Clinton makes personal appeal to Obama on delegates
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Hillary Clinton made a personal appeal to Barack Obama Thursday to work with her to make sure Florida and Michigan Democrats votes are counted in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Clinton and Obama are at odds over how to deal with these two states, both of which broke Democratic National Committee rules that resulted in their loss of delegates. Clinton would benefit if Michigan and Florida delegates were allocated according to their January primary results. She made the appeal in a letter that was made public by her campaign.
(Full letter after the jump)
Full text
May 8, 2008
Senator Barack Obama
Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102
Chicago, IL 60680
Dear Senator Obama,
This has been an historic and exciting campaign. Millions of new voters have been brought into the process and their enthusiasm for the Democratic Party and the principles for which you and I have fought and continue to fight is unprecedented.
One of the foremost principles of our party is that citizens be allowed to vote and that those votes be counted. That principle is not currently being applied to the nearly 2.5 million people who voted in primaries in Florida and Michigan. Whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee will be hamstrung in the general election if a fair and quick resolution is not reached that ensures that the voices of these voters are heard. Our commitment now to this goal could be the difference between winning and losing in November.
I have consistently said that the votes cast in Florida and Michigan in January should be counted. We cannot ignore the fact that the people in those states took the time to be a part of this process and to make their preferences known. When efforts were untaken by leaders in those states to hold revotes to ensure that they had a voice in selecting our nominee, I supported those efforts. In Michigan, I supported a legislative effort to hold a revote that the Democratic National Committee said was in complete compliance with the party's rules. You did not support those efforts and your supporters in Michigan publically opposed them. In Florida a number of revote options were proposed. I am not aware of any that you supported. In 2000, the Republicans won an election by successfully opposing a fair counting of votes in Florida. As Democrats, we must reject any proposals that would do the same.
Your commitment to the voters of these states must be clearly stated and your support for a fair and quick resolution must be clearly demonstrated.
I am asking you to join me in working with representatives from Florida and Michigan and the Democratic National Committee to arrive at a solution that honors the votes of the millions of people who went to the polls in Florida and Michigan. It is not enough to simply seat their representatives at the convention in Denver. The people of these great states, like the people who have voted and are to vote in other states, must have a voice in selecting our party's nominee.
Sincerely,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary got screwed in this primary and Obama got all the advantages.
If Obama wins, he wins by cheating.
Many voters will not vote for him in the GE because of that.
We will make a statement to the DNC.
Goggle: Obama or Hillary or McCain and the Council on Foreign Relations or the Trilateral Commission and see what you come up with. These people are not working for the American people!!
Vote for Ron Paul or Ralph Nader -it is a real vote for change!
I cant believe this B/Witch(cant call her a woman anymore).She is against human race or what?I had lot of respect for her, but everytime she opens her mouth she spits arrogance & hate.
Time to show her the door and shes past exiting "gracefully" or with any dignity.
Am sure she threatened the super delegates to hold thier endorsements or they will be obliterated.
Sad, because of all this the image of US is tarrnished !
This lady is suffering from mental health issues.
What else can explain her latest proclamation, that "hard-working white Americans" will not support Barack?
Hillary's supporters should do this lady a big favor, and get her off the stage before she degrades herself any further.
Regardless of rules and regulations, there is no way OBAMA or CLINTON will get the required pledged delagate with the remaining primaries (some folks still don't get that). Super Delagates should stay out of this fight and let the voters decide. Florida & Michigan must be counted or next January will be very painful for Democrats all across the country.
Has the Gimmick Candidate announced the only way she'll drop out is if Obama allows her daughter to be his running mate yet?
Hillary Clinton, The Gimmick candidate
Bill and Hillary, The Gimmick Family
Do and Say Anything "08
old girl knows full well that the delegates will be seated. this is another dirty trick to get someone to pay attention to her.
IGNORE HER AND MAYBE SHE WILL GET TIRE AND GO AWAY
Hillary, please "obliterate" yourself !
I cant believe this B/Witch(cant call her a woman anymore).She is against human race or what?I had lot of respect for her, but everytime she opens her mouth she spits arrogance & hate.
Time to show her the door and shes past exiting "gracefully" or with any dignity.
Am sure she threatened the super delegates to hold thier endorsements or they will be obliterated.
Sad, because of all this the image of US is tarrnished !
Hillary, please "obliterate" yourself !
To everyone,
She's not firing her last shots and she's not grapsing at straws...nowhere in the letter does this say REGARDLESS THAT THIS WILL BENEFIT ME...she is a VERY smart woman and the reason why my vote is and has always been for her. She knows that you cannot disenfranchise this many voters, especially to a state as crucial as Florida. Obama knows he didn't get those states (at least Florida since he was on that ballot) and he'll still be ahead in delegate count. He needs to help to resolve this issue because these are two states that the Dems are going to need come November...regardless of what side of the Obama/Clinton fence you are on.
Hillary 08
OK, let's talk about fairness. In the Michigan primaries, Obama wasn't even on the ballot. How fair was it then for the Obama supporters in Michigan who had no voice? Or do they not count? How's it fair to count Michigan votes for Clinton, if there were ZERO votes for Obama.
What part of "rules are rules" does Clinton and her apparently amoral supporters not understand?
How can anyone with an ounce of integrity suggest counting ballots that did not even include Obama's name?
And she and her supporters wonder why we can't stand her.
this woman is hungry for power no matter how.i bet its not about america that matters her power power power nothing more.she wants to be the first american woman president thats all.i dont think she is normal,she really needs help.its better she goes back and learn how to make cockies.or better send her to MENTAL HOSPITAL
Even if MI and FL are seated they way they are originally, Obama is still ahead. Obama is our next president Peace !!!
This is a last desperate attempt for a desperate poor ran campaign.
This is a DEPIRATE candidate(Hillary),Pres.CLINTON said that OBAMA would not go more than a state when the race commenced .Now, the unexpected is surfacing,Hillary who once said that FL&MI would not count is now accusing OBAMA of not allowing them.
Let both of them go back to FL&MI for fresh election after new tour/campaing.
Hillary's behavior reeks of desperation. I for one don't want a potential president that crys for votes, brings race into the equation and is willing to do asnine things for votes (gas holiday– 100s of economists and two nobel laureates agree that it is a stupid idea that won't help anyone). I guess Clinton's supporters aren't really into crazy things like "science" and "numbers" though. I'm really disappointed that she can't understand that she isn't helping the Democratic Party by hanging on......it's time for her and Bill to face the facts and get behind Obama. I ran to my voting bureau (Oregon) to make sure I registered as a Democrat in time to participate in the primary.....and DEFINITELY will be voting for Obama! By the way people, "loser" is spelled L-O-S-E-R, not "looser". Or perhaps you were spelling your own names.
IT's 4:30PM EST
Has the Gimmick Candidate restated her FL delegate request to include the residents of Saturn yet?
Hillary Clinton, The Gimmick candidate
Bill and Hillary, The Gimmick Family
Do and Say Anything "08
We need to think about General Election. This non sense should be over.
Dear Obama,
WAA WAA WAA WAA!!!
It's not fair that you are winning and I'm not!
WAA WAA WAA WAA!!!
And please let me win or im going to tell bill
to beat you up!
WAA WAA WAA WAA!!!
Jesus Christ somebody please tell this woman how DESPERATE &
PATHETIC she's become!!!! This not a leader!! this is a SORE LOSER!!! PLEASE HILLARY, LET IT GO!!!!!!
Obama 08ll
But she didnt "consistently said that the votes cast in Florida and Michigan in January should be counted." In the beginning she agreed that they shouldnt be counted.
Shows you how stupid Obama is.....take his name off a ballot....Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!!
You want that stupid person in the White House....he is more stupid than Bush....and Bush is STUPID!!!
If Democratic party want to win comming November election for new President. Democratic party shpuld nominee Hillary clinton, only she can defeat MacCain.
Otherwise it is very dificult to win. Obama is very good speaker, but having no experiance and too young he can wait another 4 or 8 years. He has a future. If Obama really love America then he should wait .
the clintons used to be my favorites. i even liked them when obama was running but NOW i am so disappointed in both hillary and bill. I've lost a lot of respect for them. what you agreed to in the beginning is said and done. like the previous writers because she is losing now she wants to change the rules. that is an act of desperation. it is not good for her or the country. she should bow out with grace and dignity. help heal this country. we are all one people in this great country-white, black, asian, whatever and we should all have this great country at heart. everyone should be pleading with hillary and bill to try not to damage their image more than it is being damaged. let us not try to destroy each other for the sake of self, it is sad. let us all pray for this country and all of our politicians who will be leading this great nation and in turn the world. help to bring our children home from Iraq and use those billions to re-shape this country in education, prisons, jobs, etc. GOD bless AMERICA
.....straws and yet, more grasping at straws. Hillary, for the sake of the democrtic party. CONCEDE!!!!!!!!!
she always forget convenienltly that SHE AGREE to the rules,
she always does this
LIAR clinton go away