Feeds: 
symbol identifies content for paid subscribers only.
JOHN KERRY ON OBAMA TODAY
Listening right now to David Plouffe, Obama campaign chair, on a media call that was led off by Sen. John Kerry. Here are quick translations of Kerry's opening remarks, which were directly specifically and near exclusively focused on the Clinton campaign's attempt to claim significance from what happens today in Florida:
"The bottom line is that Florida offers no delegates. It should not become part of some spin campaign...So now here we are with AFSCME spending trying millions of dollars…to assign some meaning to a contest that the chair of the party has said awards no delegates."
"You have a contrast today, a juxtaposition. You have an avoidance of a rule set up by the chair to create something that isn’t supposed to be something. In my judgment, personally, as voters look at the meaning of the Florida primary, the voters are not looking for spin to win the news cycle…they’re looking for a real kind of unity to unite the country."
--Tom Schaller
UPDATE: “We think it’s a very political maneuver and one we think voters will see as too cute by half,” added Plouffe. “And if [Hillary Clinton] wants to spend the night in a non-February 5 primary state, that’s fine with us.”
COMMENTS (9)
The bottom line Mr. Kerry is that Florida voters do matter. They have a vote in this election even though you don't think they count. I'm sure we'd be hearing a different argument from you if Obama had better numbers down there. BTW, Barack Obama is no JFK!
Posted by: RReddy | January 29, 2008 1:22 PM
This really makes me angry. If, in the end, Florida delegates are not seated at the convention - then the DNC is saying Florida doesn't count and they can kiss the vote of this life long Democrat goodbye in November.
Dean should be ashamed of himself - maybe he'll scream again and we can fire him from this post.
Posted by: Marc | January 29, 2008 1:38 PM
Marc and RReddy, I suggest you voice your anger at the Florida Democratic Party which went along with the decision to move the primary up in defiance of DNC rules.
Frankly, I think the delegates will be seated, but only AFTER the nominee has been determined. To do otherwise and allow those delegates to count, will not only reward the FDP's original flaunting of the rules, but create havoc in the Democratic Party.
Posted by: Keith | January 29, 2008 1:45 PM
The delegates will very likely be seated but that decision is under the purview of the DNC Credentials Committee, which will be making that decision at the Convention and not before.
Bonus points to anyone who can figure out what Kerry was actually saying. This conference call sounded like a push of the panic button.
Posted by: corinne | January 29, 2008 2:41 PM
I actually live in Florida and all of this nonsense about disenfranchisement is laughable. While I personally disagree with the DNC's decision, the time to argue the point was when the decision was made, not now when it is all of a sudden politically expedient.
Posted by: YMB | January 29, 2008 2:51 PM
Hhhhmmm--if Senator Kerry had gone after the Repubs as hard as he's going after HRC he might have been campaigning for his 2nd term right now
Posted by: senlac1066 | January 29, 2008 3:04 PM
I just voted in Jacksonville beach..Florida..and I do want it to count!
Posted by: Richard | January 29, 2008 3:13 PM
Sure, I'd love for my vote to count -- but I have to agree with Keith.
The decision to include Florida should have happened at the outset so all of the candidates could campaign in such a hugely influential state. We can't "take it back", after it was made clear to the entire state that our votes don't matter.
I can almost guarantee that more young people would have gone out to the polls if they thought it would have made any difference, which certainly would have changed the outcome.
As it stood, no one even needed to vote because Hillary had the best recognition here (especially with the huge number of retirees), and no one else had a bit of a chance. The fact that Obama got the votes he did is phenomenal. It would have been really interesting to see what would have happened had he had the opportunity to introduce himself to the people of Florida and address issues important to our state.
I hate to say it (since I have been a huge Bill Clinton fan in the past) I'd love to like Hillary -- especially if she ends up as the democratic nominee, but she's really making herself look incredible divisive and lacking integrity.
Reinstating Florida's delegates now just seems like breaking the rules (that our own party set)!
Posted by: Mel | January 30, 2008 12:12 AM
Thank you for the great post..sesli sohbet
Posted by: sesli chat | September 12, 2009 8:51 PM