Clinton Wins Uncontested Fla. Dem Primary

(AP)  Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Florida Democratic primary Tuesday night, an event that drew no campaigning by any of her presidential rivals and awarded no delegates to the winner.

Clinton promptly declared it a welcome victory. Barack Obama's camp dismissed it as meaningless.

The New York senator, fresh off her lopsided loss to Obama in last weekend's South Carolina primary, arranged a rally in the state as the polls were closing, an evident attempt to gain campaign momentum.

She and Obama collide next week in a coast-to-coast competition for delegates across 22 states.

"I am convinced that with this resounding vote, with the millions of Americans who will vote next Tuesday, we will send a clear message that America is back and we will take charge of our destiny once again," she said to a boisterous crowd.

Last year, the national party stripped Florida of its delegates as punishment for moving its primary ahead of Feb. 5 and the candidates pledged to bypass the state. At stake Tuesday were 185 delegates.

Still, Clinton winked at that pledge, holding two closed fundraisers in recent days and scheduling a rally with supporters after the polls closed in Florida.

It is expected that the eventual nominee will try to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan, reversing the Democratic National Committee's punishment.

"I could not come here in person to ask you for your votes, but I am here to thank you for your votes today," she said. "This has been a record turnout because Floridians wanted their voices to be heard. I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure not only are Florida's Democratic delegates seated but Florida is in the winning column for the Democrats in 2008."

Clinton's chief strategist, Mark Penn, citing the turnout of 1.5 million Democrats, called the results "significant" and "far more than symbolic."

But the Obama camp said that without delegates, the outcome yielded nothing.

"Now that Senator Clinton has lost badly in South Carolina, she's trying to assign meaning to a contest that awards zero delegates and where no campaigning has occurred," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

Clinton rejected the criticism as "typical campaign jargon" and invoked the memory of the disputed 2000 general election results in Florida.

"The way we're going to get to have the next president be a Democrat is to make sure that every state believes that its votes count," she said in an interview on MSNBC. "And there isn't any state where that's more important than Florida because of recent history."

Michigan also violated party rules by moving its primary to Jan. 15, and party leaders voted to strip the state of its 156 delegates as punishment. Clinton has also made a plea for Michigan delegates to be seated at the convention.

Democrats participated in Tuesday's primary, driven to vote in part by ballot initiatives on property tax relief and gambling in some counties.

Exit polls of Florida Democrats conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks showed that the economy was the most important issue facing the country. Half of Democrats called the economy poor, compared to only about one in seven Republican primary voters.

Both parties' electorates were older than in any other presidential contest this year. A third or more in each primary were at least 65 years old. In earlier Democratic contests no more than a quarter were senior citizens.

[katg21]

I see there are several supporters of Clinton, though I do not understand it, I am more annoyed that those supporters are narrow minded thinkers who do not wish to see the truth about her.Posted by Jack3213

Me too, however, just saw on the news the demographic of her supporters...mostly uneducated. True, no lie look it up if you don''t believe me. Should explain something. I''ve tried asking those Clinton supporters on these boards why they are supporting her and I never get an answer. I truly believe they don''t know why they support her.

[katg21]

Let me remind you that the impeachment of Bill was wrong in the first place. Do you realize how many presidents, leaders and men have extra-marital Posted by croft777

Hey, MORON, he wasn''t impeached because he had an affair!!! He was impeached because he BROKE THE LAW BY LYING UNDER OATH!!! If you had done the same, you''d be in jail. Do you think Mr. Clinton is above the law?

[jack3213]

I see there are several supporters of Clinton, though I do not understand it, I am more annoyed that those supporters are narrow minded thinkers who do not wish to see the truth about her. They do not have a problem seeing the truth in others, yet, their denial of her lack of character and lack of experiance is ridiculous! Clinton is deceiving and the most perfected scam artist there is. She lies about anything to get votes and is certainly not sincere, no amount of tears will convince me. I am sickened by her display of self indulgence and self interest.

[spinster2]

Frankly, I hope Hillary wins. I''ll be so glad to see a poll driven politician that I wont know what to do. Most people are as smart as their politicians and I trust the american people to make good decisions on a far higher rate than I do some holier than thou politician.

[tbweb]

Somebody forgot to tell Hillary Florida was uncontested, she didn''t act like it was uncontested or that she didn''t win any delegates! Pssst, yo Hil, it didn''t count!

[b-easy63]

Well, on the other hand, if Hillary would end up with the Democratic nomination, this dog and pony show might help her then. Who the heck knows what is going to help you or hurt you in politics. The littlest things, like Howard Dean''''''''s yell, can derail you, and the biggest things, like Jennefer Flowers, and no one pays any attention.

Politics is not for sissies!! :o)

Posted by kansas1946 at 08:35 PM : Jan 30, 2008


One other good thing about Hilary''''s "stunt" if she gets the nomination then turns around and ***** her Dems supporters in order to appeal to or court the Republicans--it is not as if she is not being consistent and they should have seen it coming.

Just like the neo cons who now bleat they were hoodwinked by Bush--Dems who blindly follow this person will be shown the same amount of sympathy. There was once a pilgrim marching up a mt, who crossed the path of a venomous snake. The snake asked for the pilgrim to take him to the top of the mt. The man said No, because the snake was poisonous. The pleading and refusal went back and forth, but finally the man picked the snake up and carried him up the mt. When they got to the top, the snake bit the man and as the man lay dying he asked why the snake had done that--after all he did for the snake.

This is what the snake said, as he slithered away: "You knew what I was, when you picked me up" good luck Hilary supporters......LOL

[b-easy63]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/3

0/opinion/pollpositions/main3769985.sh
tm
l
"The Hart-Mondale contest divided Democratic voters by age and by commitment to the party, much like the Clinton-Obama divide today. Younger voters, better educated voters, and voters who thought of themselves as independents were more likely to support Hart (as they do Obama this year), while older voters, less educated white voters and those who identify as Democrats were more likely to support Mondale (and now Clinton)."

Now why, does this come as absolutely no surprise at all? One would have to be somewhat mentally challenged or lack certain cognitive skills, to not note the discrepancies in Clinton''''''''s rhetoric and performance and to not see the deviousness of her particular campaign approach. Sort of like the way, we noted that Bush supporters must all hail from La-la land. Who knew that was where Clinton supporters dwelt also? If Clinton wins the election, get ready for 4 more years of la-la land fall out, while the Republicans crow and the Hilary supporters bleat: "who knew?". Why, everyone but all of YOU--that''''''''s who. lmao

[b-easy63]

The question is why didn''''t Obama and Edwards keep theirs on? If I was Hillary, I would have done the same, it shows respect for that state. If you don''''t know, Michigan has the highest unemployment because of so many jobs that have been lost, especially in their auto factories. This shows you who is commited and who is not. Who cares about the people and not about their selfish self wanting to run off to Nevada to get ahead of the game and still losing. I hate to tell you but the exit polls show that their is a big time racial line, its not going to change, Clinton will win. So, for those who don''''t like it, be prepared go out and get yourself a box of Klenexes.

Posted by croft777 at 09:23 PM : Jan 30, 2008

I Hilary really wanted to show respect for that state, she would have refused to sign the pledge in the first place and would have campaigned and championed them from the beginning--she did not defend or champion them, (like she did not protest the caucus system in NV) until she saw it would be to her disadvantage not to. That is not integrity--it is shades of Bush, bending or ignoring the rules to suit her own agenda--an ugly trait. Ugly when Republicans do it--ugly when Dems do it--sad and hypocritical when the party faithful defend it.

[b-easy63]

ou obviously were to young or not born yet to remember the great things that Bill Clinton did for this country.
Posted by croft777 at 09:33 PM : Jan 30, 2008


I was in my 30s and very well off under Clinton and even more so under Bush. I will not take anything away from Hilary''s accomplishments because no one who has read about her could possibly find fault with all the causes she has championed and her commitment to public service. I am old enough AND realistic enough to recognize that many of any Pres. failures and accomplishments are predicated on what their predecessor left for them. In Clinton''s case, he was left with recently imposed tax hikes that generated new gov. revenue. He also was left with bad intelligence and an attack on the WTC less than 2 months from when he took office. the thing is--I voted for Bill twice and defended him against the REpublican witch hunt--but I am not a shill nor a blind loyalist--I don''t call it the way any party wants it--but the way I see it. Hilary does vote to suit polls and she is power hungry. that does not mean she cannot or will not be a good leader--but it does bring into question, what her word is worth and will she keep any/all of her promises to the people. Seeking power as an end to itself is a dangerous things--no ones integrity should be up for sale--and HIlary''s seems to come and go with the polls and her personal advantage.

[croft777]

kenok2 This is something of an enigma to me. Most people I know wouldn''''t let a confirmed Liar, and Sexual Deviant in their own home, but there are those that would put someone like I just described in the White House?


Let me remind you that the impeachment of Bill was wrong in the first place. Do you realize how many presidents, leaders and men have extra-marital affairs? Well let me tell you, John F Kennedy, Franklin D Roosevelt, Eisenhower, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Jeb Bush, Wendell Wilkie, Grover Cleveland, Gary Hart, Martin L. King, Jesse Jackson, Newt Gingrich, .... you want me to keep on going. Give it a rest. I get tied of hearing this story over and over. So he had an affair, big deal,many men do, that didn''t change the fact that he was a great president. Bill and Hillary appear to be doing fine, they obviously worked it out, much better hearing that then those who take the easy road and run for a divorse. This is old school, working the problems out, not running away from them.