From The Road
May 21, 2008 10:06 AM

Clinton Returns to Florida, Months After Claiming Victory There

(CBS)


From CBS News’ Fernando Suarez:


WASHINGTON -- Almost four months after claiming victory in the Florida primary – despite Democratic National Committee rules that prohibited Florida and Michigan votes from counting towards picking the nominee – Clinton returns to the state with plans of furthering her cause to seat the delegates there.

Clinton “won” the Florida primary back on January 29 by double digits, but a pledge signed by all Democratic presidential candidates late last year indicated that the state would be penalized if Democratic Party did not abide by the primary date set by the DNC. Despite signing the pledge, Clinton claims millions of voters turned out and voted in the primary, and therefore should have their votes counted and delegates seated.

The problem Clinton faces is the fact that even if the DNC decides to seat the delegates, and the Rules and Bylaws Committee sides with Clinton to have those delegates seated, she still doesn’t have the necessary number of delegates to capture the nomination, making her bid for the White House seem nothing short of a mathematical impossibility.

On a flight last night following her Kentucky win, the Clinton’s campaign national chairman Terry McAuliffe told reporters that regardless of the daunting figures needed for Clinton to clinch the nomination, she will be the party’s nominee this fall. When pressed on how he could make such a claim facing a practical impossibility in the math, McAuliffe said he believes that after the last state votes on June 3rd, the remaining uncommitted super delegates would side with Clinton, helping her reach the magic number. It seemed as though McAuliffe wasn’t even buying his own spin at that point.

The Rules and Bylaws Committee of DNC is scheduled to meet at the end of this month and is expected to have a ruling over the disputed votes and delegates of Florida and Michigan. McAuliffe stopped short of saying if the campaign would abide but whatever ruling the Rules and Bylaws Committee comes to, leaving open the possibility that Clinton could challenge the ruling at the national convention, a move that is permitted under DNC rules.

Clinton will campaign in three parts of the Sunshine State today, making stops in Boca Raton, Sunrise and Coral Gables, as well as squeezing in a fundraiser during her visit.
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clinton
Topics:
Hillary Clinton
Add a Comment
by saraswati1 May 21, 2008 8:33 PM EDT
You know Obama supporters, what kind of phoney baloney is your stump? You want this to be fair, you want it to about all the people, you want it to include all the new voters, but you don''t want FL and MI votes to count? What a bunch of hypocrites. Oh, I know why, cause he''ll lose if those votes are counted.
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by jack3213 May 21, 2008 7:22 PM EDT
Good one Frank! She was the one who supported the rule and then left her name on the ballot and now wants the vote to count. The woman is nuts
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by frankj79 May 21, 2008 7:09 PM EDT
Q. Why is Hillary still running?
A. Bill may not have inhaled but those "Shooters" Hillary has been throwing back and visits to "Distilleries" have gone to her head. "AA" Hillary "AA"
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by dnsallday May 21, 2008 6:03 PM EDT
Gee, I don''t recall Hillary having any problem with the rules and guidelines of the election process before she started losing. She thought it was all good when her husband and several members of her campaign staff were making the rules. She had no problem with the delegates from Fl and MI not being seated until after a nominee was chosen. She isn''t worried about all the voters being disenfranchised that didn''t vote in Fl and MI because they were told their votes weren''t going to count in the primary and that all candidates had agreed to sign a pledge stating they understood and agreed with the rules. She isn''t worried about disenfranchising all of the voters who live in caucus states that voted overwhelmingly for Obama, that she totally discounts when she fabricates her story about having the most popular vote.
She complains of sexism if you call her on her distortions and lies. Dont'' tell she has lost by all metrics, she doesn''t seem to mind making a fool of herself and her supporters. She has become an embarassment.
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by pepperwood2 May 21, 2008 5:41 PM EDT
There they go RUNNING OFF again.

Sources with direct knowledge of the conversation between Sen. Clinton and Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., prior to the Governor''s endorsement of Obama say she told him flatly, "He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win."

Don''''t you see, Bill - It''s not fair, I''m the Queen Bee & this Primary is suppose to be all about me. THIS is a VAST LEFT WING CONSPIRACY. I''m just NOT warming up. I''m in it to win it. I flatly dare you to support him. I don''t get mad I get even. Just so you know The feminists are all behind me and we will stop at nothing to further divide the Democratic Party just to keep that BOY from winning the presidential election. Make sure you send me your Money, Tide, & Tithes.

Richardson, who served in President Clinton''s cabinet, disagreed.
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by broncfan1661 May 21, 2008 4:25 PM EDT
The DNC is THE PROBLEM! The rules are the most rediculus thing I have ever seen. First of all, the primaries in Florida wasmoved up due to the Republicans in the State Houses over ruling the Democrats. Does it make sense to punish them for something they faught but were unable to stop?
Secondly this IDIOTIC method of counting delegates proportionally only muddled thing up and prolonged the race. And the superdelegates is so STUPID, only peoply like Howard Dean could come up with a plan like that.
If they lose in November, and they probably will with Obama as their candidate, then the DNC has a accept most of the blame. The Democrats always have to make things so complicated that they confuse themselves.
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