Clinton Says She's Willing To Take Fight To Convention

The AP reports on Clinton's latest proclamations about how long she plans to contest the Democratic nomination:

In an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, Clinton said she is willing to take her fight to seat Florida's and Michigan's delegates to the convention if the two states want to go that far.

Asked whether she would support the states if they appeal an unfavorable rules committee decision to the convention floor, the former first lady replied:

"Yes I will. I will, because I feel very strongly about this."

"I will consult with Floridians and the voters in Michigan because it's really their voices that are being ignored and their votes that are being discounted, and I'll support whatever the elected officials and the voters in those two states want to do."

Taking her battle to the convention would fly in the face of an increasing number of party leaders who say the contest needs to be wrapped up shortly after the last primary on June 3 to prepare adequately for the fall election.

Asked if she now envisioned the race extending beyond June 3, Clinton replied: "It could, I hope it doesn't. I hope it's resolved to everyone's satisfaction by that date, because that's what people are expecting, but we'll have to see what happens."

In other remarks made Wednesday Clinton continued to press her case for the nomination, intensifying her language by comparing the Florida and Michigan recount to the Civil Rights movement. As the Politico first reported:

Hillary Clinton compared her effort to seat Florida and Michigan delegates to epic American struggles, including those to free the slaves and win the right to vote for blacks and women.[...]

"This work to extend the franchise to all of our citizens is a core mission of the modern Democratic party," she said. "From signing the Voting Rights Act and fighting racial discrimination at the ballot box to lowering the voting age so those old enough to fight and die in war would have the right to choose their commander in chief, to fighting for multi-lingual ballots so you can make your voice heard no matter what language you speak."

Comments

[Wanod]

T here go them weak ass liberal Democrats, if the weak one looses, then it's the fault of the strong one. Bllllahhhhhh!

[Fabienne]

The weak one has loss through her own actions.

[MilesTone]

The word is "loses".

There goes another dumb ass Republican.

[Maewest35]

Consequences as in rewards have to be given with reason and consistency or they lose their ability to accomplish any goal set forth. Any parent or teacher attempting to raise responsible children into the forthright citizens can tell you that lesson.

[zbearlady]

PART 2:
In addition: By insisting on staying in the race when there's no possible math metric that even Hillary can fabricate or rationalize, and even when pressured (by superdelegates, etc) not to smear Obama with any further lies and/or dirty tactics, she's still doing damage everytime she drums into the minds of her supporters the myth that she's the better candidate to win against the Republicans in November.

While Obama proves again & again that he has gathered great enthusiasm & support among the middle-class 'white' vote, how many times has Hillary hypnotically repeated the thoroughly unsubstantiated statement that she's the only one capable of winning those 'hard-work­ing-white-­American votes against McCain -even though the popular vote, the pledged delegates, the swarm of superdelegates & even the polls completely defy the reasoning of that argument?

Hillary, whatever your personal, ego-motivated, self-serving agenda may be -to drag this race out 'into oblivion'.­..don't you have the integrity.­..or even a shred of moral decency left to see that you are now in a position where you are actually doing far more damage than good? If you truly do care about the good of the people -as well as the Democratic party- then surely you can see that continuing this race will only create more divisiveness & unwarranted prejudice against Barack Obama -in turn, giving McCain more momentum in November.

If there is any sincerity regarding your true support of the Democratic party, then please bow out gracefully -now!

[zbearlady]

PART 1:

Hillary says that by staying in the race, she is not dividing the Democratic party, nor diverting votes to McCain? She also adamantly states she'll campaign & fight hard for the Democratic nominee, so as to assure a victory over the Republicans in the fall?

Yet, everytime she gives voice to allowing the Michigan & Florida votes, she not-so-subtly implies that Obama is the one standing in the way of these voter's rights. While playing into the paranoia of 'unfairness' & 'undemocratic vote-counting', she's creating division & outrage in their minds -implying that she's the only one championing for them -not Obama- chipping away & souring their opinions about his character & integrity. Subsequently, come the general election -when she is long gone- the fall-out from such underhanded insinuations may well result in Obama being seen as the man who supposedly stood in the way of the voter's rights to be heard.

As most of us already know, this mess was not Obama's doing. Those states broke the primary rules, the voters knew their votes wouldn't be counted, the candidates ceased their campaigning (Obama wasn't even on Mich. ballot) & Hillary agreed to it all! Yet now that she has all but lost the race & is desperate to 'steal' votes wherever she can, she's conveniently spinning it all as if this whole mess is somehow Obama's fault?

So, how is that not being divisive? And how does that not have a long-term negative impact on the Democratic

[nowudont]

I'm starting to believe that the remaining SD's are enjoying the power in they command and want to turn this election into some sort of political American Idol episode. Weee! Off we go now, to Puerto Rico! Cha cha cha! This is freakin ridiculous. This type of nonsense really makes for a good argument for a 3rd party.

[Mayoyo]

She really does have cojones...­.at least three.

[atila]

cojones???­...this woman is addicted to power and for sure her and bill are going to lose a huge business if they don't steal the nomination,this doesn't have nothing to do with cojones...

[EspritDeVoltaire]

Look up megalomania in the dictionary. There's her picture.

[CocteausTwin]

Google "sociopath" go to the first link in the list. Describes her to a "T"

[HopeGirl]

Unfortunately the extra cojones is where her morality should be.

[k6007]

So, now she's trying to force her way onto the ticket. Now, I hate her.

[TankGirlz]

I have tried, really tried not to but yeah
I hate her too
She makes me embarrassed to be A) Female and B) Democrat

Have you ever seen/read "The Dead Zone"

She is Stillson holding the baby in front of her to stop an assasins bullet...

[HopeGirl]

Forget Hillary.

Time to celebrate the Next President of the United States!

Tampa LOVES Obama...

Must see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OrqzN_fYmo&feature=related

Obama 2008

[Jaxxon]

Thank you Tampa, from New York City!

Obama '08

[olivia]

Those people don't look miffed about the primary. They look energized for the November election.

[HopeGirl]

They are Fired Up and Ready To Go

They look happy to support the Dem Nominee that knows how to be honest and follow rules.Smar­t People.

[Fabienne]

Forget Hillary is the best advice that can be given. As soon as energy is withdrawn from her destructive candidacy, the quicker it will dissipate.

[macracan]

It is becoming increasingly clear that she won't give up unless she destroys the party. She pushes the finish line day by day, contrived argument after contrived argument, with the ultimate goal of lodging this in the convention. That strategy is poisonous for the party and cannot be accepted. Consequently, on June 9 (Monday) if she hasn't quit by then she needs to be pushed out. This is the final day: June 9. No more moving the goal posts, no more arguments, no more buts and ifs. Enough is enough. Be prepared, she's gonna try to push that. Don't give in. This is an ultimatum.

[Goldie9]

Clinton fatigue is settling in with the majority of Dems today... all my friends are tired and wondering when this Clinton nightmare will finally subside.

[Jaxxon]

I wonder how many Floridians who cast their ballots for Clinton now have buyer's remorse. They must see she's exploiting them for her own political benefit.

[LonesomeThunderbolt]

The only way Hillary Clinton can be dissuaded from a convention-floor fight is if she understands that, at the end of the day, she cannot be the nominee. Obama may have some weakness, but Clinton is far more likely to rupture the Democratic Party and hand the election to McCain.

Obama's weakenss in some primaries is due almost entirely to a racial backlash. It is undeniable that the Clintons took advantage of that backlash for political gain. There is no way Clinton could overcome that division if she somehow prevailed in Denver.

There are three months until the delegates take the final step of officially making Obama the nominee. That gives ample time to test-drive his candidacy. If by late August, Obama is not on a winning trajectory, the convention could still turn to a compromise candidate--Al Gore, John Edwards or some other Democrat.

But Obama should have time to prove his electability. Let's hope Clinton is only angling for leverage on the vice presidency or some post-election concession.

[M.S. Bellows, Jr. - Huffpost Blogger]

Except that one of her flowchart alternatives is for Obama to lose, and her to win in 2012 -- Supreme Court be damned. She has reason to fight even if she knows she won't be nominated or on the ticket. That's why the party needs to put the country's interests first, and affirmatively shut her down.

[LonesomeThunderbolt]

True, but Democrats would only nominate her in 2012 if it looked like she gave her all to helping Obama in 2008. If she's seen as sabotaging him through a drawn out convention fight, she would be discredited in the eyes of most Democrats. But she'll have to come to that conclusion on her own. Any attempt to "shut her down" would further divide Democrats. But events after June 3 may overtake her wishes. Even if she gains something from the rules commitee, how does she maintain momentum for three months with no primaries to give her a platform.

[mom2sons]

Old woman yells at cloud, again!

[McPander]

I will tell you...
I will not vote for her.
I will not vote for Obama/HRC.­..
I will donate to any campaign that apposes HRC...in New York
I will donate to campaigns either Republican or Democrat that appose people who are her supporters.

I thought the bottom would be "Hard Working Americans, White Americans"

I am ashamed of the Democratic Party.....

[amiblueyoubet]

The other day I thought Obama would have to capitulate to her being VP. The more she keeps this up, the more obvious it is that he won't ever be put in that position. Thank Gawd.

[CocteausTwin]

Like others have suggested, maybe he has already told her no way. I doubt it, but she knows it. All enabling of her will end decisively come June 4. She won't stop though.

[CocteausTwin]

As an Obama supporter and one who agrees with about all of your post, can you tell me how many times you are going to post the exact same comment? I know I have posted a couple of my own a couple of times, but I have seen several of yours in a short period of time.

[McPander]

I'm sorry...ju­st mad as hell...

[mary82]

God, people can't post as many times as they won't , or what they won't?

[EspritDeVoltaire]

I've been opposed to Hillary Clinton ever since she empowered Bush to invade Iraq. She was the ONLY Democrat with enough gravitas to oppose the invasion and she sold out everyone in a bid to look tough and further her career.

I would prefer McCain in the White House to her. McCain is a pig, but at least he is not a pig pretending to be a dog.

[LightUpAmerica]

I guess you have't been paying attention. He is pretending to be independent and to have integrity. Evidence of his lies have been showing up all over the media, including here. He's selling out completely whatever independence he may have had to the conservati­ves--Hagee for God's sake!

[HopeGirl]

That comment was the bottom. It was beyond disgusting, it brought some tears to me that a self proclaimed Democrat would ever say anything like that-for any reason. She did it to get a cheap vote that won't matter.

She is not a Democrat.

Email the DNC daily. I do. I let them know that they have to do the right thing.

[adavis08]

This is a disgrace. Does this woman care about the Democratic party or herself. Opps I answered my own question. It shows just how "power mad" she really is and unqualified to be president. Hillary wake up...it's not a woman it's YOU that people don't want.

[waynesmyer]

"I did not have sex with that blond lobbyist" Johnny "Bomb!Bomb" McCain
No!! No! Charming Billy, I was talking about the other blond lobbyist! and, bye the way, Hilliary is not a true blond , either! Your true friend, Little Johnny McCain

[McPander]

Look at my screenname­...I am no McCain fan.

I will not vote for her.
I will not vote for Obama/HRC.­..
I will donate to any campaign that apposes HRC...in New York
I will donate to campaigns either Republican or Democrat that appose people who are her supporters.

I thought the bottom would be "Hard Working Americans, White Americans"