Hillary wants solution to FL, MI

Posted: Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:20 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: 2008, Clinton, Michigan, Florida

From NBC's Mark Murray
The Clinton campaign has just released a letter than Hillary Clinton penned to Obama, asking him to join her to find a solution to resolve the controversy over the Florida and Michigan delegations.

"I am asking you to join me in working with representatives from Florida and Michigan and the Democratic National Committee to arrive at a solution that honors the votes of the millions of people who went to the polls in Florida and Michigan," she says. "It is not enough to simply seat their representatives at the convention in Denver. The people of these great states, like the people who have voted and are to vote in other states, must have a voice in selecting our party's nominee."

Below is the letter...

May 8, 2008

Senator Barack Obama
Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102
Chicago, IL 60680

Dear Senator Obama,

This has been an historic and exciting campaign. Millions of new voters have been brought into the process and their enthusiasm for the Democratic Party and the principles for which you and I have fought and continue to fight is unprecedented.

One of the foremost principles of our party is that citizens be allowed to vote and that those votes be counted. That principle is not currently being applied to the nearly 2.5 million people who voted in primaries in Florida and Michigan. Whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee will be hamstrung in the general election if a fair and quick resolution is not reached that ensures that the voices of these voters are heard. Our commitment now to this goal could be the difference between winning and losing in November.

I have consistently said that the votes cast in Florida and Michigan in January should be counted. We cannot ignore the fact that the people in those states took the time to be a part of this process and to make their preferences known. When efforts were untaken by leaders in those states to hold revotes to ensure that they had a voice in selecting our nominee, I supported those efforts. In Michigan, I supported a legislative effort to hold a revote that the Democratic National Committee said was in complete compliance with the party's rules. You did not support those efforts and your supporters in Michigan publicly opposed them. In Florida a number of revote options were proposed. I am not aware of any that you supported. In 2000, the Republicans won an election by successfully opposing a fair counting of votes in Florida. As Democrats, we must reject any proposals that would do the same.

Your commitment to the voters of these states must be clearly stated and your support for a fair and quick resolution must be clearly demonstrated.

I am asking you to join me in working with representatives from Florida and Michigan and the Democratic National Committee to arrive at a solution that honors the votes of the millions of people who went to the polls in Florida and Michigan. It is not enough to simply seat their representatives at the convention in Denver. The people of these great states, like the people who have voted and are to vote in other states, must have a voice in selecting our party's nominee.

Sincerely,
Hillary Rodham Clinton

EMAIL THIS

Comments

except for she JUST rejected MI's proposal which Obama was ready to accept.

so really Hillary what sort of resolution do you want?

Allen, Minneapolis, MN (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:24 PM)

And what about the people that didn't get a chance to vote because they were told that their vote doesn't count?
Oh that's right I forgot.... we are only counting the ones that voted for her.
She is so evil!

LeAnn (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:27 PM)

Bill does'nt believe it any more. Niether does Chelsea. Bill is gone, Chelsea has given up, stopped doing her hair, and sports a pony tail. Her family has faced the facts, so has most of the rest of us, but Hillary refuses to. That's why Bill was wiping tears on Tuesday night as he listened to the level his wife's denial.

One of her campaign workers was being interviewed on MSNBC on Wednesday. The man looked completly embarassed.

thomas (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:27 PM)

Losers don't get to make demands or set terms for anything....she really is not in control of this process, the DNC and Obama are.

rodeo, ellensburg, wa (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:28 PM)

What she meant was, "this is how i'm blackmailing you today to pay off the debt my campaign racked up because i'm totally inept"

it's a dnc issue (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:28 PM)

If this is the case, how come she just rejected the Michigan proposal to seat delegates?

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/hillary_campaign_says_no_to_ne.php

Obama NY, NY, NY (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:28 PM)

Does Michigan Need Hillary to sign off to get the delegates seated? Isn't that between them and the DNC? Why can't Michigan decide how best to count the will of there state?

Stephen, Philadelphia, PA (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:28 PM)

Operation--File 13!

Thanks, but No thanks (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:29 PM)

Really, she wants a solution? Because just today she rejected a compromise offered by MI Dem leaders that would seat the delegates with a 69-59 pro Clinton split. And this isn't the first time she has scuttled, or her allies have scuttled a solution. This isn't about seating the delegates, this is about seating enough Hillary delegates to upset the balance. It should be headlined "Clinton SAYS she wants a solution".

Jack Rivers Denver, CO (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:29 PM)

This is pure politics. For the following reasons.
1. Obama has said from the beginning that he will abide by the rules of the DNC. THEY are the ones making the decisions here, and their tendency to want to punish states who violated their rules (the ones Hillary agreed to when she was still the front runner) should not reflect on him. She is accusing him of the very kind of politicizing that she is doing in attempting to lay this at his doorstep.
2. That her campaign's purpose is to "allow the voters to speak" so to say rings disingenuous and hollow when we consider that the all but sure outcome is that she looses, and then she wants the superdelegates to over-ride the voice of the voters she is so ardently advocating for.
3. We just DON'T BELIEVE HER ANYMORE.....and I was once a supporter.

Wally Santa Barbara (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:29 PM)

He only cares about what would serve him best. And this is not going to serve him well. Hilary you are actually asking him to make a decision?

He and his supporters fail to see the bigger picture. If these two states feel left out in the nominating process, there is no way he will win in the GE. There isn't enough of his base votes nor expected swing votes that would diminish losing Florida, Michigan and possibly Ohio and Pennsylvania.

It is very possible that he could win the battle but not the war.

Also, to all Obama bloggers, enough of the vile remarks. Like it or not, if nominated, he is going to need Hilary's support along with her supporters. They are not few, she's not that far behind. All it takes is half of them to go the other way. So walk a fine careful line. Be respectful and smart.

MSNBC please post one of the many I have sent.

Joyce, NY (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:30 PM)

Ley the games begin, FL and MI will be seated by our our nominee. Not Hillary Clinton.

James TN (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:31 PM)

Just rush her, tackle her to the ground, stab her in the behind with a needle full of thorazine, and cart her off to the nearest lock up for the mentally ill.

tired dem (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:31 PM)

Only the white hard working American votes should be counted though, right Hillary?

I hope blacks are enough to win in November.
Patty,sd,ca (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 2:08 PM)

Patty,sd,ca = racist

MT, Ozark, MO (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:31 PM)

Isn't this the DNC's headache? Obama, Hillary and the other candidates played by the rules--they signed a statement to abide them. Rules are NOT made to be broken. However, we know Obama thinks the delegates should be seated. And even if Hillary gets her way, those votes still won't be enough for her to win. So what's the point?

Cindy Lou, TX (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:31 PM)

Blah, blah, blah...why the hell did they break the rules, then, the people of those "two great states"? If the DNC lets them get away with it, there will be a "Me First!" stampede of states in 2012, who will know they can ignore the rules, because they are meaningless. Great solution, huh, Hil?

Class Warrior, D.C. (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:32 PM)

It's too bad she's unwilling to take the high road. Her candidacy is finished, regardless how Michigan and Florida turn out.

She's going to force the superdelegates to shut this thing down with her continued divisiveness.

http://gibbsv.blogspot.com/

Sam, Muncie, Ind. (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:32 PM)

Perhaps she misplaced the original document she signed on this subject. I think this obvious attempt to hurt Obama just did a lot more damage to the Clinton legacy. Bill should stop her now.

steve lynchburg,va (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:32 PM)

Give it up hillary...your party has decided to go off a cliff for the upteenth time in the past 50 years with another liberal snake oil salesman selling something called change...whatever that means

I know what it means..higher taxes on the producers in the economy to reward the least deserving in our society...those who don't try very hard but think they do

rick, nc (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:32 PM)

Oh boy, here we go again.

This woman is just not going to give up until she totally destroys herself and the party is she?

The good part about this though is that even with FL and MI, SHE CANNOT WIN.

http://www.politivine.com

Cory (SC) (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:32 PM)

Interesting to see the "Clintons" and some of their misguided supporters trying to slash and burn the Democratic Party on their way out of the door.

Our troops in Iraq deserve nothing less than our full commitment to bring them home, regardless of who the candidate is.

If we cannot look past our own petty grievances for the sake of our long suffering American troops, I don't know if we really deserve to call ourselves Americans.

Patriotism is about more than waving a flag or wearing a pin. Sometimes it requires you to put the country's interests ahead your own, just like the troops on their second and third tours of duty do for us each and every day.

Choosing a President is a grown up decision. Now is not the time for temper tantrums and "us" against "them" politics.

Nashville_fan (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:33 PM)

are you guys F'ing with us? ...either that...or the rumors are true and she IS trying to 'F' us....

my god, this is sad....so very sad..

sean, atl, ga (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:33 PM)

"I have consistently said that the votes cast in Florida and Michigan in January should be counted."

This is simply not true. Back before she started losing, she signed off on the plan to strip the delegates from those states that broke ahead in line. She consistently, before Super Tuesday, said that the magic number of delegates to achieve is 2025, which is what you have to get to without MI and FL. Yet now, because she is losing, she wants these illegitimate contents to count and wants to raise the number of delegates needed to 2209. And she also wants to ignore the larger number of people that voted for Obama than for her by having the superdelegates declare her the winner.

She has no shame when it comes to moving goalposts.

Lee (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:33 PM)

While I would love to believe Clinton has the FL and MI voter's interest at heart in wanting to make their voices heard as part of the democratic process of selecting the nominee, when put in context with all her other actions in this contest, her letter seems very self serving.

Sure. Abq NM (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:34 PM)

MSNBC please post this -

Seating the delegates alone is not enough. At least people are trying to find a solution, which is more than what I can say about Obama.

Does he really think by ignoring this issue he won't pay for it in the end?

Take a stand, do something, don't let the 2 states feel left out. They don't deserve to not have a voice because of their republican legislature.

Obama you can't vote 'present' on this issue.

Dan, NY (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:34 PM)

Unite the party, let her have what she wants and all superdelegates go to Obama and leave her with two superdelegate votes. Hers and Bill's...Does KIKI have a vote?

tj dallas, tx (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:34 PM)

...and I challenge you to debate me in Hog Hollow, West Virginia tomorrow night

iowan (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:35 PM)

She is crazy. Simply mad. And I'm quite sure this primary is never going to come to an end.

evie (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:35 PM)

I think Obama should just give the baby her bottle, he will still win. Just an observation about this whole race issue. If the fact is that Hillary is getting the "white" vote and Barack is getting the "black" vote, it is worth notint that at least Barack is reaching out and working hard for the white vote, where Hillary and Bill are COMPLETELY disregarding the "black" vote.

Chew on that!

Tucson, AZ (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:35 PM)

Lost in all primaries on Tuesday - is that Michigan had an election for schools. I am surprised that no news outlet reported that.

OBwan, IN (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:35 PM)

This woman makes me sick. Where is the letter she signed saying these contets wouldn't count?

I'm from MI and pissed off that our contest didn't count. I didn't vote because we were told it wouldnn't count. You can not change the rules of the game once you have started it.

Obviously, she is not going to take advantage of the space and time Senator Obama has graciously extended to her, to come to the realization that the people have not selected her. Senator Obama has won fair and square, by the rules.

The SD's need to do it for her.

Go Obama!

Chris, Dorr, MI (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:35 PM)

‘just to recap Hillary’s reasons to stay in the race, she is NOW saying:

1. West Virginia is a KEY state (huh? I thought it was a SMALL state. Oh yeah, it’s also a vastly white, under-educated, poor state where she hopes voters are too stupid to figure out she’s already lost or so racist that she can bait them. Got it.).

2. If Republican rules were used, she’d be the Democratic nominee (there are those pesky rules again. Plus, how spurious can you get??!! – what a STUPID argument.).

3. The magic number is really 2210 (the moving goal post argument AGAIN).

4. Voters in the remaining primaries can’t be disenfranchised (hmmm. Historically, these later primary states have typically been “disenfranchised” since the nominee was usually decided long before May. Besides, it’s already been mathematically decided by the pledged delegate vote – you know, that pesky rule thing?).

5. She came from behind to win Indiana so she’s more electable [this is called selectively choosing your data – she was ahead in the average of all polls for weeks and significantly closing the gap in NC. (BTW, I just checked Indiana’s election website and Hillary is now only winning that state by 1%: 50.5 to 49.5. but I forgot – it’s next door to Illinois so it doesn’t count)].

6. Women need her to represent our gender (really? Which women? Not black women. Not any woman with a brain who can still make reasonable, informed choices. So, old women? OK – yeah, they’re the future of our country.)

7. Florida and Michigan votes have to be counted (ok, it STILL doesn’t change the outcome – math is pesky too; you agreed by the rules – those PESKY rules!; people in those states were already disenfranchised in one way or another since way too many voted uncommitted or didn’t vote at all b/c it didn’t count).

8. Oh yes, “it’s good for the Party” – look how much energy we have! Look how many new voters we have! (Look how silly you look!!).

So, Hillary – what next?

sara, mesa, az (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:36 PM)

Michigan is split 50/50. Florida is split 55 - 45 for Hillary. Supers from both can do whatever they want to do.

There, sign the deal and lets get on with it.

Mister Anderson (The Matrix) (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:36 PM)

The overall tone of the letter sounds like she is ordering him around. I don't like that. He wasn't the one that made the rules, nor was he the one to break them.

Fundamentally the parties affected by the rules are not the ones that should be creating the solutions. Neither the Clinton camp nor the Obama camp is impartial.

Had Florida and Michigan not tried to jump ahead, we would not be in this mess, that is the bottom line. If you want to be mad, be mad at the right parties.

I understand that the delegates want and to some extent need to be seated. However, to pretend that the outcomes of those elections truly reflect the status of what voters wanted in MI and FL at the time (or now) is really a travesty.

Now if one could only trust that she wouldn't stab him in the back (it might be easier to find a compromise).

Lisa, New Britain, CT CT for Obama (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:36 PM)

Well said Senator Clinton. I'm sure she and Senator Obama will both accept the 59-69 Michigan Democratic Committee compromise proposal. I'm sure she and Sentaor Obama will also accept any penalties imposed by the DNC for these states not abiding by the rules they all agreed to last year (Michigan in particular).

I would expect that Michigan will be stripped of its superdelegates and potentially have it's delegates halved. Florida will likely be seated as-is or with only a slight reduction in delegates which is fair since it was the GOP that changed the primary date there (though the Dems in Florida overwhelmingly voted for it).

Based on her letter, I'm certain Senator Clinton agrees with this compromise.

Jason, Grand Blanc, MI (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:36 PM)

"I am asking you to join me in working with representatives from Florida and Michigan and the Democratic National Committee to arrive at a solution that honors the votes of the millions of people who went to the polls in Florida and Michigan,"

Can we also honor the millions of voters who stayed home, believing that their votes would not count? Reference is always made to those voters who voted. What about those who backed Obama or some other candidate who didn't? I think it's fine to seat these delegates but thought must be given to these voters as well.

Katie St. Paul, MN (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:36 PM)

Maybe Obama should meet with his constituents in Chicago so they can find a way to get affordable grocery and home goods stores in it's neighborhoods. Because Obama is in the unions back pocket, he is one of the pols that won't allow non-union shops such as WalMart to enter the pearly gates of Chicago. This means that many of Chicagos working class have to travel many miles just to find a grocery store so they can buy food. Either that, or shop at a 7/11.

So what do you Obama-ites think of your man now when you see the results of his actions for the people he reportably represents? I'm certain Obama's pastor lectured much about the evils of Walmart. And Obama listened and nodded his head as he usually did.

Thad Carlton, Bridgeport, IL (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:37 PM)

She's going scorched earth all right. Put an end to this Supers. She knows FL/MI won't help her win, the numbers aren't enough. This is entirely a ploy to screw him over in FL/MI even though he played by the rules, and YOUR campaign person (Howard Ickes) was someone that enforced the stripping of delegates to begin with.

She's intentionally trying to tank his chances in Michigan and Florida by twisting the facts. He didn't kill the Michigan deal, he killed YOUR deal which was to only allow Dems that had that had voted in the Dem primary in Jan. to vote in the redo. You refused to allow it to be a true redo, allowing all people to vote, including Dems that had voted in the Repub contest because they were told the Dem one wouldn't count. You insisted on a redo of just those that voted the first time around, knowing that it would end up the same way because you'd be disenfranchising all the Obama supporters that didn't go out to vote or voted in the Repub contest.

Screw the gentle let down, take her out. She's intentionally trying to hand the election to McCain so she can run in 2012. But by doing so she'll screw over the very people she claims to be trying to help by putting them through 4 years of hardship under McCain. She doesn't care because she's got $109 million, it's all about her. Always has been. If she really cared about working people and the middle class, she'd stop trying to destroy the party.

BL, Cincinnati OH (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:37 PM)

Some here today have stated that they thought Hillary was losing her mind. I'm not so sure that I disagree with them.

Something is seriously wrong with her. Someone needs to watch her carefully.

C A, Tuscaloosa, AL (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:37 PM)

What happened to Hillary's statement to the effect that the primaries in MI and FL "don't count for anything"? Oops, I guess she didn't really mean that. Now, apparently, those votes "that don't count for anything" have to be counted. Anybody else smell hypocricy and desperation?

Chris, Massachusetts (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:37 PM)

The loser shouldn't really be telling the winner what he "must" do. I'm from MI, but I voted in the Republican primary for Mitt Romney because my first choice (Barack Obama) wasn't on any of the ballots and even if he was, we were told the Democratic primary "would not count for anything." (In case you're wondering who said that, it was Hillary back in October 2007 before she thought she'd need us). Anyway, I would feel "disenfranchised" if the votes were counted, but regardless Obama would still win even if FL and MI were counted as is. Hillary only wants FL and MI to count so we can be overruled, along with the rest of the country, by her superdelegate cronies.

Jamil - Dearborn, MI (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:37 PM)

If the DNC and RNC want to spend the money on a re-
vote, then OK.

If not, the latest proposal from MI should stand.

Seriously, Bill needs to spend more time w/ Hillary.
She is sounding like she is off her meds. or something

Obama '08

Kim M--AZ (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:38 PM)

Why does Obama not want to count the votes? He's acting like a Republican for heavens sake!

Julie Wiseoff, Sandstone CT (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:39 PM)

I second tired dem!!

AWESOME SOLUTION

ANOTHER TIRED DEM (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:39 PM)

Hillary Clinton told a reporter in New Hampshire that Florida and Michigan didn't count. Obama has said all along that he supports a fair resolution to seating the delegates from those two states. The attempts at a revote in Florida were shot down by Florida, not Obama. The attempts in Michigan were denied By Law! This woman is going over the edge and needs some serious professional help.

BobW Mendon, NY (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:39 PM)

Both states lose supers - they are the ones responsible. Michigan should be 50/50. Obama wasn't on the ballot.

As for Florida: Every poll shows that when Obama focuses resources on a state, he makes huge progress. The Florida vote simply wasn't a fair vote in any sense. Many knew it wouldn't count and didn't vote.

So, on Florida: Supers lose their votes as the responsible parties. The rest SHOULD be 50/50, but give Clinton a 10 delegate advantage just to sweeten the pot.

Let's take this off the table. Clinton is using this as a distraction for a crushing loss on Tuesday.

ME, Santa Ana, CA (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:40 PM)

Really Hillary? It's fair to count votes when your name isn't even on the ballot? Well, heck, why don't we always vote then with no one's name on the ballot, and no campaigning? How about next week, we have a vote WITHOUT your name only on the ballot? Would that be fair? This is totally undemocratic and you really aren't fooling anyone! The super delegates better hurry up and save the party!

New Independent (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:40 PM)

Hillary is embarrassing everbody with her desperatoin.

Hillary, stop (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:40 PM)

Why do the candidates have to decide the outcome of Michigan and Florida? Doesn't the DNC make the rules? If not, sounds like the foxes are guarding the hen house. Keep this up, and we'll see the chickens come home to roost for the Democrats.

Kelly Arnold, Ft. Meyers FL (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:41 PM)

I hope Barack Obama can respond with the poise and enthusiasm this letter deserves. As the closer-than-ever-presumptive nominee, he owes to the voters of Michigan and Florida, a fair and reasonable solution to this frustrating issue. If he offers her a 55-45 solution, with the super-delegates free to vote however they want, she picks up a few delegates, but not enough to overcome his huge lead, and the inevitable nomination. The voters of Florida and Michigan would attend the convention and the Democratic party will be all the better for it. I'm a huge Obama fan, but this Florida/Michigan mess will taint the party in the general election unless it is resolved in favor of the voters.

Gary Flynn (Sent Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:41 PM)

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