See how flexible we can be about the rules, depending on who’s asking - and when?
By WILLIAM MARCH and ELAINE SILVESTRINI The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 30, 2007
TAMPA - Barack Obama hinted during a Tampa fundraiser Sunday that if he’s the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, he’ll seat a Florida delegation at the party’s national convention, despite national party sanctions prohibiting it.Obama also appeared to violate a pledge he and the other leading candidates took by holding a brief news conference outside the fundraiser. That was less than a day after the pledge took effect Saturday, and Obama is the first Democratic presidential candidate to visit Florida since then.
Obama and others have pledged not to campaign in Florida until the Jan. 29 primary except for fundraising, which is what he was doing in Tampa.
[...] But after the fundraiser at the Hyde Park home of Tom and Linda Scarritt, Obama crossed the street to take half a dozen questions from reporters waiting there.
The pledge covers anything referred to in Democratic National Committee rules as “campaigning,” and those include “holding news conferences.”
Obama seemed unaware the pledge he signed prohibits news conferences. Asked whether he was violating it, he said, “I was just doing you guys a favor. … If that’s the case, then we won’t do it again.”
[...] According to Sanchez and Tom Scarritt, Obama was asked during the event about making sure Floridians have a role in the nomination, despite the DNC sanctions and the pledge. Scarritt said Obama responded that he’ll “do what’s right by Florida voters.”
Sure Obama intended the state to be seated and voting - if he’d won. Just as his surrogates ran ads before MI’s primary pushing “uncommitted” as a vote for him. They wouldn’t have done that if they hadn’t expected it to benefit him. The tune changed when Clinton pulled a solid majoirty of the vote.
Detroit’s government isn’t the famous machine Chicago’s is, but we’ve had our share of hucksters, including black politicians who loudy cry “racism!” when their actions catch up with them. Obama’s campaign is a story I’ve read too many times before.
The pledge covers anything referred to in Democratic National Committee rules as “campaigning,” and those include “holding news conferences.”
Obama seemed unaware the pledge he signed prohibits news conferences. Asked whether he was violating it, he said, “I was just doing you guys a favor. … If that’s the case, then we won’t do it again.”
It’s not just in the pledge; it’s in the RULZ that candidates can’t campaign in any state that violates the timing rules. And the definition of “campaigning” is spelled out, as are the penalties.
Which include, BTW, having any delegates from the state in which you campaigned in violation of the rules stripped. Which kind of makes me think they don’t want a showdown over MI and FL because they don’t want Hillary to press that issue.
“Sure Obama intended the state to be seated and voting - if he’d won.”
Just as Clinton is now trying to do? I guess everyone (including this 57 YO white woman) are sexist if we call bullshit on her sudden conversion to champion for the voters SHE agree to disenfranchise?
They are BOTH behaving like politicians. Big whoop.
Sure smells like campaigning. Of course it depends on what your definition of “in” is. The message was clearly aimed at Florida voters and was broadcast in Florida.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/27/clinton-heading-to-florida-tuesday/
She was in Florida for a fundraiser, which is permitted under the rules.
She gave multiple news conferences just before the primary in which she explicitly touted the fact that SHE (and only she) was going to fight to get Florida seated at the convention. She knew this would play extremely well in Florida and it was obviously directed to Florida voters. Yes, she was careful to not be standing on Florida soil when she did this, but come on, this was blatant and obvious.
They are both guilty of breaking the rules. She was sneakier and more effective, but how can anyone claim she should actually be rewarded for that.