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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



FL senator warns of 'train wreck'

Posted: Thursday, March 06, 2008 4:19 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC’s Ken Strickland
Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson today wrote a letter asking DNC Chairman Howard Dean to either seat their delegates in accordance with our primary results, or pay for the state to hold a new primary.  Without a resolution, Nelson said, "We're coming on the biggest train wreck you've ever seen."

"If they go to the Democratic convention and stiff arm the Florida delegation,” Nelson said, “how in the world do you think Floridians are going to support the Democratic nominee ... only two months after the Democratic convention?”

Nelson also told reporters outside the Senate Chamber, "The DNC has a responsibility because they took it out on Florida, not what Florida Democrats did, but what the Republican legislature -- signed into law by the Republican Governor -- did in changing the date." 

He says the measure that authorized moving the primary to January, in violation of DNC rules, was part of a broader election machine reform bill. Nelson, a Clinton supporter, adds that the Florida state legislature's Democratic leader offered an amendment to move back to Feb. 5th, but was defeated.

"So the Florida Democrats come into this with clean hands," he pleaded.  "But I couldn't get Howard Dean and the DNC last summer to understand this."

This is something the state party argued in August of 2007 before the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. The committee, though, rejected the argument, saying there was not a “good faith effort” made by Florida Democrats to defeat the measure.

Nelson says Florida Republican Gov. Charlie Crist agreed to cooperate to set up the elections if someone else picked up the tab. The last primary cost about $18 million, according to Nelson, with 1.75 million Democrats voting.

"The principle here is one person, one vote," he said calling up the ghost of the 2000 Bush-Gore election. "And by the way, we're a little sensitive about that principle in the state of Florida. Do I need to remind you about that in 2000?"

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Hillary will take Michigan and Florida.It is not Clinton's faul that Obama took his name of the ballot in Michigan.Yet another rookie mistake.

Move over Obama. The Clinton machine is going to run you over on their way to the White House.


Clinton 08
(Saturday Night Live)

SNL (Saturday Night Live)… The comedians who need it to come to the rescue of Senator Clinton…

What I find amazing it that the media has given this Comedy Sketch Show so much power and influence… It was important for SNL to point out the fascination the media has had with Senator Obama… And SNL tell me, what so wrong with that… What’s wrong with many people wanting to feel so inspired…?

Am I wrong… is there actually something so wrong with that…

Everyone is picking on Hillary… Everyone is asking Hillary the tough questions…. Why don’t they ever ask Senator Obama any tough questions… we all know no one is circulating false emails about Senator Obama being a Muslim… Senator Obama is never asked about his religion….Senator Obama is never referred to by his middle name…

Well I keep hearing the Senator Clinton is a fighter

• A fighter who cries when she is losing
• A fighter whose campaigns threatens to sue anyone who rules which are not in their favor
• A fighter whose campaign spreads false Muslim emails of Senator Obama…whose campaign use racial codes to stir up tension….whose Husband compares Senator Obama to Jesse Jackson after losing South Carolina….a senator who makes assertion that Senator Obama is Muslim….
• A fighter who has skitsophrenic episodes…One minute warm and loving…next minute screaming and yelling….and the next minute crying ……
• A fighter whose spread lies and missrepentsent Senator Obama Record
• A fighter whose spreads fear in order to drum up votes
• A fighter whose diminishes Senator Obama opposition to the Iraq although she voted for it…….
• A fighter who needs Saturday Night Live to come to her rescue.

Since Senator Clinton was so important to you… What is your level of responsibility towards America…?

Where was your political coverage when there were more important events?

• Where was Saturday Night Live when the war was being talked about….
• Where was Saturday Night Live when the war was being engage
• Where was Saturday Night Live when many of our soldiers were dying in this ill advise war

But Senator Clinton was a more important cause for you… You need it to interject yourselves into this political process….What was your purpose again….Oh yeah, Senator Clinton the fighter need it you to help her fight

So shuddup and re-vote.  sheesh already
There is absolutely no reason why Florida delegates should not be seated. Unless DNC truly favors an Obama nomination.

In this case, they might as well hand over Florida AND Michigan to the Republicans come November.

Way to go DNC, another way of screwing up a great oppurtunity to take back the White House.

Let's see if one of my many attempt to post gets thru at MSNBC
I sent a letter to DNC that they should not do a revote. This is unfair to the people who voted in earlier election. All candidates were on ballot in Florida and Obama ran ads so why can't they award those delgates. Michigan is different because Obama took his name off ballot. So why not divide equally. If they do this it is disinfranchising earlier voters. Isn't this the complaint we have with Republicans.
Along with NAFTA-Gate ... here's another political ploy.  Not good enough to say the Florida Democrats had not made a "good faith effort" to move the date back.  Looks like we're getting set to increase our education about campaign dirty tricks.  Shame on a lot of people!!  Let's get honest!!
So, let me get this straight, a Florida Senator, Bill Nelson, who is also a Democrat and a supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton wants the DNC to pay 25 million Dollars to stage a new primary in Florida?

Care much about downparty ticket Senator Nelson?  This is money the DNC needs elsewhere.  Way to ignore Governor Crist's offer to pay for this primary -- what was that just yesterday?  Thank you for allowing him to runaway from his offer unscathed.

As for seating Florida -- it still makes no difference, Senator Clinton still cannot win the nomination on pledged delegates unless she wins all of the rest of the states by large margins.  She still has to find a way to steal pledged delegates at caucus conventions, or get the superdelegates to give it to her.  This is an absurd non-issue related diversion which feeds the Republican campaign against the eventual Democratic nominee.  
Ok FIrst Read, I have tried to post a comment THREE times today and non of my comments have shown up.  I thought this was a PUBLIC FORUM.  Not ONE of my comments have been inappropriate.  PLEASE don't sensor-FREE SPEECH!!!

Now, everyone just calm down.  Yes, the Clintons have put out some pretty outlandish claims today.  We all know how they are.  But lets just sit back and continue to let them make a$$e$ of themselves.  We all know that it has been PROVEN time and time again, that she CANNOT win because she WILL NEVER have the lead on pledged delegates.  No amount of spin, lies or FILTH coming from the CLintons can change that.  Her only hope, changing the rules and having Florida and Michigan delegates seated has been thrown out the window by Dean and the DNC. Do overs may take place, but this will not change ANYTHING. Obama will still also gain delegates and she will NEVER be able to get the lead.  The supers know this, as well as the party elders.  That is why 4 supers have endorsed Obama in the last two day. They have a plan to come out little by little over the next two weeks and after Obama wins Mississipi and Wyoming, this entire thing will be over.  They are just letting Hillary have one last"moment".

I am sure that she will continue her disrespectful behavior, but who cares.  She has already lost.  She is only making herself look more desperate, devisive and silly.  I think it's GREAT!!

OBAMA 08'
p.s.  Hey Hillary supporters, it's funny how Hillary continues to ask for money and donations, when she knows that she cannot win.  She is just cheating you out of your hard earned money. You may ask her why?
oh yeah, she probably wants to pay herself back for that 5 mill she loaned herself!  Guess she doesn't really care about you after all!
This is not 2000. Florida has become much more republican. No democrat is going to win Florida in November, so the argument that they won't vote democratic is moot; they won't vote for the democrat anyway. Since the day of the hanging chad, Florida has become a republican stronghold, especially for McCain.
Florida should pay a fine and be allowed to seat their delegates BECAUSE ALL THE NAMES WERE ON THE BALLOT and Floridians voted in RECORD NUMBERS. Obama-bots think that if you just glimpse upon his majesty's glorious face, you will become "Obamatized" and become a worshipper. How pathetic! Obama campaigned in Florida through a "National" commercial and still lost.

Michigan - in fairness to the "bots", should be re-done AS A PRIMARY in order to get the true vote from ALL OF THE PEOPLE. Not the bullying tactics of a caucus. Stop whining already, and keep your over-ambitious candidate to yourselves.
Democrats need the DNC to spend every dime on helping win elections in November. If Florida will play by the rules, they can have a re-do election and they can pay for it themselves.  I'd love to see an election there where Obama has a chance to campaign.  He always does better in the states where he campaigns.
Memo to Ben Nelson...

Biggest train wreck?  Sorry, I don't think you can top Hanging Chads!

*psst*...Ben, go talk to Ickes.  He voted to strip the delegates!
I really don’t understand why you guys in the media are talking about the importance of winning the big states in the primaries. Let’s be honest and reasonable, there is no way Sen. McCain can win Ohio against Sen. Obama. Why? Here you go; first of all he strongly supports NAFTA and all of the trade treaties similar to it. Second of all, the majority of democrats voting for Clinton already said that they would vote for Obama if he would be the nominee. Third and final, the amount of new voters that came out and voted for Obama will remain coming out and voting for Obama; this is what makes the coalition bigger for him against McCain. And that is only for Ohio, let’s talk about some other big states. Does anyone remember that McCain lost Wisconsin, and Obama won it? Does anyone remember that McCain lost Michigan? What is clear is this: Clinton is winning the states that the Democrats will win in November no matter who is the nominee. Obama is winning red states by such a big margin, that it could result in a real fight for those red states against McCain in the general election. Why then is no one talking about Obama’s appeal to the people in these, so called, red states? These are states that Clinton doesn’t even dream to win, states where the only factor of having a Clinton on the Democratic ticket would make most of the people vote for McCain.  I don’t understand why the media is playing a big role in confusing the American people, is for their own personal interests? I don’t understand why no one in the media is objective enough to see that the best candidate for the Democratic Party is someone that UNITES people from red states and blue states, young and old, rich and poor, whites and blacks, latino and asian. Not someone that is just trying to divide the country and the Democratic Party itself. She is trying to win at all costs, she is trying to destroy HOPE, and trying to end the dream of a UNITED country with her divisive old politics.  

Small question dear CNN, why are you not reporting on the news from Canada where it became clear the the PM chief of Staff Ian Brodie stated that he was approached by Hillary Clinton staff about Nafta. Telling him to take it with a grain of salt whatever she would state. In the end it turn out that it was not Obama who contacted Canadian institutes but the CLinton Campaign
Frankly, I'm sick of picking up Florida's tab. Florida recieves more revenue from Federal taxes than any state in the Union.

Florida wants a revote, Florida can pay for it. They voted in Republicans, they have themselves to thank for their finances.
Nice try Senator. Hillary knew the rules last year. You knew the rules last year.  Either hold a new primary or split the votes 50/50.  The Democratic turnout in Florida was not for Clinton.  The turnout was for a tax initiaitive.  Nice try to bail out Hillary.  If the DNC agrees to sit the delegation as  is it will disenfranchise all other voters in all the other states who obeyed the rules.  Oh I forgot Hillary does not recognize the states that did not give her the win.  Just hand her the nomination Howard Dean you know you have to.
Dear Sen. Bill Nelson (Hillary Supporter):

It sounds to me like you should be holding your republican government there in Florida reponsible for this!  You should have been more outspoken at that time than you obviously have been.  We are not going to fall for your pathetic political attempt!
No one seems to be talking about the fact that if Michigan and Florida do their primaries over, the number of total delegates needed will also go up.  The current 2,024 needed for the nomination was calculated assuming Michigan and Florida would not seat any delegates.

I also find it interesting that if the Democrats had a "winner take all" situation similar to the Republican party that Hillary Clinton would already have 1,920 delegates and practically assured the nomination.  She has won the large states that get a candidate to the nomination.  She should be the nominee.
I recall the unhelpful attitude of the Florida delegation when the DNC had to adopt sanctions.  The Florida Dems have learned nothing.  Nelson's "appeal" sounds more like attempted extortion.  
Lets keep it simply and save the tax payers $$.  Split the delegates equally between Clinton and Obama.
here we go again. all the little clinton subversives, looking for ways to steal this nominating process. now bill nelson speaks up, where was he months ago? with these bigwigs doing everything to shore up hillary's deficiencies, it's almost a preview on which way the winds are blowing when it comes to the super-delegates leanings. the payoffs, backroom dealings, and influence peddling is being run on a grand scale by the clinton sleaze machine. the process is tainted, and i doubt it will be corrected by the average voting public. when you have people like ted strickland, ed rendell, bill nelson, running water for the clintons forget about change. don't worry though, chris matthews will be putting on his smily face, so happy with the horse race, he will gush all over them and forget to ask any real tough questions.
I don't understand this. More democrates voted in the Florida primary than in any election in Florida ever. Every candidate had their name on the ballot. Obama even ran T.V. ads against the agreement he made. We live in a democracy. Why won't Howard dean and the Obama clan let these people voices be heard? These wre silly rules to start with and the people of Florida did not agree to them. Are we creating a communist dictatorship here by not letting the people heard. Power to the people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where were your complaints Sen. Nelson before it became obvious that Hillary had no chance without FL (and even that is not a given).  You're bias is showing.  It reeks of the kind of old school back alley politics that has driven the multitudes to support Obama.
The Republican Governor of Florida is making this an issue. I'm sure he has the best interests of the Democratic Party in mind.
I don't understand this. More democrates voted in the Florida primary than in any election in Florida ever. Every candidate had their name on the ballot. Obama even ran T.V. ads against the agreement he made. We live in a democracy. Why won't Howard dean and the Obama clan let these people voices be heard? These were silly rules to start with and the people of Florida did not agree to them. Are we creating a communist dictatorship here by not letting the people be heard. Power to the people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I guess somewhere over the rainbow in the Clinton braintrust, they have finally figured out that 2+2=4 not 15 and there is no way in hell they can catch up!!! So now, Bill is whining about seating the delegates. News flash, Bill - you broke the rules. Stop blaming it on everyone else, Man up. borrow some of the Clinton cajones'. Howard said this morning that the DNC would not pay for another primary. Ya'll good folks down there in the land of green peanuts gotta come up with the "Solution for America"
Love how the democratics shirk accountability for own past actions, just can not take the heat in the kitchen.  Train wreck conductor will be McCain;  all aboard.............
irony of ironies is that FLA might have a greater impact on the result with a redo - not that they deserve it.
It needs to be pointed that Democratic members of the Florida House voted unanimously to move the primary date to Jan. 29, and that the bill to move the date was sponsored in the Florida Senate by a Democratic senator, Jeremy Ring.

Florida Democrats were not "railroaded" in the decision to move the primary dates.
Thumbs up for Dean! Rules are rules. Before the elections took place, the two states knew the implications, but they went ahead. Nelson supports clinton and so does the michigan governor. Just because they are supporting clinton, they want to break the rules. Dean, DNC, you have your credibility at stake. So, stick to the rules to preserve your integrity rather than following selfish interests of clinton supporters.
Are you kidding me? The FL State Democratic Party can't stand up to their counterparts from the FL GOP so 48 other state parties should pay? Have all the elderly people in the state really lost their mental faculties? The DNC is not the evil empire... FIFTY state demoncratic parties set the rules for the primary 1 1/2 years ago.....sorry if the Clinton campaign HACKS in Florida don't want to follow them. Nelson wants to threaten all of us Democrats? I agree FL and MI should not disenfranchise people. I also believe that if Clinton supporters in FL stack the deck we will run away from the party and let McCain have it- so here Nelson threat back at ya.
Good to see the Clinton campaign coming to their senses and dropping the whole "seat the Florida and Michigan delegates based on the bogus election" routine. It was getting really old.

Obama '08

P.S. I wish we could let all the remaining states vote tomorrow so we could end the non-stop whining from the Clinton campaign - my ears are starting to bleed. lol
If Nelson is so worried about disenfranchsing the  Florida voters and delegates is he not therefore also as worried about disenfranchising those thousands of Floridas voters who stayed home and did not vote after being told their wote would not count.

If he wants to settle this fairly only one option is possible. Go ahead and seat the Florida delegates, giving half to Hillary and half to Obama. If Hillary is more concerned with giving the Florida voters / delegates their rights to be seated (as she says) then she is about gaining votes herself from the first fiasco then she will go along with this option. If she will not go along with it then she is obviously more concerned for herself then she is for the Florida voters and delegates.

Go ahead Florida voters and delegates. Put the question to Hillary and see what she says or if you can read between all the spin.
"Drunk driver warns he may crash"
------------------------------------
Florida KNEW the rules of the DNC.
Florida CHOSE to break those rules.
Florida KNEW the consequence of their action.
Live with the consequences of your actions...like we ALL have to!
Can we all agree to just give the nomination to Hillary?  Do we really need months of the bickering and whining - The country's economy, foreign relations, etc. will get no better, but probably can't get any worse.  Besides, we've waited forty years for this transformative political, I for one can wait another 40 years!
If Florida wants a revote then they need to pay the 20 million to do this... not the DNC.  THEY were the ones that didn't abide by the DNC rules.  The DNC is not responsible for paying for their neglegence.

And for those of you, along with Hillary, that think the Florida delegates should be seated...On Super Tuesday, Floridians thought they were voting... and called to find their polling places.  So, forget it. Millions of Floridians either KNEW their vote did not count and did not vote...or they thought they were part of Super Tuesday and also did not vote.  Who actually DID vote for Hillary in Florida???
Seating the Delegates in Florida without a new vote is completely inappropriate. We could just call Hillary Comrade Clinton if she wants to count a win in her category gotten in that fashion.

Florida voted early and Hillary had a name brand - people had no opportunity to get to know Obama, or Edwards, or Dodd, or Biden - as a candidate. This is not only unfair to Obama - it's unfair to the other former Democratic candidates as well.

Add to that the fact that Hillary behaved unethically at BEST ("fundraisers," surrogates making phone calls, having her victory party in Florida...please). If they want to seat their deligates - they should have caucuses - if Hillary is so concerned about the state, she should agree to this arrangement.

Don't be fooled Florida, Hillary would be fighting just as hard to disenfranchise you if she thought you might vote for Obama.

Hillary just simply can NOT win on her merits. This is why she is playing the victim, all the while spreading various lies and false insinuations about Obama, this is why she has tried to pull this race into the dirt...She can't win. ...and she won't beat McCain if the Dems are stupid enough to nominate her.
Ms. Clinton should be gracious enough to agree on the re-vote for both FL an MI primaries. As far as the cost goes, both campaign can contribute equally to this effort since they are raising so much money. In return both states should give them appropriate free air time on the local networks to compensate their generousity.
I would note that a number of people are warning of a potiential 'train wreck' but as happens in political circles ...nobody is brave enough to actually do something about it.
No matter what you think about the electoral process, please note that HRC and her surrogates didn't have a problem with FL and MI BEFORE Supertuesday--when they thought she was a shoo-in.

But here's a 'HUH?' moment...
$18 million for 1.75 million voters.

That's OVER $10 PER VOTE.

???Really???
Just a thought... Perhaps Obama should suggest that the candidates help pick up the cost, along with the DNC and Fla. It would force Clinton's hand, and prove to the voters there that he does want their votes to count. The likelyhood of Clinton winning by as much is pretty slim, and the fact of the matter is, Fla is one of the only states where the dem numbers didn't completely crush repub's. It also gives him the chance to set up his ground game before the general election. Oh, and BTW, this goes ditto for Mich.
I wonder if the clinton campaign would be pushing so hard if Obama had won?  Obama followed the rules.  The Florida dems could have opted for a caucus at a later date if they didn't want to hold their primary on the 29th.  Florida opted to break the rules.  Here is an option, seat the FL delegation as is but clinton agrees to a do-over CAUCUS in Michigan.  Of course the lying clinton machine won't agree to that because they may lose that.  hillary clinton is an embarassement to the human race.  Barack Obama is what the Democratic party stands for.
I wonder if the clinton campaign would be pushing so hard if Obama had won?  Obama followed the rules.  The Florida dems could have opted for a caucus at a later date if they didn't want to hold their primary on the 29th.  Florida opted to break the rules.  Here is an option, seat the FL delegation as is but clinton agrees to a do-over CAUCUS in Michigan.  Of course the lying clinton machine won't agree to that because they may lose that.  hillary clinton is an embarassement to the human race.  Barack Obama is what the Democratic party stands for.

**** March 8(this Saturday):
Wyoming (D)

http://soswy.state.wy.us/election/election.htm
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/wyhome
http://www.wyomingdemocrats.com/ht/d/Home/pid/273340

When should I arrive at the caucus?
Please arrive at your caucus location at least 30 minutes prior to your caucus start time. Only voters in line when the caucus convention is called to order are allowed to participate.





**** March 11:
Mississippi  

http://www.sos.state.ms.us/elections/elections.asp
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/mshome
The "Train-Wreck' has come and gone. The Democrats are a smoldering piece of wreakage. Either the DNC and Howard Dean have the power to say when a states election can take place, or they don't. Apparently the DNC had that power last fall, but now they don't havethe power to stay with their convictions, ie., that the delegates will not be seated?

You can't have "do-over" elections. If you do, then anyone in any state can say they don't like the results for whatever reason. And if enough people agree, then they're telling us that there can be another election? That's not democracy, that's anarchy.

If you think the Democrats played fast and loose with the election rules in Florida in 2000, then what is happening now in Flordia (and Michigan) will trump that fiasco ten times over.
More Republican dirty tricks, the GOP is determined to rig any election it can't fairly win it....not that I'm shocked by that.

I do have a question though:  Why hasn't Sen. Bill Nelson brought this up before today?  He's a Clinton supporter right?

Nuff said!
The best way to re-do the Florida and Michigan primaries would be to go back to the candidates who were running at the time the unacceptable votes were held and put all the names on the new ballots.  This might mean that Edwards could win some more delegates, as well as the others who were running at that time.  Fairness woould mean that those candidates who picked up pledged delegates would have some clout at the convention's floor fight.
Just curious - what would be the delegate breakdown based upon the existing results in Florida?  What about Michigan, if Senator Clinton took the delegates based upon her votes and Senator Obama took the rest?
And once again the Republicans find a way to take a state, without firing a shot. The governor, let me see, a Republican, decides for the Democrats, who's vote gets to count. Shades of the past. Learn from it or repeat it. We've had too many wars, wrong wars, to continue letting one side of any picture control the frame of the entire picture.
This is the worst primary election, I have ever seen.  Howard you have really messed it up and Nelson is 100 percent correct.  Those delegates need to be seated for the DNC needs to pay for a new primary in those two states.  This is suppose to be a democracy?

Typical Keystone Cops Dem. mess. Rules are the rules.
 
 Bush-Gore was the National-no one's taking anyone's vote away in November. Hope FL has voting machines that
work this time.


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