Hillary Clinton is a cheater!

Here are the facts about Florida and Michigan

Hillary is in deep with her lies about Florida and Michigan. She is in so deep she is living in a fantasy and trying to drag the rest of us along with it. The following post overviews in chronological order the pledges and the various positions taken by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

• (August 2007) Hillary signed a pledge along with the other democratic presidential candidates not to campaign or participate in the Florida and Michigan primaries.

She signed a pledge that said:

[the DNC]... will strip states [Florida and Michigan] of 100% of their delegates and super delegates to the DNC National Convention if they violate the nomination calendar...

THEREFORE, I _______________, Democratic Candidate for President, in honor and in accordance with DNC rules, pledge to actively campaign in the pre-approved early states Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. I pledge I shall not campaign or participate in any election contest occurring in any state not already authorized by the DNC to take place in the DNC approved pre-window (any date prior to February 5, 2008). Campaigning shall include but is not limited to purchasing media or campaign advocacy of any kind, attending or hosting events of more than 200 people to promote one’s candidacy for a preference primary and employing staff in the state in question. It does not include activities specifically related to raising campaign resources such as fundraising events or the hiring of fundraising staff

The Pledge - http://www.fladems.com/page/-/documents/THREE_pledge_versions.pdf

The pledge has a number of elements:

• The DNC will strip 100% of pledge and super delegates from states that hold their elections before february 5

• The Candidates pledge not to campaign which is defined as "purchasing media or campaign advocacy"

• "It does not include activities specifically related to raising campaign resources such as fundraising events or the hiring of fundraising staff."

• (10 October 2007) Four candidates took their names off the Michigan ballot Hillary Clinton, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kuchinich and Chris Dodd leave their names on.

Senators Barack Obama of Illinois and Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware - joined by John Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, and Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico ... - declared yesterday that they would not be candidates in the state's primary. Senators Hillary Clinton... Chris Dodd ... [Dennis Kuchinich and Mike Gravel - who, like all of the Democratic candidates, have pledged not to actively campaign in the state - chose to remain on the ballot.(Boston Globe 10 October 2007)

List of Candidates on the Michigan Ballot http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/pdf/mipp108.pdf

• All Candidates left their names on the Florida Ballot Why?

...[Florida] law allows candidates who wish to withdraw from the Florida primary to do so by filing an affidavit stating that he or she is not a candidate for President of the United States of America. In other words: to get off the ballot in Florida, a candidate has to swear that he or she isn’t running for President.

The Official Statement - http://www.fladems.com/page/content/makeitcount-faqs/#q17

• (11 October 2007) Hillary assures New Hampshire Radio Listeners that Florida and Michigan Primaries Don't Count.
  

"I share your pride in New Hampshire being the first primary state... I signed the DNC pledge not to campaign not to spend money (leaving out the not to participate)... I personally did not believe it made a difference whether or not my name was on or off the ballot... It wasn't in my view meaningful but I am not going to absolutely say there is a total ignoring of the people in all these other states... (When pushed)... It is clear this election they are having is not going to count for anything...I am not going to campaign... I am not going to spend any money but I didn't believe it was fair to say good bye Michigan I am totally dedicated to New Hampshire."

The Audio - http://www.nhpr.org/node/13858 (It is at the 22 minute mark)

• (15 January 2008) Michigan Primary Results

56% Hilary Clinton
31% Uncommitted (Obama, Richardson, Edwards, Biden)
9% Dennis Kucinich
1% Mike Gravel

What percentage of the uncommitted votes should go to Obama, what percentage should go to Edwards, Richardson and Biden?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Democratic_primary,_2008

• (29 January 2008) Hillary Makes a Victory Speech after the Florida Primary
  

• (5 March) Hillary's Texas Ohio Victory Speech where she claims she won Florida and Michigan
  

You all know that if we want a Democratic president, we need a Democratic nominee who can win the battleground states just like Ohio. And that is what we've done. We've won Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Arkansas, California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. And today, we won Rhode Island, and thanks to all my friends and supporters there.

• (13 March 2007) Hillary Tries to Argue that Michigan was a Fair Election (Even Though 'uncommitted' Represent Four Candidates!)
  

"The democratic party said they would not count the votes but we all had a choice to participate in what was going to be a primary"

The Democratic Party said that 100% of the pledge delegates and super delegate of states that hold a primary before 5 February would not count. On August 2007 Hillary Clinton agreed when she signed the Pledge above. That same pledge binds the Presidential Candidates not to participate in the primary, this was not a choice. In this interview she misrepresents both positions.
The misrepresentation - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88165077

• (5 April) Hillary tries to give legitimacy to Florida and Michigan

In a speech on 5 April Hillary neglects to mention the fact that she signed a pledge that said that 100% of the pledge delegates and super delegates would not count in States where their primaries were held prior to 5 February 2008. She also forgets the pledge she made to the New Hampshire radio caller that the "election will not count for anything".

Some say their votes should be ignored and the popular vote in Michigan and Florida should be discounted. Well, I have a different view," Clinton said at a rally here. "The popular vote in Florida and Michigan has already been counted. It was determined by election results, it was certified by election officials in each state, it's been officially tallied by the secretary of state in each state, and the question is whether those 2.3 million Democrats will be honored and their delegates seated by the Democratic

party.http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hygD7Dp-_Im5spyCmFXdiGO_oNpQD8VS51OG2

• Hillary's Website Claiming SHE HAS WON MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA

The Claim - http://www.hillaryclinton.com/hq/florida

Florida
We Won in Florida!Thank you for all your dedication and hard work. On January 29, Florida voters spoke loud and clear for Hillary, and she is committed to making sure that their voices are heard at our convention. Michigan

We Won in Michigan! Thank you for all your dedication and hard work. On January 15, Michigan voters spoke loud and clear for Hillary, and she is committed to making sure that their voices are heard at our convention.

This time line shows how Hillary Clinton's position on the primaries in Michigan and Florida has shifted overtime. Her calls to now count the results are calls to change the rules in the middle of the game are to improve her electoral position. She was not arguing about the disenfranchisement of Michigan and Florida voters in August 2007.