Alternet: Clinton Campaign Accuses Obama Campaign Of Cheating In Texas Caucuses

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/election08/78703

Get Ready for a Rougher, Fiercer Democratic Race

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. Posted March 5, 2008.

The fight between Obama and Clinton gets nastier, as Clinton makes accusations of cheating in Texas primary.

- snip -

In yet another indication the Clinton campaign was determined to keep fighting, it held "an emergency" press conference call as Texas' caucuses were being conducted to say Obama campaign volunteers were, in essence, cheating to win.

Wolfson, state campaign manager Ace Smith and campaign attorney Lyn Utrecht said Obama supporters had "taken control" of a dozen caucuses -- out of thousands across Texas -- and "locked out" Clinton voters. They said Obama volunteers broke party rules by obtaining caucus documents earlier in the day and getting supporters to fill out caucus sign-up sheets, allowing them to fabricate greater turnout numbers -- in essence, padding the caucus count.

The complaints by the Clinton campaign came before the Texas results were announced. They undoubtedly were intended to call into question that state's nomination process.

The Obama campaign responded to the accusations when Bob Bauer, its attorney and one of the Democratic Party's most respected election lawyers, somehow obtained the call-in number and said the Clinton campaign was accusing the Obama campaign of some of the very tactics it had used against Obama supporters in Nevada's Caucus.

"How is this (Texas) Caucus different from a series of complaints in Nevada," Bauer said, adding the Clinton campaign did not start complaining about the Caucus process until it lost a series of those contests. After Nevada's caucus, the Obama campaign filed a complaint with Nevada's Democratic Party, citing a Clinton campaign handbook that told its representatives to lock the doors a half hour early and said to assume its actions were legal until told otherwise.

There is little legal recourse for complaints by the Clinton or Obama campaigns about party caucuses, however. That is because political parties, not the state, run caucuses.

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[Jawja]

1. Of course.

Hillary believes her "scorched Earth" approach salvaged expected wins in Texas and Ohio; so now she will do exactly what the Rethugs and the GOP media will help her to do and "bloody" Obama to ensure a McCain victory in the GE.

The Democrats will not have a nominee going into Denver and the result will be a divided Party and another Rethug Presidency.

[Vinca]

2. You're exactly right. She's dividing the party like no one has ever done.

It's very upsetting. This year, of any year, you'd think we'd be dancing in the streets, but . . . once again . . . Democrats will be grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory.

[davidpdx]

3. Oh Geez

Clinton is going to make a stink about losing the caucus.

She netted +20 delegates (not counting the Texas Caucus) for the day, my guess is that will shrink to +15.

Of course it's all the media's fault.

[Justyce]

4. Shame on ANY poll worker who would do anything like that.

I hope it's not true, and I hope no Dems from either side were involved in anything like this. This is the type of shit republicans do to voters.

[BearSquirrel2]

5. Clinton was encouraging her reps to cheat ...

The big difference her is that we have proof that Clinton has been instructing her folks to cheat at caucuses. It seems now they're just lying about the Obama crowd to keep the scent off herself.

She's a real scorched earth bitch!!!! I'm sending more money to Obama!!!