CNN: Florida Dems meeting with Dean

[seafan]

Florida Dems meeting with Dean

April 2, 2008

(CNN) — Florida’s Democratic leadership is meeting with national party chairman Howard Dean today in a bid to resolve their dispute over the seating of that state’s delegation at the presidential nominating convention in Denver.
The session, held Democratic National Committee headquarters, includes Dean, congressional Democrats like Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who backs Hillary Clinton, Rep. Robert Wexler, who supports Barack Obama, Sen. Bill Nelson and state party chair Karen Thurman.

.....

Florida’s Democrats had been weighing several options for a re-vote, including a possible mail-in primary, ahead of the DNC’s June 10 deadline – but two weeks ago, the state party announced that it would not hold a second primary, regardless of whether the cost was covered by outside contributors.

At the time, Wasserman Schultz, who had been staunchly opposed to a re-vote, told CNN then that “now it’s time for all the people involved in ensuring Florida’s delegation is seated to come together and make sure that happens.”
She also expressed a willingness to consider a proposal that would allow the full delegation to weigh in at the convention, but for each delegate to get just half a vote.

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, rejected that proposal, which seemed to gain traction as prospects for a new contest grew more remote.
He told CNN’s Gloria Borger that the Illinois senator would like to “give Florida the opportunity to vote” – but not in a way that would change the overall outcome.

The Clinton campaign – which won in both Florida and Michigan, which faced the same penalty – has pushed for both states’ delegations to be seated, with spokesmen accusing the Obama team of looking to “disenfranchise” voters.

As madfloridian has pointed out, Clinton's own campaign co-chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, staunchly opposed a revote in Florida, yet the Clinton campaign persists in falsely blaming Obama for it.

The Clinton campaign is also spreading this false narrative regarding a revote in Michigan.


These continuous lies are blatant and will be exposed.

[madfloridian]

1. I'll bet Dean's ears are burning today.

They have been so ugly to him, every one of them. They tried to hurt fundraising, they lied about him, and it has all sickened me.

[olkaz]

2. "The Clinton campaign – which won in both Florida and Michigan"

This is intellectually dishonest.

[terrell9584]

6. Michigan, yes. Florida, no.

It is not intellectually dishonest to say Clinton won Florida, because she actually did. The vote in that primary broke down exactly as you would have expected it to demographically. Obama ran ads in Florida media markets. They had phrases such as "Florida for Obama"

Everyone in the state knew that he was running. His strongest counties were counties where there are high black populations. He got less than 30% in Palm Beach, and Edwards did real well in the redneck parts of Florida, winning some counties in the north and placing 2nd in the Okechobee region.

Most of the Edwards voters in Florida would probably go for Hillary because a lot of his support was Southern cultural support and that just won't go for Obama.

Florida should probably go as is, and Michigan should have new primary

It would be in Obama's interests to count Florida as is, because Clinton would substantially increase her margin if given a new primary. It's a state full of older people with cultural demographics that don't favor Obama.

[olkaz]

8. You're working with a lot of assumptions there...

Go on saying that Obama campaigned like crazy in Florida. Some commercials does not mean he actually went after it full-force. He just didn't.

"Florida should probably go as is, and Michigan should have new primary."

Neither of those two things are going to happen.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. Clinton herself is lying to media in my state, NC saying Obama doesn't want us to vote

considering he never said that, and considering he has a 12 point lead over her
here, and considering he just came to NC last week, has set up offices here,
and has a registration drive going on,

its frigging ludicrous!

See "North Carolina under sniper fire"

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/04/sniper-fire-over-north-carolin.php#comments

[SoCalDem]

4. The only "fair" solution is to EXCLUDE the super delegates (ALL of them)

from FL & MI.. and whatever the percentage is at the END of all the primaries.. apportion the selected delegates by that same percentage..

If any other accommodation is reached, there would be no reason to even HAVE a schedule of primaries.. States would just change them at will..

The BEST solution is for 6 regional primaries a month apart..feb-July..Iowa & NH could still go in January

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The Clinton Network News finally mentions the truth about Wasserman-Shultz's revote blocking. n/t

[madfloridian]

7. They did? Do you know which show? Was it today?

[easy_b94]

9. Dean should be heading this instead of Billary

[SeaLyons]

10. Your post proves nothing...

The fact that Wasserman is against a "re-vote" does not mean she is against getting the delegates counted. Quite the opposite.

It is common knowledge that Obama doesn't want FL or MI counted because it would not help him. Knock it off with this blaming Clinton on this. Obama doesn't want it, or it would have already been worked out.