Obama Camp Downplays Michigan Primary Results
In an email to reporters sent well before polls in Michigan closed, Obama Press Secretary Bill Burton downplayed what looked like an early victory for Senator Clinton, saying the results “have no bearing on the Democratic nomination contest.”
The reason: Michigan violated Democratic National Committee rules by moving up its primary and hence has had its delegates stripped as punishment. Burton stressed that Democratic candidates pledged not campaign in the state, open any offices, hire any staff, or communicate with Michigan voters. The Clinton campaign, Burton pointed out, did not withdraw her name “even though she publicly committed to not participate in the Primary.”
Burton also preemptively downplayed Florida’s upcoming primary, scheduled on January 29th against the DNC’s will. Senator Clinton currently leads in the polls there. Team Obama scolded the Clinton campaign for breaking her pledge and scheduling a fundraiser in the off-limits state and added “there are signs – despite Senator Clinton’s public pledge to the contrary – that she may be planning to campaign in the state – inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity – ahead of the Florida primary.”
Check out Burton’s email after the jump.
TO: Interested Parties
FR: The Obama Campaign
RE: Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary
Because Michigan violated DNC rules by placing its Presidential Primary on January15th, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee ruled that the Michigan Democratic Party could not use the results of the January 15 Presidential Primary to allocate delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. In other words, no delegates are at stake today in the Michigan Democratic Primary.
All of the Democratic presidential candidates publicly pledged not to campaign in Michigan, none have visited the state, opened offices, hired staff or communicated with voters through television, mail, phones or otherwise. In addition, four Democratic presidential candidates, Obama, Edwards, Richardson and Biden withdrew their names from the Primary ballot in order to avoid participating in the Michigan Primary. Clinton did not withdraw her name even though she publicly committed to not participate in the Primary. Clinton, Dodd, Gravel and Kucinich are the only candidates on the ballot today. The Obama Campaign is not participating in the Primary and has not instructed supporters in Michigan whether or how to vote.
Therefore the results of the primary tonight have no bearing on the Democratic nomination contest.
Florida, whose primary was scheduled for January 29th, is just like Michigan – the DNC applied full sanctions for setting an early primary date and there are no delegates are at stake. As with Michigan, all of the Democratic presidential candidates signed a pledge to not campaign in Florida. Although Senator Obama did not remove his name from the Florida Primary ballot because Florida law did not allow him to do so, Senator Obama is firm in his commitment to neither participate nor campaign in the Florida Primary and its outcome has no bearing on the nomination contest. We raise Florida today because Senator Clinton has scheduled a fundraiser in Florida on Jan. 27th, and there are signs – despite Senator Clinton’s public pledge to the contrary – that she may be planning to campaign in the state – inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity – ahead of the Florida primary.
Our position and the position of the DNC is clear – neither the Florida nor Michigan primaries are playing any role in deciding the Democratic nominee and we are not campaigning in either state.
Tags: clinton, dnc, Florida, Michigan, obama, pledge, primary
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So Obama argues that the Michigan and Florida electorate are rightly disenfranchised and he scorns to seek their votes?
Weird!
Obama article worth reading. Food for thought.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/01/an_obamafarrakhan_connection.html
Makes me wonder why Fox News makes no mention of this, but the Washington Post and others do?
YOU GO GIRL!!!!!
YOU GO GIRL!!!!!
YOU GO GIRL!!!!!
HILLARY - - - - - - - DO IT FOR AMERICA!!!!!
HILLARY - - - - - - - DO IT FOR AMERICA!!!!!
HILLARY - - - - - - - DO IT FOR AMERICA!!!!!
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VOTE - HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON - PRESIDENT!!!
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VOTE - HILLARY CLINTON - She is ready to do the Presidential duties on day one.
VOTE - HILLARY CLINTON - She is experienced and she can Produce Change for America.
VOTE - HILLARY CLINTON - She is well educated and she can get the job done.
VOTE - HILLARY CLINTON - She is a very hard worker and she will work for America.
VOTE - HILLARY CLINTON - She is committed to America.
VOTE - HILLARY CLINTON - She will do great things for America.
VOTE - HILLARY CLINTON - She is America’s Change Machine.
VOTE - HILLARY CLINTON - She is ready to get the Wheels of Change rolling for America.
VOTE - HILLARY CLINTON - She is a doer for America.
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VOTE - HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON - PRESIDENT!!!!!
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YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!
YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!
YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!
HILLARY - - - - - - - - - DO IT FOR AMERICA!!!!!
HILLARY - - - - - - - - - DO IT FOR AMERICA!!!!!
HILLARY - - - - - - - - - DO IT FOR AMERICA!!!!!
At least Hillary had her name on the ballot not like some democrats that think Michigan does not mean anything to them, Lets see what happens when Michigan is the only state with water, We shall see. It is time for a real change and that is a woman to lead the country for a change. Men have been trying to run it for years and there has only been a small few who I can really say could run the country right and it sure was not any republican. Especially look at the clown we got in there now. He should be ashame of himself. Keep on Trucking Hillary. I am on your side.
The above article shows how dishonest Hillary Clinton can be just to get the votes!!! OPEN YOUR EYES…….THE CLINTON’S DO NOT HAVE AMERICA’S BEST INTEREST AT HEART……ONLY THEIRS. Being a female does not make her a good choice.
The Michigan Democratic party broke DNC rules when they moved their primary to an earlier.
date. Their delagates will not be counted.
The major candidates agreed not to campaign their.
but Clinton left her name on the ballot.
The Michigan Democratic party broke DNC rules when they moved their primary to an earlier.
date. Their delagates will not be counted.
The major candidates agreed not to campaign there.
but Clinton left her name on the ballot.
Clinton will deceive, lie, cheat, mislead, spin, divide, or do anything else to get votes. She’ll hire union busting p.r. firms, Madison Avenue ad men or whatever to create a image. She has no shame only ambition.
[...] to spin the loss in Michigan has having very little to do with the nomination process. Me thinks Bill Burton, is going to regret his comments. I hail from the upper peninsula of that state. Folks from [...]
the people of every state matter even if their delegates dont count. the candidates would have lost nothing by leaveing their names on the ballet and puting in an appearence.i mean its not like november isnt just around the corner. congrats to the winners
Obama agreed not to participate and stood by his word because he is a MAN OF HIS WORD. Hilary, on the other hand, would sell her own mother if she thought it would benefit HER!!!!
So here’s my question for Fox;
If the democratic national commitee stripped Michigan and Florida of their deligates, thereby rendering any campaigning useless, how would Obama be downplaying their importance?
Your headline says that Obama is downplaying the importance of two states that will not count in the democratic nomination, so aren’t you in fact, up-playing the importance of those states?
I mean I know fox still has a hard on for Florida and the Bush’s but still this headline is just retarded. Not that I expected anything less out of Fox News, the most retarded name in news
From the Obama campaign:
“The Obama Campaign is not participating in the Primary and has not instructed supporters in Michigan whether or how to vote.”
This is untrue. Obama DID encourage his supporters to vote in Michigan.
Regarding the other candidates taking their names off the ballot in Michigan…
Can anyone explain to me WHY they did that?
They didn’t take their names off the ballot in Florida. Why did they inexplicably take their names off the ballot in Michigan, but not off the ballot in Florida??
Very odd decision, in my opinion.
Jan,
You are a prime example of the problem, you spent the time to ask questions without so much as reading the story. It says in the last paragraph that Obama would’ve taken his name off the florida ballot but was not legally able to do so. How do you actually plan to be objective about someone if all you read is the headline?
Not that it matters that he is on it anyway, neither Florida or Michigan will have any deligates or say in the democratic nominee. So the question nobody is asking is why didn’t Hillary remove her name from the Michigan ballot? What does she hope to accomplish other than showing us all she follows her own rules? She certainly can’t benefit from winning a state that offers no delegates.
I still don’t quite get it. MI and FL push their primaries up because they feel the need to get their votes in early, and the DNC punishes both states by saying, “You no longer have the right to choose who you want to see on the Nov. ballot, at least on the Dem. side.” That’s TWO WHOLE STATES worth of votes for any candidate that will never be counted. The Grand Total is now skewed, no matter how you look at it, and as far as I can tell that means this next Nov. election will be fraudulant…worse than the last election’s FL issues.
To me, here in MI, Nov will be like when I was 10 and my mom asked, “Do you want chicken or pork for dinner?” When I responded with, “Neither, I wanted steak.”
Clinton/Obama, Romney/McCain(?) are my personal chicken and pork. I wanted Kucinich, Edwards, or Huckabee…to me those were some pretty good steaks.
these comments are kind of silly. I mean rhetoric is cheap.
it is simple:
1. Michigan Democratic Party broke DNC rules. This had NOTHING to do with any candidate. not obama..not edwards..not billary…no one. To suggest otherwise would be niave. So why are we playing the blame game? we shouldn’t be. MI and FL voters should not direct there anger towards the candidates. Take it up with your state party members. In government all actions have repercussions …good and bad.
2. Technically speaking…the MI and FL elections will not count towards the delegate # needed to gain a nomination.
With that said…. anyone who will vote Hillary Clinton… of course you are going to refer to this as a win. It is a close race and any edge her campaign can get… they will take. It is all legal. Obama/Edwards could have left thier name on the ballot. It is campaign strategy.
so what is next?…another media hype? who knows…one thing is for sure….
IT IS REALLY SIMPLE…lets not make this hard.
3. Remember the candidates are after the delegates…which lay in the voters
Although I have supported Obama since the beginning, I find it infuriating that he should say Michigan and Florida voices do not count. The thousands that reside in these states did not create the primary messes. The residents of Michigan have a lot to say, and a lot at stake. If our country slides into a recession, we in Michigan will lose even more than we have. Although I do not have the same passion for Hillary as Obama, I believe I will be turning my back on him now. One of the fundamental ideas of democracy is that ALL voices count. I have always been angered by those who say our votes don’t count, and to hear it from a presidential candidate… well, how can we justify bringing democracy to the rest of the world if a presidential hopeful openly admits some don’t count?
it’s not that florida voices do not count..it’s just their respective delegates…does anyone ever read past the headlines? Fl, MI broke the rules, the DNC rendered the delegates ineligible, the candidates (with the exception of Hillary) stood with the DNC…end of story, much ado about nothing.
Can America really afford another Clinton to disgrace this country? Look what Bill did and, we the tax payers are going to pay him (and Hillary) for the rest of their lives - For what? Clinton was impeached!!! He shouldn’t be entitled to anything and Hillary shouldn’t either. She was involved in the scandels when Bill was in office. Did you all forget about that? Why go into another four year presidency knowing the leader is a lier. God help us if she wins.
This just goes to show who is really in charge of the political process. The DNC and the RNC. Luckily the DNC is a little more strict when it comes to enforcing “thier laws.” Its great to hear the democratic party tell voters of two whole states that their vote dosen’t matter. Its kinda how I think about democrats. Say anything to get elected with clever propoganda and smear campaigns then do what you want in office. Who cares about whats best for America.
re:karen
it was republicans that tried to impeach clinton, and believe it or not they have an agenda. so you cant say they had the nations best interest in mind, if you want to be mad about wasting tax dollars be mad at the republicans for closing down washington for 2 years as they attempted to get rid of a guy that was only lieing about something that wasnt the publics right to know in the first place.
not that i support hillary, actually really dislike her. i just thought id addess your ignorance
shlomoe out
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how can you run for president when people in your own state know nothing about you?Barrack hussain obamma is the worst candidate with the most hype.i realize he’s the first black candidate with a real chance to win but,it takes more than color or gender [ billary ] to be a president. a president must be more than a force for change, he has to stop telling people what they want to hear an more toward what they need to hear. most of the time this is an unpopular choice but is the neccessary one. when barrack hussain obama chooses to talk more in detail about real issue’s especially those relateing to me ill reconsider my opinion.
Perhaps, we are being too harsh on “poor” Mrs. Clinton. Perhaps, only macho men are “supposed” to keep their word.
Perhaps, Mr. Clinton has views on this matter he will not share with anyone for fear of retailiation from her Almighty SuperWoman Hillary, that does not care about logic, words or principles.
By the way, have you met other women that when you tell them about this failure of “Principle” they merely laugh or giggle? Ever wonder why?
Perhaps, the Constitution is exactly right “men are created equal” and so women, they too are created equal, each to each other. Or, can you quote a higher Authority than the Bible AND the Declaration of Independence? Likem yourself, maybe. Hope I get to read some of it, if I can.
[...] Obama Camp Downplays Michigan Primary Results In an email to reporters sent well before polls in Michigan closed, Obama Press Secretary Bill Burton downplayed what […] [...]
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I truly hope that this cross-section of commenters does not represent the level of intelligence that we as a country have. Some of these comments are just scary. Here are a couple of tips to help you look a bit more intelligent next time you post.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE!!
CROSS-CHECK FACTS WITH OTHER WEBSITES!!
REMEMBER WHAT YOU JUST READ WHEN YOU POST!!
Look kiddies, Clinton, Obama, and any other Democratic nominee has NO CHOICE in this issue. Neither one is blowing off MI or FL,. What happened is that MI and FL broke Democratic National Convention rules by having their primaries earlier than they said they would so the DEMOCRATIC PARTY pulled out ALL of its candidates from MI and FL. Any names left on the ballots (Clinton in MI and Obama in FL) are moot points of consideration because none of the opinions of these states matters with regards to who the Democratic nominee is going to be!
If you have the power to edit or delete your earlier posts please do so. Its people like you who give liberals a bad name.
BUSH
CLINTON
BUSH
CLINTON
so so…the state of our nation
vote 4 someone else
Wow this is a loose cannon !!!!!!!
Lets take a look at the big picture! Are the canidates just running for the primaries?
Hillery Rodney Clinton is taking a look at the big picture to be the President.
So often in the hustle and bustle we forget what we are really shooting for. ( A great President to pull us out of this crap trash, Mr. Bush drug us in.) If the facts are true about Hillery, She owns up to it. But to pull your name out of the election shows someone has forgotten about the big picture ! Michigan still counts as voters. Lets not throw a tantrum lets still show Michegan that they still matter to us, That is what Hillery has done. She may have broke the rules. In that its own she should be reprehended. Lets also take a look at Obama Casting a ever so touchy subject that Hillery is prejudice or made a prejudice statement, we heard what she said it didn’t come across like that to me, I pay close attention to detail. it was a slanderous way to pull a large amount of black female voters from Clinton. that was the only way for Obama would to take Michigan. Now back to the big picture !! (after we stumbled on a dollar to save a nickel!) Those state may not count for the Primaries! but do count for the presidency.
Gotta love ya ANDREW
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Interesting that so many voted as uncommited.Primarialy young and black,some may call them stupid but they know what someone with 35 years of expierience and no notible accomplishments is called.a failure
If Obama does not want our votes in the Michigan primary, then he won’t be getting them in November if he is the Democratic candidate. We would rather vote Republican than vote for a man who values party “rules” over individual voters. Hillary Clinton played this right. Obama had a choice he just made the wrong one. It is scary that people actually think he might make the right choice during a national security crisis. It would be George Bush in kindergarten all over again.
I DON’T THINK HILLARY HAS THE RIGHT EXPERIENCE. YA SHE WAS SENITOR OF NEW YORK, BUT SHE DOESN’T HAVE ENOUGH UUUMMMMFFFFF PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR. SORRY HILLARY, BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU WON A COUPLE PRIMARIES, DOES’T MEAN YOU’RE GOING TO BE COME PRESIDENT. OH, AND ONE MORE THING:
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BOO DEMOCRATES, GO REPUBLICANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hillary Clinton is the biggest lying show pony in politics.
Ask someone from Buffalo (and all of western New York for that matter) what Hillary has done for them and the quick answer will be NOTHING. I am qualified to comment here on this I am from Western New York and watched this happen, and moved because of it.
-In 2000 she mailed propaganda to voters houses promising to bring 200,000 new jobs to that blighted area (I wish I could put the pic here but this won’t let me) and said she’d “work her heart out” for buffalo. http://edition.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/04/27/hrc.townhall/index.html
-What really happened was the opposite. More people left Buffalo from 2000 to 2006 than ever before in its history. Check out the remnants of this 2005 article from the Charlotte Observer.
http://www.dumpcms.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6962
What did she do to help us while this exodus was going on and people were fleeing for their lives?, well she didn’t “work her heart out” like she promised - she wrote a book. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1300416
-She also voted for New York States 62.9 cents per gallon of gasoline tax (the highest in the US) and then turns around and blames Bush and everyone else for high gas prices while she has NO ENERGY PLAN! http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/1054.html (scroll down to bottom)
The Clinton meat grinder attacks everything in their way; she knows she can’t win the primary or the election against Rudy Giuliani so her people killed his reputation…
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/13753.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/11/14/rudy-giulianis-rivals-at_n_72722.html
Now she’s after Obama….
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1927346/posts
http://mediamatters.org/items/200703200011
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2896710.ece
DON’T BE FOOLED, Hillary Clinton doesn’t care about you, New York, or America, all of this is an act. Hillary Clinton only cares about Hillary Clinton she has a secret agenda to run the nation and congress while her husband campaigns to run the UN so they can dominate the world.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41038
She is a master spin doctor who is very good at telling people what they want to hear, putting on any face that will work and delivering NOTHING. I would vote for a woman president, but maybe June Clever or Florence Henderson not Hillary, and regardless of what color you are “YOU GO GIRL” - should probably GO!
It is really sad that these two communities decided to break the rules and so many people are affected, but they need to kick out their elected officials. The democratic thing to do about the delegates and votes would be to give the votes to those who honored their word not to participate because the states had not obeyed the laws. This is becoming a nation where breaking the rules is rewarded not punished. No wonder our children feel it is ok to cheat, break the rules…makes one go ummmm.