Clinton, Obama Heading To Florida

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Florida

The two remaining Democratic presidential contenders are heading to the Sunshine State.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have largely avoided Florida during their fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, having signed a pledge nine months ago not to campaign in the state before its late January primary. They did so because Florida held its primary earlier than Democratic National Committee rules permitted, a move that prompted the DNC to strip the state of its delegates to the party's convention.

Now, however, both are heading to the state tomorrow, according to the Associated Press. John McCain is campaigning there today.

Florida is likely to be a battleground state in November, and Republicans have looked to leverage any bitterness that has arisen from the DNC's punitive action against the state and the candidates' long absences. Obama has not campaigned there since last August.

"I still cannot believe that any political party would create a barrier between the candidate and the voters," Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer told the AP. "It's a slap in the face to democracy. I'm just glad he finally found out where Florida is."

Clinton easily won the Florida primary, and she has pushed the DNC to seat the state's delegates. The DNC's Rules and Bylaws committee will meet on May 31st to consider whether and how to seat delegates from both Florida and Michigan.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by onevote1 May 21, 2008 9:16 AM EDT: The process was fair and Clinton comes up short. The only glimmer of hope she has is to count votes in Michigan when she was not supposed to put her name on the ballot- that was the rule. She broke that rule and now wants to use those votes. But even with those votes distributed, she still comes up short.
To say she is the only Democrat capable of beating McCain is an insult. How can she beat McCain when she can''t even beat Obama?
To suggest the white, under-educated, low wage vote is more important than the white educated, gainful income and black vote is also insulting. Hillary draws the dumbest, poorest whites in the electorate. That what they mean when they say "blue collar."
I''m a true native New Yorker and I say, after her egotistical display in the primary, she doesn''t even regain her senate seat from my state. She''s going to be a very bitter woman for a very long time to come.; Reply to this comment


by Jerrycnet May 21, 2008 5:27 AM EDT: Hillary might not be the nominee of democrats. I respect her even more by now she doesn''t just quit.
The media unfairly put her thru a crucible that no other presidential candidate ever experienced. When Hillary appeared too strong, they attack her on that. When she appeared vulnerable, they attacked her on that too. It''s double standard thru and thru.
Every pundits afraid of being perceived as racist, nobody has problem hold back fire when it''s comes to Billary. Sure Bill and Hillary had their personal flaws. Many called them liars. Any human being free of sin of lying in their life anybody seen? Any single politician who never lied? including Obama? In fact I bet many politician lied much more than Billary, just most of them not in the spot light as they do. They did the nation more good than any other politician in turning the economy around in the 90s. USA-Today reported we are now over 60 trillion in liabilities as a nation which means each one of us is over $500,000 in debt. The media doesn''t tell you that. Most of the media pundits focused on was Hillary''s personality, Bill''s helping or not blah blah. It''s a disservice to the public and the nation got brainwashed and picked an inexperience Obama. Well, good luck, I bet we''ll be further down the debt hole with this guy who has no idea, no experience but talk. Talk is cheap. Come November, I''ll just write in Hillary''s name and I hope she run independent.; Reply to this comment


by txcourtney May 20, 2008 7:22 PM EDT: Someone should slap Jim Greer in the face.

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of Gov. Charlie Crist signing House Bill 537 into law, which moved the primary up to 1/29/08. This was a unanimous vote by Florida Reps & Dems:

http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/index.cfm?Mode=Bills&Submenu=1&BI_Mode=ViewBillInfo&Billnum=0537&Year=2007

On 08/25/07, the Rules and Bylaws Committee voted that FL was in violation and gave them 30 days notice to change the date. The legislature''s response? They chose to do nothing.

If Mr. Greer "cannot believe that any political party would create a barrier between the candidate and the voters" then he might want to take a look in the mirror and see what role the GOP-controlled Florida legislature played in getting us to this point.; Reply to this comment


by linkelly-2009 May 20, 2008 6:22 PM EDT: Why Hillary is the Only Dem Choice if we want to Win in November.

1. Hillary is the 1st woman ever to run for President. She is tough as nails and I am so proud to have lived in a generation that not only is a woman running, but I believe the BEST candidate running!
2. Florida and Michigan...when DNC gets off their butts and count these two, we will win!
3. Caucus''s are flaud and they won''t be in the General. This would be a BIG advantage to Hillary and that is one of the reasons she will legitamately beat John McCain.
4. Delegates needed are 2210, not 2025, like Obama''s people would like us to believe.
5. Republicans will have to vote for their candidate in the General, not switch over to Obama like they did in the Primary.

Hillary will win and she is the BEST choice for America; Reply to this comment


by secondwynd May 20, 2008 6:13 PM EDT: Sore loser Hillary Clinton has taken a scorched earth policy toward the Democratic Party. Where does that leave you Clinton supporters when McCain wins the white house.; Reply to this comment


by eroosevelt08 May 20, 2008 6:07 PM EDT: My spell checker keeps trying to correct the name Barack Obama to read Alack Barmaid. LOL!; Reply to this comment


by eroosevelt08 May 20, 2008 6:05 PM EDT: Obama has made lots of comments about Hillary Clinton''s spouse. If we are to ''lay off'' Michelle Obama, who put herself into the political rac, then he should lay off of Bill Clinton too. What''s good for the goose is good for the gander.; Reply to this comment


by eroosevelt08 May 20, 2008 6:02 PM EDT: Obama touts Senator Clinton''s vote with respect to Iraq as a fatal flaw. However, we must remember Colin Powell at the United Nations with his visual aids showing all the world where Iraq had its warheads. Mr. Powell convinced me that Senator Clinton was thinking about the safety of America when she voted for the war. Her state was among those that had been attacked on 9/11. I would have voted the same way, based on the evidence. What if there had really been weapons of mass destruction?

Plus, Senator Obama has voted twice to continue funding the war. He cannot play both sides of the fence at the same time.
And now there is a ruling about a Lawrence Sinclair by Judge Kennedy, related to statements about Obama? What will that turn out to be?

Then I read things to the effect that Mrs. Obama has screamed at him over his appeal to women? Do we want a screamer attending state dinners? What of this is true and what is not?

Obama is not fully vetted and has no accomplishments of note to date.

I agree that if Obama wins the Democratic nomination the Republicans will win the White House and the shirttail results could be that they increase their numbers in the House and the Senate too, on McCain''''s coattails.

This is a train wreck the Superdelegates can fix. Why don''''t they?

What else don''''t we know about Obama?

Obama is not electable. You can bet the Republicans will be bringing all of these things up over and over.; Reply to this comment


by eroosevelt08 May 20, 2008 6:00 PM EDT: With respect to Senator Obama''s comments about Reverend Wright on April 29, 2008: What? Has Senator Obama been in a coma for 20 years? Did he sleep through the sermons? Was he even there? His hangdog story today that he just NOW figured out what Reverend Wright is about insults everybody''s intelligence. If he is that dense, why on Earth would anybody want to vote for him?; Reply to this comment


by eroosevelt08 May 20, 2008 5:58 PM EDT: Nobody made Barack Obama take his name off the ballot in Michigan. It was another one of those inexperienced ''boneheaded'' things he did. Now he and his supporters are whining.; Reply to this comment