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.
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
...[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
"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)
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.
"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.
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 Democraticparty.http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hygD7Dp-_Im5spyCmFXdiGO_oNpQD8VS51OG2
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.
"The Clintons are prepared to use any argument, any Republican tactic, and any social or cultural division to stay in the game. By tactically morphing into Rove Republicans, they are deliberately pivoting off a myth about Obama to make him unelectable."
"After this presidency, after eight years of war and debt and torture and deceit and cynicism, to see the Democratic party self-destruct is really something. They were given a chance to remake the country and regain their soul; and the Clintons could not bear it if they were not the vehicles for such a shift. I don't believe anyone in the Democratic party can or will stop them. This is a kamikaze mission."
When you're 25 points up with 2 minutes to play on your home field, and you only end up winning by 10 points against a rookie...thats not storming to victory. Thats dodging a bullet. Thats not the "comeback kid" thats dropping the ball when you should have sealed the deal.
