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

[Canaris]

It's over, Hillary. No one is buying the arguments, the spin, the changing goal posts, none of it. Not any more. That moment has passed. Time to gracefully concede and get to work getting Obama elected.

[indieminded]

The story that will never die! If I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand times; it goes against the core principles of our American democracy to seat Michigan according to the current results. ALL citizens of this country should fight against such undemocratic arguments and be very wary of anyone in government who pushes Michigan's results as valid. This being one party's primary should make no principled difference.

All delegates from FL and MI should be seated and have a place at the convention. I'm willing to concede to the FL results, even. But, since Obama's name was not on the ballot, MI has to be split evenly, for the sake of what defines us as a democracy.

[EinChicago]

Splitting MI evenly rewards Obama for a sleazy trick of taking his name off teh ballot when asked not to just to avoid a defeat. It rewards dishonesty.

[FrankBlackFrancis]

You are operating with some bad information. All the candidates agreed to take their names off the ballot. Clinton refused. Why should she be rewarded for breaking the rules? Because her last name is Clinton and she feels entitled?

She lost. Get over it.

[RS77]

WTF? Are you really this uninformed? Hillary was the odd one out by refusing to take her name off. She is the one that pulled a sleazy trick.

[cmeans29]

McGovern will endorse Obama
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | 5/7/08 11:09 AM EST Text Size:



SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Former Sen. George McGovern, who backed Hillary Rodham Clinton, is urging her to drop out of the Democratic presidential race.

McGovern said Wednesday he has decided to endorse Barack Obama.

After watching the returns from the North Carolina and Indiana primaries Tuesday night, McGovern says it's virtually impossible for Clinton to win the nomination.

McGovern says he is calling former President Clinton to tell him of the decision and adds that he remains close friends with the Clintons.

[kay]

That's nice. That they're friends.

She lost. She should concede. All she's doing is damaging the Democratic nominee.

[JohnKemp]

McGovern?

Damn, what a joke.

Did he win one state or two? Why the hell did he even run?

Hillary looks like Atlas compared to McGovern.

[buey]

She will not succeed. She will have to ask her colleagues to put their political careers on the line, and they won't. Chairman Dean has already promised to seat the delegates from both states, but will only do so in the most fair manner possible, meaning Hillary will not pilfer the primary through Michigan.

Sure this speaks volumes to her character, but don't let this get your blood pressure up. There are still plenty of sane people in regular contact with her, and they will be telling her to quit. Sooner than later, she'll listen.

[MrGiggles]

I can't even get upset about this anymore becasue it doesn't matter. It's over. Michigan and Florida will be seated at the convention but it won't change the outcome.

Bring on McCain

[FogBelter]

I think that she will drop out for no other reason than a kamikaze action at this point to seat the unsanctioned votes and delegates from Michigan and Florida will destroy any future political options for her if it fails ... which it will. Does anyone really think the people from New York will re-elect her to the Senate if her selfish actions result in a Republican Victory in November?

And not just Hillary ... what of Bill's remaining legacy? Does he want to be remembered through history as the President who was impeached for an affair with an intern AND destroyed his political party in order to try to get his wife elected President? He will bear a Scarlet Letter throughout History ... Like Nixon and Watergate, or Hoover and the Great Depression ... is that how Bill wants to be remembered in history?

Hillary, cut the engines, climb down from your Zero, and rediscover dignity and honor ... for your own good and the good of the Clinton Legacy.

[buey]

New York voters will still elect her, and Bill's legacy has already been tainted by this campaign. Once you've thrown the kitchen sink at the opposition, you have nothing left to lose.

It'll take a lot of calls from her peers to get her to drop out at this point. Hopefully that happens soon.

[dartagnan]

It's almost a Greek tragedy, really. Hillary is a tremendously intelligent and gifted woman, and I believe she was once a decent, compassionate person. She could have made enormous contributions to her country and the world. But her ambition and bitterness have twisted her into something distorted and monstrous.

[RS77]

Exactly. I used to respect her quite a bit. Now I have trouble not thinking of her as a despicable person or (perhaps more compassionately) as a psychologically disturbed person.

[CrabbyGolightly]

It's A Sign, Hillary: Creator of 'Rocky Road' Dies'
HILLARY, I LOVE YA HON. You're the one who teaches little girls that they can play ball with the big boys. The one who shows older woman there are possibilities beyond fetching beer for the hubby and scrubbing toilets. You're proof that women can choose something else other than the slow inexorable slide toward death in a nursing home in our later years. And you know something about 'inexorable,' Hillary: its other definition is relentless. And, yet, Hil, it's over.

It could be mere coincidence that the news that the co-founder of Baskin-Robbins, Irvine Robbins, who created the chewy cold confection known as "Rocky Road,'' hit the web Tuesday. Crabby, who confesses to be superstitious, thinks not.

I'm still willing to dream along, Hillary. But you can't have any more of my money. I'm barely able to scrape together the few crumbs to feed my own delusions (think early 401K withdrawals!) and you've got $109 million in the bank.

The road has been treacherous, and you have traveled it well and far. But it looks like you won't make it to the finish line first. Unless you can rightly convince Floridians and Michiganders that their votes have been stolen. And, yes, Crabby does believe in miracles. But maybe...now...is...the...time...to ...surrender. The sky will open wide, the road will become smooth and clear, and maybe you'll still have time to become part of history.
CrabbyGolightly.com

[lisakaz2]

I ain't surprised to see more goalpost moving and Yahoo! claiming more HRC loan money. Just means the "nuclear" strategy goes forward. The only winners from that will be McCain and the GOP. Lovely how the GOPers want her so bad. Never occurs to HRC supporters why that is. Guess they never saw that part of "The Blue Collar Comedy Tour" where Jeff Foxworthy says "If you ain't got something nice tosay about someone...you must be talkin' about Hillary Clinton."

[JohnKemp]

I blelieve the title should more correctly be, "Obama camp desperate NOT to count FL & MI."

Only the "all-caring, open-minded, Rainbow coalitioned" crowd can consider the banning of primary votes in two of our most populous states to be a good thing.

[Paul]

Obama was not even on the ballot in Michigan.

There is no way the Michigan delegation should be seated at the convention. If Hillary tries it it will simply confirm her megalomania.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

As a Republican why do you care?

[kay]

It doesn't matter.

A popular vote win for Obama of 1 is still a win. A pledged delegate lead of 1 is still a lead.

She can't win the mathematical argument, and she can't win the moral argument, and she just lost her electability argument: she and her allies were unable to make him unelectable.

This is spin, a distraction.

She lost. She should concede. All she's doing is damaging the Democratic nominee.

[buey]

Here in the reality-based community we like to follow the rules we set for ourselves, even when it's not particularly convenient.

[andyboy]

JohnKemp,

We don't feel it's a good thing but that's the way the cookie crumbled unfortunately. Perhaps the state's parties will exericse more due diligence next time around.

I suppose you also support states leap frogging willy nilly over one another dirving the primary season earlier and earlier by breaking clearly stated rules. It's not "open-minded" to cheat and break the rules. It's just wrong.

Don't you have any principles? Is there any law or rule you wouldn't break to punish the poor black man trying to run for President? Do you hate him that much? Did he do something to you?

You seethe with hatred and jealousy my friend.

I always find it hilarious when some sad sack starts out to mock somebody by calling them "caring" or "open-minded". To most people these are good traits.

It's like when Hillary with all her "experience' went around knocking Obama for campaigning on a platform of change. The most potent platform there is after all.

It was obvious to everybody but her how ridiculous she sounded. Your the same way JohnKemp.

Your nothing more than a nattering nabob.

[JohnKemp]

Didn't SC move its primary up?

Why were its votes counted?

[tsloan]

ok Mr. Democracy.....why not count michigan? Well....she was the only candidate on the ballot...seems fair to me (insert sarcasm here)...sure let's seat Florida.....it does change the outcome...

[hopelessobama]

obama has the least amount of delegates of any frontrunner in modern history. yet obama-ites say its more the enough lololol kennedy and hart trailed by far more, and went to convention. hillary should take it there as well, anything less would be undemocratic.

[greenbrier]

And Hillary has fewer than Obama, so your point is...?

[FrankBlackFrancis]

And when Kennedy and Hart took it to the convention what happened that year? Juimmy Carter's double digit lead evaporated and he was routed by Reagan.

And say what you will, but Hillary has less delegates than Obama, so by your own logic, Hillary is the weaker candidate.

So really, what's hopeless is Hillary Clitnon. Let it go. Taking this to the convention all but hands the White House to John Mc Cain. So ask yourself, do you want to win? If so, you need to support the nominee and that's Barack Obama.

[dartagnan]

For the sake of fairness and accuracy, it should be noted that Carter ran with the handicaps of the Iran hostage crisis, the oil embargo and stagflation in the economy; he would have lost even if Kennedy and Hart had not been in the picture. OTOH John McBomb is running with the handicaps of Iraq, a recession, and the record of the worst and most disastrous presidency in the history of America -- not to mention being a senile warmongering old fart -- so he will lose whether the nomination fight goes to the convention floor or not. (But it won't.)

[Nobuks]

Still struggling with last night's loss, eh?

[Satch]

You play the game and observe the rules you agreed with. But if you are getting beat, you try to change the rules you were suppose to abide..

[MsLourdes]

Pack your ugly pantsuits and go away. You are toxic to the American people.

[Tator]

This is far from over.....the Clintons have not played the real dirt on Obama yet...

[AdamND]

This is why Clinton didnt win it. She focused too much on trying to destroy obama and not enough time on trying to point out why she was better than obama.

Also Obama never played the real dirt on Clinton yet.

[dartagnan]

"She focused too much on trying to destroy obama and not enough time on trying to point out why she was better than obama."

Bingo. Hillary destroyed herself. All Obama had to do was sit back and watch.

[DSully]

They can't play dirty now, the supers can force her out now and legitimately say Obama has an untouchable lead, even if FL and Michigan were counted. I think the people on here supporting Clinton must work for Clinton, because no one is really stupid enough to think she has a chance, are they?

[naschkatze]

She hired some Rove type from San Francisco named Smith to throw the dirt at Obama in NC (robo calls, Rev. Wright), and it didn't work. It didn't work, and it has even less of a chance of working in the remaining contests. We Oregonians, the Montanans, and South Dakotans don't buy into that kind of crap. That only plays well back east. And she doesn't need to use dirt in KY and WV because she has a lock on those two states. BTW, because we have a mail-in ballot, I would say that Oregon has already pretty much cast it votes by now. Limbaugh is a non-entity because of our mail-in vote and closed primary.

[tsloan]

hmmm....if they play this so-called real dirt...they risk losing everything...the Clinton legacy et al.

[MartinEdwinAndersen]

A GRAND BARGAIN FOR DEMOCRATIC VICTORY

It is clear, with even Hillary's campaign is coming to the rational conclusion that she cannot win, that uniting the Democratic Party around Barack Obama is imperative.

Here is a solution that allows everyone to take something from the table, which is what it is going to take for the Party to begin the healing process.

A deal should be struck whereby Hillary agrees to withdraw from the race, and Obama agrees to let most of the Florida and Michigan delegations be seated at the convention.

Hillary could then claim a victory of sorts, as making this the "price" of a dignified exit would allow her to say she is putting the Party's prospects in November above her own personal ambitions.

It would also help the Democrats win those two states in the general election.

It requires noblesse oblige from both sides.

Obama clearly has it.

And if Hillary takes the deal, it would do a lot for her to begin restoring a family legacy that this ugly campaign, and especially Bill Clinton's role in it, has so tarnished.

[Paul]

Obama was not even on the ballot in Michigan.

Seating that delegation might be a victory for Hillary, but it would be a defeat for democracy.

[speakingtruth2power]

Hooray!!!

George McGovern a former Hillary supporter just urged her to drop out.