The REAL Reason Clinton has Broken the Florida Truce and is Getting Antsy

[Bullet1987]

The Clinton's want Florida back in play BADLY! Not only because they're guranteed a win, but because now they need to replacement for their loss of the Black vote...in the Hispanic vote. It's become clear that maybe even weeks ago, they were willing to sacrifice the Black vote and gamble on the Hispanic one. Maybe that's why they didn't seem to care about trying to turn Obama into the "Black candidate." That's why Florida is so important for her, and also why Bill Clinton wanted Ted Kennedy to stay neutral. Because Teddy has good standing in the Hispanic community. The Clinton's have essentially given the finger to the Black vote...seen explicitly in their leaving SC and not even giving a concession speech there. And don't tell me that BS "I would like to thank Obama" crap was a concession speech. Hillary was delivering a stump speech in Tennessee. And don't tell me about Obama not giving a concession speech after Nevada, because he still came out on top there delegate-wise. Obama didn't get his ass kicked by losing by 28%. There was even a group of Clinton supporters that got stood up in SC because they THOUGHT she was going to be there to do exactly what I said above.

In all actuality though, the Clintons have no one to blame but themselves. Because they had a good portion of the Black vote even after Iowa. The only way you're going to turn Obama into the "Black candidate" is by alienating Black voters...and that is exactly what they've done. It's all about interest groups for the Clintons and they see Hispanics as the Black vote replacement.

[Medusa]

1. Exactly

She also needs a "moral victory" and Florida will give her the opportunity to present her dog and pony show.

I think the fact the Clintons are trying to get Florida and Michigan back in play and those delegates back means one thing and one thng only: she needs those delegate votes, that her internal polls in the Super Tuesday states, etc. are not good.

[Tom Rinaldo]

2. Spinning does not obscure truth or the tally of a million votes

Obama broke, not just a "truce", but a formal pledge. He fired the first shot when his, and only his, campaign began broadcasting campaign ads into over 6.5 million Florida households. Both he and Hillary know that an actual vote by over a million Floridians in a secret ballot election with all of our candidates listed on the ballot will be covered as news, and it will be covered because it will be news. Nowadays the daily Rassmussen Poll results gets covered as news. Florida will be a real election and it will be a real election whether or not those delegates ever get seated. Likely over a million actual voters will vote for the Democratic candidate they support.

The total of people who will vote in Florida will dwarf the combined total of all of the votes cast by Democratic voters for President in any of the states contested prior to Florida's vote. That is news, real news. Florida is not just another state. Unlike Nevada or New Hampshire, it has more than a tiny handfull of electoral votes. Unlike South Carolina which is dependably in the G.O.P. column, Florida is actually in play in Novemeber. The media and the public know how important Florida is to picking a President. So does Hillary and so does Obama. That is the ONLY reason why Obama scrambled to find some way to campaign inside of Florida despite pledging not to.

[Tom Rinaldo]

3. I agree with you though that Clinton knows that Florida is important to her

If you take out the part about "her breaking a truce" there are points we can agree on, even if you are over the top partisan in your comparison of the circumstances surrounding "concession speeches".

[Apollo11]

4. None of the candidates wanted this situation.

Personally I find it unacceptable that Democrats in Florida and Michigan will not have the opportunity to elect real delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

I don't understand how Howard Dean could have allowed this situation to come about. It's a mess. It's fucked up. I hate it. I guess all the candidates hate it also.

But once the decision was made to exclude Florida's and Michigan's delegates from the Convention, it would not be fair on the candidates to reverse that decision. The only way you could do it that would be fair to all the candidates would be to do these primaries over sometime before the Convention.