Petition for Seating Michigan & Florida Delegates on HillaryClinton.Com

Related Posts: Real Story Behind Gov. Crist Saying He'd Support a Repeat of the Florida Democratic Primary, Florida Democrats Select Delegates for National Convention, Michigan and Florida Democrat Delegates Still in Question, New Hillary Clinton Statement on Florida and Michigan Delegates, Florida Democratic Party Says April Meeting of DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee is Next Step for Florida Delegate Issue

• A link to a petition for seating the Michigan and Florida delegates is on the front page of HillaryClinton.Com today.
• It says "Millions of people in Florida and Michigan went to the polls to make their voices heard in the Democratic Presidential primary. They deserve to have their votes count. Add your name to show your support for seating the Florida and Michigan delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August."
  
  Source: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/action/flmi/?sc=8

Related Posts: Real Story Behind Gov. Crist Saying He'd Support a Repeat of the Florida Democratic Primary, Florida Democrats Select Delegates for National Convention, Michigan and Florida Democrat Delegates Still in Question, New Hillary Clinton Statement on Florida and Michigan Delegates, Florida Democratic Party Says April Meeting of DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee is Next Step for Florida Delegate Issue

New Hillary Clinton Statement on Florida and Michigan Delegates

Related Posts:

Real Story Behind Gov. Crist Saying He'd Support a Repeat of the Florida Democratic Primary
Florida Democrats Select Delegates for National Convention
Michigan and Florida Democrat Delegates Still in Question

• Hillary Clinton made a statement at the Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce on March 12, 2008 regarding the Florida and Michigan delegates.


• The following are excerpts from her statement:

"If you are a voter from Florida or Michigan, you know that we should count your vote. The nearly two and a half million Americans in those two states who participated in the primary elections are in danger of being excluded from our democratic process and I think that’s wrong. The results of those primaries were fair and they should be honored."

"In my view there are two options: Honor the results or hold new primary elections."

Click here for the full statement as posted on www.hillaryclinton.com.

Related Posts:
Real Story Behind Gov. Crist Saying He'd Support a Repeat of the Florida Democratic Primary Florida Democrats Select Delegates for National Convention, Michigan and Florida Democrat delegates Still in Question

Florida Democrats Select Delegates for National Convention

• Despite the fact that Florida Democrats have been stripped of their delegates to the national convention they caucused on Saturday, March 1, 2008 to select their delegates.


• 121 delegates were selected on Saturday with 67 pledged to Hillary Clinton, 41 pledged to Barack Obama and 13 pledged to John Edwards who is no longer in the race.


• The DNC schedule for the 2008 primaries/caucuses was established in 2005. When Florida and Michigan moved up their primary dates from the previously established schedule the DNC stripped them of their delegates and the Democratic candidates signed a pledge not to campaign in any state (Florida or Michigan) who had not received permission to hold early primaries/caucuses.

Related Post:

Michigan and Florida Democrat Delegates Still in Question (includes link to pledge signed by Democratic candidates)

Source:

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/03/02/State/Dems_select_delegates.shtml

Michigan and Florida Democrat Delegates Still in Question

• In 2007 Florida and Michigan made the decision to move up the dates of their 2008 Presidential Primaries. As a result, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) stripped both states of their delegates to the national convention and prompted the candidates to sign a pledge not to campaign or participate in primaries not already authorized by the DNC to occur prior to February 5, 2008.
• The decision by the DNC to strip Florida and Michigan of their delegates led to a lawsuit being filed in October of 2007 by Florida's leaders in Congress accusing the DNC and state officials of "unconstitutional and "wholesale disenfranchisement" of Florida's 4 million Democratic voters." The lawsuit was ultimately unsuccessful.
• In Michigan the Democrat candidates with the exception of Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, Mike Gravel, and Dennis Kucinich withdrew their names from the ballot while in Florida all names still appeared. This left Michigan voters without a choice to vote for Barack Obama or John Edwards.
• At Michigan's January 15, 2008 Democratic primary Hillary Clinton received 55% of the vote. 40% voted uncommitted, 4% voted for Dennis Kucinich and 1% voted for Chris Dodd.
• Fourteen days later at the Florida primary Hillary Clinton came in first again with 50% of the vote compared to Barack Obama at 33%, John Edwards at 14% and Dennis Kucinich at 1%.
• Hillary Clinton was the only candidate to break the pledge. During a campaign stop in Florida on January 29, 2008 she told the crowd "I promise you I will do everything I can that not only Florida's Democrats get seated but that Florida is in the winning column for the Democrats in November 2008."
• Her campaign is then reported to have asked the DNC to reinstate the Florida and Michigan delegates. This request was countered by a proposal from the DNC to hold caucuses in both states in May.
• Unknown is who would bear the cost of the caucuses considering both states already held Democratic primaries. Additionally, Florida and Michigan are not traditionally caucus states and would have to educate voters on the caucus process.
• Florida lawmakers have declined the caucus offer however, this issue appears to be far from over. Just this morning on CNN Howard Dean, Chairman of the DNC, said if there is not a clear front runner in the delegate count by April the two candidates will have to come to some kind of an agreement. Obviously if Michigan's 128 pledged delegates and Florida's 185 pledged delegates were awarded to Hillary Clinton this would give here the lead in the delegate count.

Sources:

http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/080131nj1.htm

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/106879.html

Michigan and Florida Delegates