NPR: Clinton Team Hints at Revote in Florida, Michigan

Clinton Team Hints at Revote in Florida, Michigan

Obama strategist David Axelrod discusses 'revotes'

Deja vu all over again?

Marc Ambinder reports at theAtlantic.com that as Clinton campaign manager Terry MacAullife was talking about his candidate's victories last night he "referred to the possibility of a re-vote in Michigan and Florida as part of the Clinton plan for victory in the primaries."

During a conference all Monday, the Clinton campaign said their position remains that the delegates from Florida and Michigan should be seated.

Ambinder believes a "redo" makes a certain amount of sense.

The thinking, here, is that the ONLY way that Clinton makes up her delegate gap is to get Michigan and Florida's earned delegates to count. The ONLY way they count is to re-run the vote under the umbrella of the DNC's rules. The chutzpah here is that she already won Florida -- and is challenging Obama, essentially, to a fair fight... daring him... saying, "I can win this fair and square... same with Michigan... let's give the voters in those states a real voice."
Obama's response would no doubt be: "Well, wait a minute. You and I agreed to the rules. And now you want to change them at the last minute?"

He may not have a choice: if Florida and Michigan resubmit delegate plans to the DNC, if the DNC approves the plans, and if the states can find a way to pay for primaries, the contests would be on.

If it ever did happen, Ambinder writes, look for mid-April or mid-June.

When asked about the chance of a "redo' in the two states during a conference call Wednesday, Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod said it was up to Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee Chairman to make a decision on the issue. "We'll work with whatever they work out."

But he also said it was another matter of the Clinton's "trying to change the rules" after the fact.

"We all signed on to the rules, now Sen. Clinton wants to change them ... as soon as the last early primary was over, she wanted to change the rules. We've played by the rules and they have not."

Update: It increasingly looks like the only way the Clinton campaign will ever get any delegates from Florida or Michigan is if there is a "redo." In a conversation on All Things Considered, and in a statement, Democratic chairman Howard Dean made it pretty clear the rules are the rules.

"Dean said Michigan and Florida have two options: either submit a new plan for a process for choosing their convention delegates, or appeal to the Convention Credentials Committee, which resolves issues about the seating of delegates.

"The Democratic Nominee will be determined in accordance with party rules, and out of respect for the presidential campaigns and the states that did not violate party rules, we are not going to change the rules in the middle of the game," he said.

But that is not as easy as it sounds. For instance, Marc ambinder seems to be off base with his guess at a new Florida primary or caucus costing $10 million - try $25. And while Gov. Charlie Crist says he likes the idea, there will be no taxpayer money spent on it. And the DNC is unlikely to spend $25 million in an election year - and that's just for Florida.

1:57 PM ET | 03- 5-2008 | permalink

Comments

Well, gee whizz. Why doesn't Florida see if they can come up with a couple of tens of millions of dollars to redo a vote? That should make the taxpayers overjoyed.

But let's go just a little further into this dilemma. Possibly what is at stake is the question of federal government versus state's rights. Florida elected to hold their election in January. A state's rights issue. While the DNC in Washington decried that the state of Florida does not have the right to make a statewide decision.

Hence, you have the Democratic Party's philosophy on state's rights versus federal government rule. You have the Democratic Party issuing a proclamation for bigger and larger federal government, with less state's rights.

Where does this money for larger federal government come from? Especially while we have federal government interferring more with private business?

So, here is a fundamental decision the voters have to make in November. Larger federal government? Less state's rights and less private enterprise?

And just print out more and more useless currency.

Wanted: Super large federal government workers. No experience required.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 2:30 PM ET | 03-05-2008

I guess I don't understand why this "rule" should be changed.... I heard Howard Dean say that Florida and Michigan knew the consequences when they decided to change their primary dates. So, it seems that the consequence were OK with Florida and OK with Michigan.
Now Team Clinton wants to change all that. Do the agreed-on rules and consequences just get thrown out the window?
I this a lot of the tremendous voter enthusiasm in these primaries is linked to change (i.e., not the same old political games). Does the DNC really want to take that step backward?

Sent by Pam Swanson | 4:19 PM ET | 03-05-2008

Woah woah woah, Fred. The whole big government versus big business argument is a little naive don't you think?

Let's face facts, both democrats and republicans are working for our shadow-y overlords (to borrow an onion joke).

What we need is democratic control of both our government and economy.

We definitely need to exert authority over our government, to keep it from creeping back into tyranny, but it is essential that we gain some control over our economy, and its systems. Right now we are at serious risk for coming under tyranny from private business.

In all things there must be balance.

Sent by Jody Sol | 4:21 PM ET | 03-05-2008

Clinton signed a pledge that she would assent to the DNC's enforcing its rules re: primary scheduling. Then MI and FL "jumped the line". Now she wants to go back on her word.

There's really not much of a question here...

Elise in NH
The Obama Minute: easy, quick online actions to support
the historic presidential candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama
http://www.obamastraws.blogspot.com

Sent by Elise MacDonald | 12:48 AM ET | 03-06-2008

fred, the way the parties run their primaries has absolutely nothing to do with the federal government. it's not florida's rights that are at stake, it's the rights of the state's democratic delegation to participate in their own party's national convention, which in turn makes the rules about how to participate. in a moral sense, i think it's really disturbing if two big states' democratic voters don't get a chance to participate in the process. but the process itself isn't conducted under the auspices of any national or state laws or constitutional guarantees. a party can choose its candidates by rolling dice if it wants to; the federal government only comes in once the parties have fielded their candidates for the national election.

Sent by evf | 9:00 AM ET | 03-06-2008

There is a big grassroots movement happening in Florida and michigan to have the people fund a revote at http://floridamichiganrevote.com/ it is a new sit getting a lot of buzz. It is time for one voice one fight one win.

Sent by onevoice | 11:51 PM ET | 03-29-2008

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