NOW, (or after she wins in Kentucky which will go Repuplican in the National anyway) then she might..jus­t might salvage her career.

[WAstateliberal]

You say Dean does nothing, but what would you have him do? He has no legal avenue to force her out of the race. And if he publicly pressures her, it will backfire with a great many of her supporters, who see her as a victim of everything. They are a tenuous bet to back Obama as it is, much less would they do so if she is publicly shamed into leaving.

This Dean bashing is so cliched and tired. He is doing everything he can do. But you can't make a recalcitrant candidate leave. Cite me the DNC rule that says he can, and I may retract my criticism.

Wanna bash someone? Try Al Gore, who basically said he doesn't care for either of our candidates. Yeah, that's great for the party. You're welcome, Al, from those of whose who didn't sleep for four weeks back in 2004 and supported you financially and with our vote.

[MsLiz]

Don't expect Dean's activities to be reported, or presume that you are aware of what he is doing.

[ChibiOne]

I also think it is funny that Dean is sooo happy about all the new democrats.­...Didn't he hear about Operation Chaos? A not-irrelevant number of these "new democrats" voting in the primaries that he is so proud of are, in actuality, Limbaugh slaves.

[DonJeff]

Sen. Clinton was pursuing a strategy that included: a substantial win in Indiana along with a squeaker in North Carolina; resounding wins in West Virginia and Kentucky to bolster her arguments of a momentum change and her electibility; twisting the arms of the DNC to unfairly award delegates from MI and FL; work the Super Delegates and hope that her momentum would carry her through the last primaries and into the convention.
Well, she certainly 'blew a tire' last night. Sen. Obama slaughtered her in the 10th largest state, where she had feverishly spread her message, and was a whisker away from pulling off an improbabale upset in Indiana. I have had no problem with Sen. Clinton pursuing this strategy, even though I am an independent who is a strong Obama supporter, as long as she had a chance to win. However I am now very afraid that she will convince herself to continue this quest, with no chance to succeed. This would be devastating to all of us, no matter which demographic box we are assigned, who understand that we need to approach both foreign and domestic policies from a different perspective before we complete the transistion to a warmongering fascist police state.

[abby4ever]

It is up to the party leadership to take her aside and tell her there is no chance to succeed---that is, if she isn't brave enough or smart enough to see this herself. How long will the party let her pursue this pipe dream, where the pursuit is doing the party harm? Does anyone know?

[ErnestineBass]

Howard Dean continues to hit the proverbial brick wall of the DLC and the DCCC. This "Old Guard" D.C. power structure has backed Hillary from the very beginning, and come November, they need to be replaced, one Senate and House seat at a time.

LET THE PURGE BEGIN!

[ErnestineBass]

Hear! Hear! Well said.

Just curious...­are West Virginia and Kentucky open primary states?

[funkalicious]

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities­."
-Voltaire
Can you believe this shi!t?

[ChibiOne]

That is the best quote I have heard all month.

[Dewtrell]

Hillary can try to seat Michigan and Florida but it will not work! Sure, let's just give her Florida, although she doesn't deserve it, she would still be behind Obama in the delegate count AND the popular vote. Michigan, he wasn't even on the ballot, so good luck with that one.

[silverislet]

No doubt - and even not being on the ballot 40% voted "uncommitted"!. Wow. very strong argument Hil!

[SethBLiNK]

Florida and Michigan..­. Florida and Michigan..­.

When will somebody state the obvious, that even if we let Florida and Michigan stand and Hillary gained 100 delegates from them (she won't) Obama would still have a 70 delegate lead and all the Superdelegate momentum has been moving his way since January.

The sooner Hillary agrees to step down, the sooner the Dems can try and clean up the mess with Florida and Michigan and get them in the fold for November.

[klynnrn]

I would like to take this time to give the Clinton campaign kudos for toughing it out but that our nominee Barack Obama needs this time to focus on the General Election. We should still have all the votes counted in the rest of the Primaries and I think Michigan should be split 50/50 and Florida should be split 55/45 for Clinton. This will quell any notions that the Dems will be split down the middle at the convention. I think the tone of the Clinton supporters is very devisive considering that half of them will vote for John McCain if she isn't the nominee. This country cannot be this divided when we are on a downward spiral. Obama supporters realize this & we would have voted for Clinton even though some 20-30% polled that they wouldn't. Let's now come together to end the Bush policies that have nearly destroyed our country!

[ErnestineBass]

Hell's Bells, probably half the votes she received in open primary states WERE CAST BY McCain SUPPORTERS! If Hillary were to concede now, she could do and still retain a modicum of dignity.
The longer she holds out, the lower the odds that New York will return her to the Senate, IMO.

[Ramus]

This New Yorker agrees with you Earnestine

[plainsman]

Spot on, E.B..

[MsLiz]

To bad those Republican voters aren't contributing money to HRC!

[jeffers1961]

Congratulations to Hillary for her courageous decision to stay in the race....ho­pefully all the way to the convention floor! America needs a leader like her. Somebody who isn't afraid of daunting odds, and who doesn't cave in to pressure from the mindless rabble.

I've spent a year and a half working for her, and I've contributed $2000 of my hard earned blue collar money to her campaign. Even if she doesn't make it, I'm proud I supported her, and would do it again if she asked me to.

Go Hillary!!!!! Like the song says, you're "Forever My Girl"!

[ErnestineBass]

"Mindless Rabble"?!?

That sounds rather elitist to me.

[ConcernedAmerican]

You should've kept your receipt for the $2k. You got ripped off.

[dartagnan]

"Mindless rabble" -- so that's what Her Royal Highness and her supporters think Democrats who don't support her are. I kinda suspected as much.

[abby4ever]

Either that or a misogynist. Apparently.

[abby4ever]

Even though I support Obama, I have no quarrel with your loyalty to the candidate of your choice, loyalty is a rare thing in this day and age, and a good thing in any day and age. But who exactly are you calling 'the mindless rabble'? It kind of spoils your post, that term.

[renoir]

But it's misplaced loyalty... because only Republicans ask for blind loyalty. Democrats ask for and expect scrutiny of their candidates and loyalty to ideas and progressive thought. This candidate has failed both at winning the nomination and at staying progressive. This supporter has bought into her rhetoric by calling the rest of us "mindless rabble" rather than saying "okay! decided! now, where's the closest Obama campaign office... I got to get to work!".

[rinpochet]

"The mindless rabble"? So that's how you portray anyone who sees the reality and asks her to see it too.

This race is no longer about the Democratic Party or the country for her. It's all about her unbounded desire for power. If she cared about the Democratic Party, she would step down. She doesn't care and also she doesn't have the class.

If her name was not "Clinton" she would have been shown the back door after her 12 straight losses. All this speaks to is the power of the Clintons. What is driving her crazy is that an unknown black Senator from Illinois is beating the pantsuits off her. She won't win and she will destroy any shreds of honest legacy the Clintons had. It is OVER!!

[ladyv]

LOL

"daunting"

"rabble"

"blue collar"

"references 80s Paula Abdul songs"

"likes Hillary"

"has $2000 in disposable funds to throw away"

It's like you're a chimera, except made up of mismatched demos rather than mismatched animals.

[JoeBlough]

Hillary is acting crafty and repugnant. Isn’t this what Bush brought to the table 7 years ago? I don’t see where Hillary is any better than Bush. She will “stay the course” as much as McCain will. I see no difference after the tricks she has pulled over the last few months. It’s time to get rid of this infection in the Democratic Party.

[riverhouse]

Hillary's argument for giving her MI and FL is ridiculous and openly self serving. She needs to go away. The voters have spoken and she's not chosen. Not to worry. Bill can make some more of his sleazebag deals and recoup their $11.4 mil in short order.

[McFlipFlop]

Hillary has become the laughingstock of the election.

[Amidoinitrite]

Hillary needs to step out. Her image is imploding and she's beginning to look like she has more in common with the republicans than the democrats. The votes that she's been pulling in have been bolstered by Rush Limbaugh's kool-aide drinkers, and even then she just barely squeaks by when she -does- actually win a state.

Hell, I'm in my early twenties, my parents both staunch republicans. Neither of which are going to vote for McCain out of disgust. They absolutely detest Hillary Clinton for the Bill's years.....­However they don't seem to have much hate for Obama.

If the Democratic Party can get her to understand reason, it might be possible to not only mend any rifts there are, but pick up some votes from the other side. That -does- require that the fight ends and the jackassery comes to a halt.

[MsLiz]

Teach your parents well (with apologies to Crosby, Stills and Nash).

[shubes61]

I doubt it will become a "nuclear" attack... it will be diffused.

It seems like everyone thinks this is over, except the Clinton campaign and her most die-hard supporters. The numbers for Florida and Michigan wouldn't change anything.

But, since it would make him look magnanimous and doesn't hurt his numbers, Senator Obama will most likely let Senator Clinton have Florida, and they'll come to some compromise about the unconstitutional contest in Michigan.

Then someone will take Senator Clinton by the hand and tell her, "come, my dear... let's go have a cup of tea and a chat."

[seenitall]

make sure her grandpa's shotgun is locked up...

[ErnestineBass]

Yep. *snicker*

[missbh]

Cause we all know how IGNORANT grandpa is don't we.......