and the RATS, take another one in the..................HA ha!!!
Posted on 06/01/2008 6:36:36 AM PDT by Brilliant
Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on Saturday angrily rejected a compromise deal among Democrats that was aimed at ending a bitter fight over disputed primaries in Florida and Michigan.
Clinton's supporters erupted in boos and catcalls after the party's 30-member Rules and Bylaw committee voted to recognize the Florida and Michigan delegates, but award them only half votes at the party's nominating convention this August in Denver.
The decision came amid another dramatic development Saturday in the Democratic presidential race. Obama announced he was renouncing his 20-year membership in Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ after a visiting preacher last week mocked Clinton and accused her and other whites of feeling "entitled" to the presidency.
DNC Co-Chair Alexis Herman watches as votes are counted during a DNC meeting at the Marriott Park Wardman hotel May 31, 2008 in Washington DC.
The Democratic committee's decision on Florida and Michigan was a blow to Clinton, who trails Obama by 200 delegates in the Democratic presidential race.
She had argued forcefully that the both states receive full voting rights at the Denver convention.
Harold Ickes, a senior Clinton strategist and member of the rules committee, said the committee had "hijacked" the will of voters and immediately threatened to appeal the decision.
Clinton's supporters jeered when results of the committee's vote were announced inside a convention room at a downtown Washington hotel. They shouted "Denver, Denver, Denver" - signalling their hope to fight Obama all the way to the Democratic convention.
While Clinton's campaign officially supported the Florida compromise - calling it a "victory" for voters in that state - it was outraged by the compromise reached on Michigan.
The rules committee, voting on a motion backed by the Michigan Democratic Party, awarded 69 delegates to Clinton and 59 to Obama.
Clinton's campaign maintained, however, Obama should get zero delegates from Michigan, because he had removed his name from the state's ballot.
"I am stunned that we have the gall and the chutzpah to substitute our judgment for 600,000 (Michigan) voters," said Ickes.
"Hijacking . . . delegates is not a good way to start down the path toward unity."
He said Clinton would "reserve her rights" to challenge the decision with the Democratic party's credential committee. That raises the prospect of a floor fight at the convention, a nightmare scenario party leaders believe could divide the party and ruin Democratic chances of winning the November presidential election.
"I cannot accept a deal that ignores the will of 600,000 voters," said Elizabeth Smith, another Clinton supporter on the rules committee.
Heading into the Democratic meeting, Obama was just 43 delegates shy of clinching the nomination.
The agreement on Florida and Michigan now means the "magic number" he needs to clinch the nomination moves from 2,026 to 2,118, a change that does not significantly alter the dynamics of the race.
If Obama and Clinton split the final three primaries - on Sunday in Puerto Rico and Tuesday in Montana and South Dakota - it's estimated the Illinois senator would need endorsements from just 24 of the 200 remaining "undeclared" super delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee.
By contrast, Clinton would need to win endorsements from about 150 of the remaining super delegates up for grabs, defying the recent trend in favour of Obama.
The fight over Michigan and Florida was sparked last year when the Democratic National Committee voted to strip the states of their combined 368 delegates for violating party rules and holding early presidential primaries in January.
At the time, both Clinton and Obama supported the punishment. Clinton even publicly said she believed the Michigan primary "would not count."
Clinton won both primaries, but neither candidate actively campaigned in Florida and Obama removed his name from the ballot in Michigan.
Obama's campaign contended the Illinois senator had a legitimate right to claim delegates in Michigan because the primary was held under a cloud of illegitimacy, making it unfair to penalize him. They also noted that 40 per cent of Michigan's voters cast ballots for "uncommitted" as a way to show their support for him.
Rep. Robert Wexler, an Obama supporter, said Obama had made "extraordinary concessions" to Clinton by agreeing to recognize the Michigan and Florida results.
Obama, meantime, hardly had a moment to savour his victory at the Democratic rules committee.
Campaigning in South Dakota, Obama announced he had written a letter of resignation from his church after enduring a series of controversies triggered by inflammatory preachers. The Illinois senator had already denounced his longtime pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, for making anti-American remarks in his sermons. The last straw came when last Sunday when Rev. Michael Pfleger, a visiting Catholic priest, mocked Clinton for showing emotion during the campaign. He alleged Clinton was upset because "there is a black man stealing my show."
In Washington, Clinton supporters staged a noisy but peaceful demonstration outside the Marriott Wardman Park hotel while Democratic officials debated the fate of Michigan and Florida.
"What Hillary won, she deserves," said Ed Burly, a Massachusetts Democrat who came to the demonstration dressed as Uncle Sam.
Hazel Rigby, a Clinton delegate from Virginia, disputed suggestions Clinton is too far behind to win, regardless of the outcome of the Florida and Michigan dispute.
"I'm here because I still think she has a shot at it," Rigby said. "I want her there in the worst way."
Loretta Pollock, a Clinton supporter from New Jersey, said the Florida and Michigan fight was more about voters' rights than giving her candidate a better opportunity to win.
"I think the votes should be counted and the delegates should be seated the way the votes were cast," Pollock said. "Otherwise you're disenfranchising voters."
Peggy Gail Forehand, a Clinton supporter from Tallahassee, Fla., said she would vote Republican unless Democrats recognized her state's primary.
"If the party wants to take away my vote that's fine. I will simply go to the other party," Forehand said. "Hillary Clinton doesn't need a last-ditch effort to stay in the race. She's staying in the race. She's made it very clear she's staying in the race."
why make rules that were ment to be broken?
DemoRats, always changing the rules to suit them when they can’t win with integrity.
The one thing Pfleger had right in his disgusting sermon is that Hillary feels entitled to the Presidency. If she can’t have it she’ll have no problem with destroying the party. She’ll put on a good face of insincere Clintonesque unity in the end and profess to support Obama, but that will be after she’s thrown all her grenades. This is better than any big screen thriller. I can’t wait to see what happens after this week’s primaries.
it’s estimated the Illinois senator would need endorsements from just 24 of the 200 remaining “undeclared” super delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee.
By contrast, Clinton would need to win endorsements from about 150 of the remaining super delegates up for grabs, defying the recent trend in favour of Obama.
Wait, so they BOTH can become the nominee?
I’m confused and I’m not even a democrat.
I don’t understand the Obama tactics. He has plenty of support going into the convention and needs to mend the party. Why not let Hillary have her way on these two states?
But the GOP wouldn't be doing this. It there were an agreement PRIOR to voting, everyone would stick to it during and after voting.
The only possible explanation is that he fears there will be another harmful revelation before the convention, and he doesn’t want to let her within striking distance.
Leni
A little cigar smoke and the "all knowing, all seeing,....."
Democrats at their best disenfranchising Florida seniors and Michigan blacks.
The democrats count every vote, just some votes count more than others. True equality!!! democrap style.
There is NO grace or fair play in the clintonian world. Those trashy clintons will do ANYTHING to get what they want. The word, “fair” and "right" are as nebulous as the word, “is.”
Sounds good to me, if she would run as a independent I am sure lots of republicans would donate to her campaign to help her out..........
Run Hillary, Run!
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