US 2008 Presidential Campaign/Debate Discussion Thread - Part Catorce!

[deep]

Sen. Bill Nelson paints Florida ‘train wreck’ scenario

By Manu Raju
Posted: 03/06/08

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) warned the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Thursday that it is facing the “biggest train wreck you’ve ever seen” if a standoff is not resolved over his state’s pledged delegates to the party’s presidential nominating convention.

Nelson sent a letter to DNC Chairman Howard Dean Thursday asking the committee to either accept the Jan. 29 results of the primary election or pay for a redo of the elections, which could cost in the range of $20 million. He sent the letter after Dean did not return his telephone call Wednesday.

“If they go to the Democratic Convention and stiff-arm the Florida delegations, how in the world do you think Floridians are going to support the Democratic nominee on Nov. 4?” Nelson told reporters Thursday. “It’s in everybody’s interest to find a solution to this problem.”

However, earlier in the day, Dean said the party would not pay for any do-over.

“We can’t afford to do that,” Dean stated on CBS’s “Early Show.” “That’s not our problem. We need our money to win the presidential race.”

The DNC stripped Florida and Michigan of their delegates after both states moved up their primary dates. How to resolve the impasse is even more critical now that Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) are locked in a neck-and-neck battle for the presidential nomination, and neither has a clear path toward winning enough delegates to clinch the nomination. Clinton won both states, but both candidates agreed not to campaign there and Obama was not on the ballot in Michigan.

Lawmakers from both states met with DNC officials late Wednesday, but no progress was made on resolving the dispute. It’s unclear whether further meetings will occur.

Nelson warned that if the DNC does not pay for a new primary and if the delegations are not seated, Democrats could very easily lose Florida, which has long played a key role in deciding the winner of the general election.


“If they are not going to accept Florida’s election, then we can do a redo, full-blown election again, but someone is going to have to pay for it other than the taxpayers of Florida,” Nelson said.

Florida’s Republican governor, Charlie Crist, and GOP legislature have refused to pay for a redo of the primaries, but Crist is open to holding another election paid for by the DNC, which has struggled in fundraising.

Nelson said not resolving the impasse would disenfranchise 1.75 million Florida Democrats who voted in the Jan. 29 primaries, as well as independents.

[Irvine511]

way to go Democrats.

[BVS]

Originally posted by 2861U2
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpu....html#comments

Apparently Obama called Lorne Michaels at SNL to complain.

Wow. This guy clearly does not have the stomach to be president.

Obama isnt going to have much time to campaign if he spends all his time calling people who make fun of him.

Come on!!!

You crack me up...

[MrsSpringsteen]

Lovely..

The Scotsman

Hillary Clinton has been branded a "monster" by one of Barack Obama's top advisers, as the gloves come off in the race to win the Democrat nomination.

In an unguarded moment during an interview with The Scotsman in London, Samantha Power, Mr Obama's key foreign policy aide, let slip the camp's true feelings about the former first lady.

Her comments came as Mr Obama, whose defeats in Texas and Ohio on Tuesday were largely attributed to a series of negative attacks on him, vowed to turn up the heat on Mrs Clinton over her claims to be the more experienced candidate.

Yesterday, the Obama camp went on the offensive, pointing out that Mrs Clinton has still not released her tax return and casting doubt on her experience.

In response, a Clinton adviser said the attack reminded him of the witch-hunt led by special prosecutor Kenneth Starr, which led to the impeachment of her husband, Bill, when he was president.

Earlier, clearly rattled by the Ohio defeat, Ms Power told The Scotsman Mrs Clinton was stopping at nothing to try to seize the lead from her candidate.

"We f***** up in Ohio," she admitted. "In Ohio, they are obsessed and Hillary is going to town on it, because she knows Ohio's the only place they can win.

"She is a monster, too – that is off the record – she is stooping to anything," Ms Power said, hastily trying to withdraw her remark.

Ms Power said of the Clinton campaign: "Here, it looks like desperation. I hope it looks like desperation there, too.

"You just look at her and think, 'Ergh'. But if you are poor and she is telling you some story about how Obama is going to take your job away, maybe it will be more effective. The amount of deceit she has put forward is really unattractive."

[U2democrat]

She ought to be fired.


ETA nothing surprising coming from a campaign staffer, Lord knows what the Clinton folks call Obama off the record if they're willing to call him Ken Starr on the record. But they should know better around the media.

[U2democrat]

Just in-Samantha Powers has resigned effective immediately.

[U2isthebest]

^That's good to hear.

[joyfulgirl]

She probably just said it in the heat of the moment and I'm sure she regretted it immediately. Seems like she's been good for his campaign and it's too bad it came to this.

[diamond]

Sorry kids, this is polictical correctness run amuck.

Free speech = free speech.

It's not like she called her a shrew on Interference.Com

dbs

[deep]

Originally posted by U2democrat
She ought to be fired.

ETA nothing surprising coming from a campaign staffer, Lord knows what the Clinton folks call Obama off the record if they're willing to call him Ken Starr on the record. But they should know better around the media.

as for this case

the problem is not so much what she said

but the revelation that a member of Obama's camp meets with the press to plant these types of stories "off the record"

Obama is supposed to be a "new" kind of candidate.

one wonder's how many other "off the record" stories were planted









also,

I realize I am a minority in the Dem nomination opinions of FYM

I believe that if the nom is determined be the under 40 group Obama wins hands down

and if it is determined by the over 55 group, Hillary would win hands down

so the 40-55 age group is where the battle for votes is happening

[Irvine511]

Originally posted by deep

I believe that if the nom is determined be the under 40 group Obama wins hands down

and if it is determined by the over 55 group, Hillary would win hands down

so the 40-55 age group is where the battle for votes is happening

and if/when Hillary wins by dragging Obama down to the base level of political combat that's been around since 1968,

yet another disillusioned generation will turn away from politics forever.

[martha]

Originally posted by deep

so the 40-55 age group is where the battle for votes is happening

So I finally matter somewhere.

[joyfulgirl]

Originally posted by Irvine511



yet another disillusioned generation will turn away from politics forever.

or start supporting real change candidates

[BVS]

Originally posted by joyfulgirl


or start supporting real change candidates

she went there...

[joyfulgirl]

Originally posted by BonoVoxSupastar
she went there...

She's been there before!

[BVS]

Originally posted by joyfulgirl


She's been there before!

[joyfulgirl]

She'll go there again, too.

Well, really...if it turns out that Obama can be "dragged down" to Hillary's level, then the same thing could be said of Obama that has been said of Hillary...that he'd do anything to win. It remains to be seen. I personally hope he doesn't do that because I need to see that he can walk his talk, even if it means losing.

[Irvine511]

Originally posted by joyfulgirl
I need to see that he can walk his talk, even if it means losing.

would this apply to the general election? with the SCOTUS on the line?

i think this is an interesting question.

how bad is "the system"?

ETA: for now, i feel as if it's important to support genuine change candidates on the local and state level. on a national level ... they just haven't convinced me that they can win.

[anitram]

It's time for these old people to move out of the way. Ya'all have fucked it up enough for us.

[joyfulgirl]

Originally posted by Irvine511




would this apply to the general election? with the SCOTUS on the line?

i think this is an interesting question.

how bad is "the system"?

ETA: for now, i feel as if it's important to support genuine change candidates on the local and state level. on a national level ... they just haven't convinced me that they can win.

It is a good question and one I go back and forth on. I was referring, however, to Obama walking his talk even if it meant losing the nomination, not the presidency.

And going back your comment about a disillusioned generation turning away from politics forever...well, all I can say is I've been voting for mostly losing candidates for 20 years and remain involved. I would hope the same would be true for this younger generation. You get discouraged, and then you get stronger. You keep supporting the most progressive candidate at the time until they can go no further to send the message that you want real change, and then throw your support behind next best. You keep going.