In order to illustrate the full story about what has transpired in the 2008 primary season regarding how Michigan and Florida broke the rules that were implemented by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), here is the text of the "Four State Pledge Letter" that emphasized that Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina were to be the first states to vote before February 5th, 2008.
Four State Pledge Letter 2008Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina
August 31, 2007
WHEREAS, Over a year ago, the Democratic National Committee established a 2008 nominating calendar;
WHEREAS, this calendar honors the racial, ethnic, economic and geographic diversity of our party and our country;
WHEREAS, the DNC also honored the traditional role of retail politics early in the nominating process, to insure that money alone will not determine our presidential nominee;
WHEREAS, it is the desire of Presidential campaigns, the DNC, the states and the American people to bring finality, predictability and common sense to the nominating calendar.
THEREFORE, I _______________, Democratic Candidate for President, pledge I shall not campaign or participate in any state which schedules a presidential election primary or caucus before Feb. 5, 2008, except for the states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina, as “campaigning” is defined by rules and regulations of the DNC.
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/070831_Final_Pledge.pdf The DNC had sent a statement to the Florida Democratic Party that they have all legal rights to maintain that the voting schedule would and should be adhered to. Florida officials were warned that if they try to change the date of their primary, they would not be in compliance of the rules:
"Florida has the right to determine its primary date," DNC spokeswoman Stacie Paxton said. "However, the Supreme Court determined more than 25 years ago that the Democratic Party has the legal right to establish the rules by which they select and seat delegates to the national convention. We continue to hope that Florida will do the right thing and come up with a plan that's in compliance with the rules the DNC and its members from Florida voted for."
http://politicalwire.com/news.html?articleId=7730491&buyerId=PoliticalWirecom&channelId=793You can see how the Four State Pledge mission was defined and how Michigan and Florida would have to vote on their scheduled primary days:
You can see how all the major candidates signed the Four State Pledge agreeing that Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina were to be the first four states in the primary. The Clinton campaign statement agreeing with the Four State Pledge is in bold:
“As I have campaigned across America over the last six months, it’s become clear that Governor Dean and the Democratic National Committee have put together a presidential nomination process that’s in the best interests of our party and our nation,” Obama said in a statement released Saturday. “I look forward to continuing the dialogue with voters and building the kind of grassroots movement in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina and the rest of the country that will send a clear signal to Washington that the American people are ready for change.”
"We believe Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina play a unique and special role in the nominating process," Clinton's campaign manager said in a statement Saturday. "And we believe the DNC’s rules and its calendar provide the necessary structure to respect and honor that role. Thus, we will be signing the pledge to adhere to the DNC approved nominating calendar." (
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=3134)
“This election, more than any other, is about real change and choosing the candidate who is going to fight for that change,” Edwards said in a statement released by his campaign Saturday. “Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina need to be first because in these states ideas count, not just money. These are places where voters get to look the candidate in the eye and measure their policies, ideas, and integrity. That’s why I am signing this pledge. This tried-and-true nominating system is the only way for voters to judge the field based on the quality of the candidate, not the depth of their war chest."
On Friday, Senators Joe Biden of Delaware, Chris Dodd of Connecticut, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed the pledge.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/category/primary-calendar/page/2/The DNC acknowledged that Florida Democratic party officials had broken the rules:
DNC Statement on Florida Court Decision
December 5, 2007
The DNC issued the following statement today after the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee upheld the Party's right to enforce its primary rules:
"We're pleased the court ruled in our favor, recognizing the constitutionally protected right of the Democratic National Committee to enforce its rules and treat all state Democratic parties in a fair and equal way," said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney. "The DNC is committed to protecting the right to vote for every American, and we look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that Florida turns blue in 2008."
http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/12/dnc_statement_o_25.phpThe DNC also sent out the message that Michigan had broken the rules as well:
Dec. 1, 2007
Democratic leaders voted Saturday to strip Michigan of all its delegates to the national convention next year as punishment for scheduling an early presidential primary in violation of party rules.
Michigan, with 156 delegates, has scheduled a Jan. 15 primary. Democratic Party rules prohibit states other than Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina from holding nominating contests before Feb. 5.
Florida was hit with a similar penalty in August for scheduling a Jan. 29 primary.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22054151/After Michigan Democratic officials had been told they broke the rules, their primary was to be considered a "beauty contest":
LANSING, Mich., Oct., 9, 2007
Four Democratic candidates have withdrawn from Michigan's Jan. 15 presidential primary, leaving what amounts to a beauty contest to front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton and a handful of lesser-knowns.
Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson filed paperwork Tuesday, the deadline to withdraw from the ballot, said Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for the Michigan Secretary of State's office.
A fourth candidate, Joe Biden, said in a statement that he was bypassing Michigan's primary, calling it a beauty contest.
Later in the day, the Clinton campaign issued a statement saying the New York senator will remain on the ballot.
"We're honoring the pledge and we won't campaign or spend money in states that aren't in compliance with the DNC calendar," said Clinton spokesman Jay Carson. "We don't think it's necessary to remove ourselves from the ballot."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/09/politics/main3348176.shtmlYou can read as well as listen to Hillary Clinton referring and acknowledging that the Michigan primary, where she decided to remain on the ballot, was not going to count:
You can read where the Michigan Democratic Party had finally decided that they would not have a re-vote:
The Michigan Democratic Party has carefully reviewed several proposals for a Party-run primary or caucus as a means of resolving the dispute over the seating of the Michigan delegation to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We have concluded that it is not practical to conduct such a primary or caucus. We will continue to work with the Working Group, the DNC and the candidates to resolve this matter in a manner which is respectful of the views of Democrats in Michigan, and which is fair to those who voted in the January 15th Democratic primary.
http://www.michigandems.com/040408prs.htmlHillary Clinton, who had lost badly in Iowa and South Carolina and was stripped of being the Inevitable Candidate, decided she would try to cheat on the rules so that she could get votes from spoiled elections to use for her advantage:
Let’s talk about the agreement. The only agreement I entered into was not to campaign in Michigan and Florida. It had nothing to do with not seating the delegates. I think that’s an important distinction. I did not campaign--
The press seems to have missed the distinction if that’s the case. The talk is that you agreed not to seat the delegation.
That’s not the case at all. I signed an agreement not to campaign in Michigan and Florida. Now, the DNC made the determination that they would not seat the delegates, but
I was not party to that.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/polldancing/2008/02/hillary-seat-michigan-florida-delegates.phpShe was not
party to that? The decisions had been announced for months on the mainstream press as well as mentioned to her in multiple interviews. Of course, she is lying about that.
Now that the Florida and Michigan votes and delegates don't count
due to state Democratic Party leadership in those states defying the warnings and attempting to break the rules, Hillary Clinton has decided to try to reverse the rules and break what the Democratic National Committee had legally been awarded with their mission to have states be in compliance with the rules:
"I will also be fighting to make sure that the votes of the people in Florida and Michigan are counted," she said. "2.3 million voters turned out -- the highest turnout in a primary in either state. Now some say their votes should be ignored and the popular vote in Michigan and Florida should just be discounted. Well, I have a different view."
-Hillary Clinton
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/04/clintons-new-po.htmlHillary Clinton's
different view is called lying and trying to deceive the American voter.
The PEOPLE to blame for Michigan and Florida voters being disenfranchised by their state Democratic Party officials:
Florida Democratic Party214 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301
850-222-3411
850-222-0916 (fax)
http://www.fladems.com/Chair: Karen Thurman
Vice Chair: Rudolph Parker
Executive Director: Leonard Joseph
Michigan Democratic Partyhttp://www.michigandems.com//staff.html
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