Obama calls for giving 'full vote' to Michigan, Florida delegates
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/08/03/art.obama.tues.gi.jpg
caption="Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that Michigan and Florida delegates should get a full vote."]
(CNN) - Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that the delegates from Florida and Michigan should get a “full vote” at the Democratic convention this month.
“I believe party unity calls for the delegates from Florida and Michigan to be able to participate fully alongside the delegates from the other states and territories,” he said in a letter to the co-chairs of the Democratic National Convention’s Credentials Committee.
Obama asked the committee to pass a resolution when it meets on August 24 to give each delegate a full vote.
Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates as a penalty for holding their primaries too early. During the primary season, there were growing calls to seat the delegations as Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton were locked in a tight race for their party’s nomination. Obama and Clinton were about 100 delegates apart in March, and Florida and Michigan's cache of 366 delegates had the potential to shake up the race.
The battle over the states’ delegates became a key issue on the campaign trail. Clinton had long advocated for seating both states’ delegations. She won both primaries, but the Democratic candidates had agreed to not campaign in the two states and she was the only top-tier candidate on the ballot in Michigan.
Clinton’s message that “every vote should count” became a key theme in her stump speeches. She accused Obama of being "un-American" for not backing plans to hold a revote in the two states.
The Illinois senator denied claims that he was standing in the way of revotes.
"I want the Michigan delegation and the Florida delegation to be seated. And however the Democratic National Committee determines we can get that done, I'm happy to abide by those rules," he told CNN in March.
After months of wrangling over what to do, the DNC’s rules and bylaws committee voted in late May to reinstate all of Florida and Michigan's delegates, with each getting a half-vote.
...and the refinements continue...
okaaaay.... so whos got an opinion on this one ...
Florida & Michigan are people too... Count all the people
One other realization on this topic: while this may help Obama's campaign, it will hurt the DNC. It was DNC rules that were broken by Florida and Michigan and Obama is throwing the DNC under the bus and undercutting their authority to enforce their own rules. It will hurt the DNC later when state parties will never believe they could enforce their own rules. But Obama will benefit and I guess that's all he cares about.
That's real rich. He blocked it the whole time that it would have made a difference and now that he needs these States, he flip flops and says, Oh by the way, now that I have the nomination I really think they should all count. Hillary should now take the fight for the nomination all the way to the convention. Get this fake prophet out of here. The Democrats are going to loose if he's the nominee. Hillary would have been far ahead off McCain by now in the polls. Get him outta here and put a real nominee in his place.
What a hypocrite! This guy flip flops more than an amateur chef cooking a burger on the grill!!!!
Pandering at its best...he will only make Michigan and Florida voters that much more angry...
Obama is going dooooown in November. Mark my words.
Obama is the polititian who, for his benefit, will call a same women his mother one day, wife the other day, mistress the next day and daughter the day after...he is just an empty suit
Too little too late.
What good would that do NOW?
Your strategy was to build a momentum up before counting ANY of those votes at all... That way Hillary would not be able to catch up after your false momentum based on bogus caucus wins.
OMG... I cannot even believe Obama is saying this. When Hillary was
pressing this issue, Obama and his campaign said it was Fla &
Mich fault that they didn't obey the rules, now again an Obama
Flip Flop.
This man is a real threat to our country.
WOW !! Of course he would ask for full voting rights for Florida and Michigan when it only benefits him. What a hypocrite. Just when I was beginning to change my feelings for Obama he pulls this. What a bunch of BS....
A little too little too late. Always playing his cards tight and bluffing the voters. Can't wait for an Obama presidency. He has a big smile, while he talks out both sides of his happy mouth.
This voter is looking for a 3rd party solution to this mess. Bob Barr 08
Obama is the polititian who, for his benefit, will call a same women his mother one day, wife the other day, mistress the next day and daughter the day after...he is just an empty suit
Too little too late you slick creep.
You build up a false momentum by caucus wins that grossly magnify the effect of a few votes and make it appear as if you have vast support.
Then you block – with lawyers- a revote to maintain that momentum until your opponent can not benefit from her votes in those states.
Now that Those votes won't help Hillary Clinton at all, you come out and decide to count them?
Of course he would now. After the DNC Rules Committee fiasco he talks about fair process and unified Democratic Party. Then the DNC is trying to block Hillary's name to be in nomination. Teddy Kennedy and many others were put in nomination even though they did not come close to having the votes or delegates that Hillary had. Unbelievable Obama and the DNC arrogance just keeps on going.
Ya just gotta love politicians....
When the Democratic race was too close to call between Obama and Clinton, the Michigan and Florida debate raged for weeks since it would have closed the gap for Hillary by a substantial margin or even put her ahead. The Obama camp was towing the DNC's decision not to seat them at all. Not a bad plan considering it would have swayed voter in later primaries, many who were still undecided just days before they were scheduled to vote.
The DNC played it right down the middle, AFTER Obama clinched the nomination, overturning their own decision and seating all the delegates with a half vote.
Now Obama is suggesting seating them with full votes.
So much for the rules....
I guess timing is everything, huh?
Maybe if the politicians in this country should spend less time with what they can get away with and send more time on actually getting something DONE!!!
LOL, now that I've won you can have your votes count.
Hypocrite!
Now that it benefits HIM- the rules no longer matter?
That is why we will no longer vote for this pontificating self-promoting pandering hypocrit.
Who cares at this point? Those voters wanted HRC and their votes did not count when it mattered.
Believe it or not! This is the kind of person that WE WANT as a president Of the USA. hope all AMERICAN people come out and VOTE but NoT for Obama
What a blatantly outrageous, devious man Obama is! NOW - after being "handed" the nomination - NOW, after Hillary Clinton has decided NOT to file for having her name placed in nomination before the convention - NOW he advocates seating the delegates. Obama clearly relishes sticking it to the American people! WAKE UP! HE'S NOT WHO YOU THOUGHT HE WAS! HE'S A CHARLATAIN!
Really, now that it does not prevent him from being the party's nominee he wants them to count as a whole vote. Well, no thanks it really is for his personal gain in the general election. If Florida and Michigan did not count during the primaries as stated by the rules, then they should not count now. Let them represent the half of a vote that was agreed on by the DNC.
How low will this man go?
He will stop at nothing to gain votes.
He now hopes to get the support of those voters he hired lawyers to block from being counted.
What happened to the RULES? They only matter if the disadvantage Obama? Otherwise the rules can be refined to suit him?
well that does it then.
The Fuhrer has spoken.
His WILL be done.
The rules no longer matter now that he has to kiss A*S for their votes?
This hypocrit will destroy the party.
This is about as low as Obama could go. He has done some very nasty things to get where he is now, but this takes the cake.
I still don't see how he continues to fool people.
Well, at least I feel a LOT better about voting for McCain now.
Well... whatever Obama says should be done... somehow gets done... The dictator is already here and making, changing, breaking the rules at whim.
Obama for Prez!!!