Michigan revote DOA?

Posted: Friday, April 04, 2008 6:13 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Democrats, 2008, Clinton, Obama, Michigan

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
A re-vote in Michigan is likely dead on arrival after Michigan Democratic Party leaders conceded "it is not practical to conduct" a primary or caucus re-vote. The Obama campaign has now called for a 50-50 split of the Michigan delegates. The Clinton campaign, however, says Michigan "votes cannot be ignored" and is circulating a petition to still count votes and delegates from Michigan and Florida.

Clinton trails in pledged delegates, popular vote and states won and was hoping for a re-vote in Michigan and Florida, states which had their delegates to the national convention stripped for violating party rules by moving up their primary dates.

Here are the statements out on the topic today:

From the Michigan Democratic Party's executive committee:
"The Michigan Democratic Party has carefully reviewed several proposals for a Party-run primary or caucus as a means of resolving the dispute over the seating of the Michigan delegation to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We have concluded that it is not practical to conduct such a primary or caucus. We will continue to work with the Working Group, the DNC and the candidates to resolve this matter in a manner which is respectful of the views of Democrats in Michigan, and which is fair to those who voted in the January 15th Democratic primary."

From DNC Chairman Howard Dean and Sen. Carl Levin:
"We are united in our commitment to doing everything we can to ensure that a Michigan delegation is seated in Denver this summer. We also know that any solution needs to be acceptable to both Democratic presidential campaigns. While there may be differences of opinion in how we get there, we will continue to work together to ensure that a Michigan delegation is seated and that the logistics are in place for a Michigan delegation in Denver. We have every expectation that we will succeed in that endeavor, and then go on to win in November."

From the Clinton campaign:
"The issues and voters of Michigan are too important to be dismissed. Close to 600,000 Michiganians cast ballots in January and these votes cannot be ignored. We urge the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee to take all necessary steps to ensure the voices of the people of Michigan are heard and its delegates are seated at the Democratic convention this summer. Already, over 100,000 people have signed our petition calling on the DNC to seat the delegates from Michigan and Florida. We urge Senator Obama to join our efforts to ensure that the votes of the people of Michigan and Florida are counted."

From the Obama campaign:
"Senator Obama firmly believes that the Michigan delegation should be seated in Denver. A 50/50 split of the delegates is an eminently fair solution, especially since originally Senator Clinton herself said the Michigan primary wouldn't 'count for anything.' It's now up to the Clinton campaign: they can agree to a fair resolution or they can continue trying to score political points and change the rules. It's time to move forward. Senator Clinton should accept an equitable solution that allows Michigan to participate fully in the convention," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

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Comments

GO HILLARY !!!! COUNT ALL THE VOTES!!!!!!!
Hillary will win the popular vote - then who should quit now - for the sake of the party!!!!
OBama group knows they better offer something (50/50) is better than nothing - they now know that the Dems will never, never win without FL & MI.
The DNC Had better get this fixed - if our votes are not counted in the primary - I am sure the GOP will be happy to count them in November!

Molly (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:23 PM)

http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
Si Se Puedo! Undocumented Voters Unite! Demand your right to vote!

twocanpete (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:24 PM)

Thanks for playing, Hillary. Enjoy your parting gifts.

tom, philly (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:26 PM)

Oh, NOW that's it's DOA, Obama and his goons want to split 50/50. NO. There were more than Clinton and Obama in race at time. Figure out what percentage of already earned delegates all delegates had and give Obama his share of the uncommitted ones. It's still a bucket of crap that MI voters are being disenfranchised. Time to get out of the dumbass party.

NO-bama (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:27 PM)

First Read:
Can you guys get the clip of Senator Clinton on Leno last night when he asked her about Michigan? You should be able to, right (all part of the NBC family)?

Of course she blamed Obama but the fact is that this Michigan/Florida fiasco is just another Hillary flip-flop. On Nafta, it was "I was against it in private before I lobbied for it in public before I was then against it when I went to a state that didn't like it." On this, it was "I signed a pledge not to count Michigan and Florida before I changed my mind and said that they absolutely MUST count."

Scott (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:27 PM)

50/50 split . . . now isn't that just wonderfully democratic of Obama to suggest? Are you happy with that Michigan? So, this is the 'change' and unifying that Obama represents? I know, I know, the Obama folks just see it the way it really is . . . he's such a wonderful guy with all the integrity, sincerity, and honesty that Washington has needed for so very very long! I think you are in denial!

Tim (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:27 PM)

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/obama_campaign_calls_for_5050.php

LP, Maryland (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:28 PM)

Hillary ignored them--until she needed them--then she'll use them--then she'll send them to columbia with Bill and Penn. for more "speaking" money makers.

sniff sniff--something smells like fish.

sniff sniff (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:29 PM)

The Party should absolutely figure out a way to involve Michigan and Florida in the convention but certain segments of the Michigan and Florida hierarchy should stop acting like petulant children. They knew the rules. They broke the rules. It's time to grow up. Really.

Bill, PA (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:29 PM)

Good.

I am GLAD the their is NO REVOTE.

They broke the rules and now they don't get their vote.

They can vote in the General.

Why won't HRC agree to split the delegates?

It doesn't matter anyway, she has already lost.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KOW ABOUT HER CAMPAIGN MANAGER AND COLUMBIA?????

LETS TALK ABOUT THAT HRC.

Jessica (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:32 PM)

Clinton can at least take comfort in the fact that she is comfortably ahead in the two latest primary polls released this afternoon from Pennsylvania and Indiana. Full roundup of the day's polling: http://www.campaigndiaries.com/2008/04/poll-roundup-clinton-stays-ahead-in.html

Daniel, NY (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:33 PM)

50/50...PERIOD. The electorate can vote again in November. No rewards for breaking the rules.
P.S. Hillary Clinton is a LIAR.

TJ WMS, LA, CA (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:34 PM)

Could you please publish the text of the pledge again that Sen. Clinton signed (not to campaign or participate), as well as Ickes' underwriting of the sanctions for MI and Fl. And please, also the statement by McAuliffe, when he was telling MI that "the closest they would come to Boston was their TV set", when that state was planning to break the rules that time, too?!

Carthage (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:37 PM)

Let's see.Hillary won Michigan by 17 points, and Obama took his own name off of the primary. Now he thinks it's fair to split 50/50. He is really arrogant. If he won Michigan by a good percentage, Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton would be holding marches in Michigan screaming for his fair share of the delegates.
Obama received 40% of the uncommitted vote , but in reality Edwards had a good 10-15% of that vote also, so in reality OBama should keep his mouth shut and take his 40% and try to be a big boy and stop whining and crying over everything.

Jay Link, Chicago, IL (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:37 PM)

Chuck, a judge has ruled the Jan. 15 primary unconstitutional. Does that mean Hillary wants to overrule the vote by demanding that the Jan. 15 results be counted and delegates seated accordingly? The judge didn't order a re-vote, and it seems the judge is clearly acknowledging that the state screwed up the primary system by disregarding the rules to which all the parties agreed to adhere by.
It is now April, and it just does not make any sense whatsoever to continue to try to resolve the Mich. vote. If Hillary believes voters have a right to be ehard, she should have voiced this before Obama passed her as the front runner, not out of desperation to be ahead of him once again. Additionally, voters will always have a say in November when they cannot vote in the primaries. After all, the primaries reflect more of partisanship than a real vote for American democracy, which is in the general election.
BTW, someone mentioned somewhere that Hillary is more charitable than Obama. Well, look at his tax returns and if you do the math and if he had over $110 million in gross income, the $60,000 he donated would significantly be higher and represent more than 10% of his contributions. Additionally, the Clintons made far more on books than Obama, and they also made on speeches despite calling Obama's speeches "just words". Further, I would insist that the other reason for the Clintons' big contributions to charity has more to do with Bill's desire to repair his tarnished image when he left the presidency and to paint himself as a true statesman, but also someone who wants to do something charitable for political expediency in anticipation of Hillary's presidential run so they may be able to restore the Clinton presidency. Please also note that surveys have shown Obama's supporters to be more charitable than those of Hillary's.

Jerry S. Oakland, CA (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:37 PM)

Mark Penn's lobbying efforts for Blackwater, Excelon, and the Columbian government should be front page news.

Will, CA (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:39 PM)

Obama wasn't even on the ballot so how can she say the vote should count as is. What fair minded person would agree with this. If it had been Obama only on the ballot she would never agree to this.

Also I would like to know if the 100,000 people on the petition are from Michican and Florida only???

Sheri, AZ (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:40 PM)

How can she ask that the votes counts when Obama wasn't even on the ballot? I guess they have no shame.

Carter, Jacksonville, FL (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:40 PM)

This is too funny. Clinton claims to now care about us here in Michigan who could either vote for her or "uncommited." What's pretty amazing is that 40% of the voters came out to vote for uncommitted - basically saying "we want anyone but you Hillary." (She got 55% and the remaining 5% went to people who had already dropped out) Seriously, how is that election any different than the ones Saddam Hussein used to hold - you could vote "Yes" for Saddam or "No" for Saddam, those were your only options.

Now she pretends to care about us after saying that "this election [we're] having won't count for anything." She tries to blame this mess on Obama when Gov. Granholm, her biggest supporter in the state, is the one who created this whole mess! All Obama did was follow the rules and not try to change them in the middle of the game.

Saying that people in MI & FL won't vote for the Dem nominee because their delegates weren't seated is simply absurd - Yes, I want universal health care and end to Iraq war, but I will vote McSame who offers neither, and I will do so because I feel "disenfranchised" by the DNC. If you are that stupid, then you don't deserve to vote in the first place.

For all the talk about Obama supporters being kool-aid drinkers, the real kool-aid drinkers are the HRC supporters for buying all of her ridiculous arguments and LIES (I mean "misstatements"). How are you "more electable" when you have lost twice as many states to your current opponent ; how are you "capable of beating the Republicans" when you can't even beat this supposed rookie for your party's nomination???

What the heck's a "Michiganian?" People here call themselves "Michiganders," which is also stupid but if you're gonna pander at least do it right!

Jamil, Dearborn, MI (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:42 PM)

The Clinton campaign, and it's surrogates, are engaged in a duplicitous strategy, telling the electorate out, and out lies.

Ed Rendell, was interviewed by Andrea Mitchell via telephine last evening. He said, " I think it is very disingenuous for the Obama campaign to say, we won the pledged delegates, we won the popular vote, therefore the superdelegates should vote for us, and at the same time, not let the people of Michigan, and the people of Florida vote."

He made the comment, even though Andrea was asking him to respond to the news that Jimmy Carter had made a statement hinting at who he supported. Carter said his multi generational family all supported Obama, and although he planned to wait until the Convention to give his endorsment, people could guess who he is for.

Obama does not have the power to block the people of these two states from voting.

Rendell had an agenda, and he was not to be denied in putting it over.

He also called the Obama supporters, "wildy enthusiastic". Intimating we are crazed, or something.

What a skunk.

Pulling for Obama '08

Pulling for Obama '08

donna, pgh., pa. (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:42 PM)

Dividing the delegates 50/50 sounds fair to me. That would seat the delegates, and would avoid the huge expense of money and time.

John Mehan, San Francisco, CA (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:42 PM)

Clinton should take a 50-50 split in Michigan and consider herself lucky. When 40% of the people come out to vote uncommitted that's like losing to the dead guy.

Sue, Bloomington, IN (Sent Friday, April 04, 2008 6:45 PM)

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