Democratic Primary Poised For An Ugly End

Clinton Supporters Plan A Protest At A Party Rules Committee Meeting Saturday

(AP)  The Democratic presidential race is heading into a fractious end game as supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton mobilize for a protest Saturday to demand that the party count two outlawed primaries that favored her.

Protesters planned to rally outside the Washington hotel where the party's rules committee will tackle the vexing question of how to punish Michigan and Florida without completely disenfranchising Democratic primary voters from those states.

At least several busloads of Clinton supporters were anticipated from Florida and perhaps scores of people from Michigan as well as demonstrators from various parts of the country. Barack Obama's campaign discouraged a counterprotest, although his supporters vied with Clinton backers for the limited public seats inside the meeting.

Ahmir Rashid, an engineer from Bloomfield Hills who supports Clinton, is among those heading to Washington on Friday.

"What has happened is that the Michigan voters and the Florida voters are being penalized for something they had nothing to do with changing," he said, referring to both states moving up their primaries to January. "I know the word `disenfranchised' has been used over and over again."

Among the scheduled speakers at the rally are Clinton fundraiser Elizabeth Bagley; two members of Congress who back the New York senator, Reps. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Corrine Brown of Florida; and Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women. Her group's political action committee has endorsed Clinton.

Party officials voted before the two January primaries, without much controversy outside those states, to strip Michigan and Florida of their convention delegates as a penalty for holding their primaries earlier than Democratic rules allowed. All the Democratic candidates agreed to the rules and avoided campaigning in either state. Obama removed his name from the Michigan ballot.

Clinton won a majority of votes cast in both the renegade contests.

Obama is close to clinching the Democratic nomination no matter what happens Saturday. As his delegate lead has widened, the Illinois senator has become more open to a compromise that would count some delegates from the two states even if that puts Clinton closer behind him.

Still, party unity is proving elusive, despite the wrap-up of the primary season Tuesday when Montana and South Dakota hold the final contests, after Puerto Ricans vote Sunday.

The pressure is intense on the rules committee to find a solution. Without one, the party's internal fight could drag on through the summer and into a divided convention in Denver, a nightmare for Democrats.

The Clinton campaign said it was not organizing the rally.

"I am aware that there are lots of people very passionate about this topic who are coming," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said his side was hoping to avoid a "scene."

"Obviously, with the click of a mouse it would be pretty easy for us in the mid-Atlantic to get thousands of people there, but we don't think it's a helpful dynamic to create chaos and in the interest of party unity, we're encouraging our supporters not to protest," he said.

Obama supporter David Wilhelm, a former party chairman, echoed that sentiment. "We're not going to have Obama folks protesting. We're not going to turn this thing into a circus."

Party officials said the roughly 500 public seats for the meeting were spoken for within minutes. The party warned those coming that they won't get to ask questions and that "to maintain the decorum of the meeting, banners, posters, signs, handouts, and noisemakers of any kind are strictly prohibited."

Mary Boergers, a former Maryland state senator and volunteer county coordinator for Clinton in suburban Washington, sent an e-mail to her contacts, encouraging them to get seats inside so Obama's supporters don't fill them all. She also asked them to come to the rally "wearing red, white and blue but no Hillary material."

A local pro-Obama blog said supporters of the Illinois senator snagged 100 of 125 available tickets for people from the Washington area.

Susie Buell, one of Clinton's top fundraisers, formed a political action committee encouraging women to support full seating of the delegates. The PAC has taken out newspaper ads promoting the rally.

On Thursday, she objected to Plouffe's talk of chaos. "So much is at stake in this election and we will not be accused of creating chaos when we are standing up for the democratic principle that every vote counts," she said.

In fact, Plouffe did not accuse Clinton supporters of plotting chaos. He said that could be the result if Obama supporters were to respond by sending thousands to the rally.

Clinton exhorted supporters earlier this month to press the Democratic National Committee to seat all Michigan and Florida delegates. A torrent of angry e-mails has been sent to rules committee members since.

Typical of their tone: "You cannot willfully silence the voices of millions and then expect those voices to support you in the general election." "The DNC will never get another nickel from me." "More than ever, you ... are showing your disrespect and hatred for women by your actions."

[eroosevelt08]

At a campaign event in Beaverton, Oregon, Obama claimed to have visited 57 US states during the campaign. Okay he was tired. Was it 3:00am????

Sorry!

Obama outspent Hillary everywhere and she still beat him in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania and other big states. Obama is afraid of what the Florida and Michigan delegates would do to him. Obama does not campaign fairly. How can people in Florida and Michigan support him after how he has tried to take away their votes?

Super delegates: Switch to or back to Clinton so we can fix this Democratic train wreck before we are SORRY IN NOVEMBER!

We are so lucky that Senator Clinton has remained in the race. If she is cheated out of the nomination there will be a huge write-in movement for her, whether Hillary Clinton wants it or not.

[txgrouch2004]

It isn''''t the Democrats. It isn''''t the Republicans.

IT''''S SIXTEEN YEARS OF BABY BOOMERS that has brought our nation to near-ruin.

The recklessness of Slick Willy''''s Roaring Nineies (including DEREGULATION OF THE HOME MORTGAGE INDUSTRY) led directly to the dotcom crash of early 2001, the 9/11 attack, and the HOME MORTGAGE CRISIS of today. He also permitted "New Economy" companies like ENRON, WORLDCOMM, and ANDERSEN ACCOUNTING to run amuck.

Dubya gleefully busted these companies, then HE DID NOTHING TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE that was left behind. After EIGHT YEARS, he has launched NO MAJOR ECONOMIC INITIATIVES to recover our economy. He has just sat at his desk launching wars and IGNORING THE DISASTER AT HOME.

Hillary was born in 1947. I''''ll let YOU LOOK IT UP YOURSELF to find out when Slick Willy and Dubya were born.

WE CAN''''T SURVIVE ANOTHER BABY BOOMER. Hillary''''s behavior is CLASSIC HARDCORE BABY BOOMER - lies and all.

HILLARY CAN''''T BE TRUSTED.

[txgrouch2004]

Shrillary the Strident wants the change the rules to suit herself.

let''s suppose she manages to STEAL THE NOMINATION from the Obama, who EARNED and WON it.

THAT WILL BE AN UGLY END when widespread rioting breaks out...

[pepperwood2]

Being painfully honest - Hillary & Bill have bitterly bashed Obama, Rev Wright & the African American People since day one of her campaign.

Whining, pissing, & moaning using her warped reverse psychology and always trying to make it look like Obama is to blame. Along the way she has managed to say it''s ALL about me. This is fun, I''m just warming up! Telling Gov Richardson when he came out to support Obama "Obama cannot, will not & must not win"

Father Pflegler is only presenting reality by speaking the truth when it comes down to it and Most of us already know. Hillary is good at playing this card on the white, blue collar, low income anglo saxon, catholic & protestant voters that have been easily manipulated & exploited to vote for her.

This is part of the Old Guard Democrat process that has been indelved, imbedded & is alive & doing well in the Old Guard Clinton politics. The Clintons are quite proud that former Sen. J. William Fulbright, a racist & segregationist, was their MENTOR & FRIEND.

It''s has worked so well for them that why would they change now. It''s a sad scenario, but Hillary is hoping that most of us won''t have the intelligence to realize this until its over. Pretty Slick Trick! If it works?

[agog2]

? If I remember right didn%u2019t we have a surplus of money in the treasury? I can remember gas as low as 89 cents a gallon; everyone had a good Job, lots of food on the table. Let me see I think that Bill Clinton was the President then. We had over 4000 more young men and women living and more than 36,000 thousand men and women that had both legs and arms and no bad head injuries. Hillary Clinton lived in the white house for 8 years, she knows what it takes to put people back to work, and put money back in the US treasury, Make our US dollar worth a dollar instead of 60 on the open market as it is today. Superdelicates change your votes and back Hillary Clinton for President if you really want to put a Democrat back in the white house. If Barack Obama is the DNC%u2019s nominee you will be putting a Republican back in the white house just like the media wants you to do.

[agog2]

It%u2019s really ironic how people in this country are controlled by the media, TV News, Radio talk shows, News papers or read in books. Stop to think if you really don%u2019t know something to be a fact yourself by participating in it. The only whey you draw your conclusion to the subject is by what you see on TV, hear on the radio, read in the news papers or happen to read about in a book that someone has written. Don%u2019t you get it about 90% of what you know is controlled by the Media which in turn is under control of the industrial giants and the US pentagon. These two sources in control of the Media can make you like something or hate something. They control your mind how else you get your information. Unless you live in a small community and are dealing with local matters that you personally know to be a fact and can make up your own mind that whey. Other than that you must depend on all other thing by what you HEAR, SEE ON TV OR READ IN THE NEWS PAPERS. If you let the people think that they govern. Then they will be governed. The only why you can tell about a presidential candidate is by asking yourselves. Have I got it better today than I had it 8 years ago, Is this country in better shape financially? Is the cost a living the same, How about gas?

[liberty4you]

Every American who supports Clinton--keep giving your money to her campaign and then vote McGrandpa.

All the feminists in the United States rally for your queen-- oh must we never forget..

America has no kings or queens...

The "Hildabeast" will not inherit the White House, EVER

[rufisgufis]

The only way you can tell if Hillary is lying or not. If her lips move, she is lying.

[rufisgufis]

I might add that is was people who recognized her lies who abandoned Hillary, and not the "DNC weasels."

Posted by shippg at 05:53 PM : May 30, 2008
_________________

I would have voted for her except for what I perceived as a major flaw in her foreign policy. Here''s a woman who was on a plane that performed a corkscrew landing into sniper fire into Bosnia. Upon landing, she and her backup fought off the snipers as they ran for the hangar for cover. The major problem was that for a backup she only had her then twelve-year-old daughter, a guitar player and a comedian. If she was a more thoughtful person, she would have least brought along a sax player.

[rufisgufis]

I might add that is was people who recognized her lies who abandoned Hillary, and not the "DNC weasels."

Posted by shippg at 05:53 PM : May 30, 2008
_________________

I would have voted for her except for what I perceived as a major flaw in her foreign policy. Here''s a woman who was on a plane that performed a corkscrew landing into sniper fire into Bosnia. Upon landing, she and her backup fought off the snipers as they ran for the hangar for cover. The major problem was that for a backup she only had her then twelve-year-old daughter, a guitar player and a comedian. If she was a more thoughtful person, she would have least brought along a sax player.

[rufisgufis]

I hope Clinton does all in her power to divide the democratic party to prevent obama from winning. Then she can run in 2012 and win for sure.

Posted by feminator1 at 06:17 PM : May 30, 2008
______________________

Hillary''s next job will be as a float above the Macy''s parade.

[rufisgufis]

Actually, if you listen to the three major networks plus CNN, it is a myth that Clinton has the popular vote.

Posted by shippg at 06:07 PM : May 30, 2008
__________________

Hillary does have most of the popular IF, you don''t count the caucus states, IF you count Michigan and Florida and IF you give all the votes from both of these states to Hillary, and IF pigs fly.

[rufisgufis]

--------- HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT - - - IN 2084 ----------

[rufisgufis]

COUNT ALL THE VOTES, INCLUDING CAUCUSES!

I thought Hillary''s mantra is: "Count Every Vote." If that is the case, why doesn''t she want to count the votes of Alaska, American Samoa, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Nebraska, Washington, Hawaii and Wyoming? They all voted by caucus and, they voted for Obama. Could that be the reason she DOES NOT want every vote to count?

[wheresclair]

A MUST watch for those interested in the DNC''s Rules Committee meeting!
http://www.youtube.com/v/ZAu39I5QOUc

[feminator1]

I hope Clinton does all in her power to divide the democratic party to prevent obama from winning. Then she can run in 2012 and win for sure.

[shippg-2009]

Actually, if you listen to the three major networks plus CNN, it is a myth that Clinton has the popular vote.

[texbelle123]

The DNC has managed to make this nomination process very reminiscent of the 2000 Presidential election. Gore got the popular vote; Bush got the legal decision that gave him the White House - much to our nation''s damage. Florida and Michigan are the DNC''s version of hanging and dimpled chads.
Looks like Hillary will get the vote of the majority of the people and that Obama will get the legal decisions that will give him the nomination.
Shame on the DNC!! Shame on the Superdelegates that are falling into the pattern of going with what looks like the tide. If the DNC is smart - and if they really, really want to rescue the White House from the continuing debacle of the Republican fiascos, they will declare the ticket filled - both Pres and V-P slots - with the two candidates already on tap: Clinton & Obama (or Obama and Clinton).

[shippg-2009]

I might add that is was people who recognized her lies who abandoned Hillary, and not the "DNC weasels."

[shippg-2009]

I hope all the superdelegates (a dumb idea in the first place to have superdelegates) make their decision on Tuesday, like Pelosi urges. That might clear away some of the fog. If Clinton followers don''t recall, Hillary moved into New York to run for Senate. But she wasn''t a New Yorker. Everything she has done in this campaign follows after that same model. For some reason people believe what she says, against all logical evidence. Research the lies, since they are well-documented. For example, if you were ever in the middle of a firefight, your senses would be heightened by fear. You would probably remember lots of details, not to mention how many changes of underwear were required. There is no way that her telling the story was a mistake. It was a lie to make people say "Wow, she really does have experience." It was a LIE, not a mistake.