Howard Wolfson of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) presidential campaign held a conference call along with one of Clinton’s senior advisers, Harold Ickes, to discuss what should be done about the currently unseated delegates from the Michigan and Florida Democratic primaries.
Ickes said that the campaign believes that all delegates from both states should be seated and have a full vote. Of the 55 uncommitted delegates from Michigan, Ickes said that all should be seated as uncommitted delegates. He said he is hopeful that this will be resolved in the Clinton Campaign’s favor at the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws meeting on May 31.
Wolfson said that Clinton has a “winning map” in the general election against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), despite recent portrayals of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as the inevitable Democratic presidential nominee. He said this does not mean that Obama could not win the general election if he became the nominee, but that he believes superdelegates should choose Clinton as the stronger candidate.
When asked why Clinton’s position seemed to be that states could “break the rules” of the party with no real consequences, Ickes replied that the intention in excluding Florida and Michigan was to “send a message” to other states that there would be “severe consequences” if they did not comply with party mandates. He said that goal was accomplished since no other states broke the rules, and the states did suffer by being denied a full-fledged campaign.
Wolfson said voters turned out in unprecedented numbers and due to the high level of voting, every measure should be taken to make sure their opinions are honored and respected. When asked if he would still think the votes should be counted if the turnout was much lower, Wolfson said that there was “every expectation” before the primaries that the Florida and Michigan votes “would not be consequential.” He said people in states like West Virginia and Kentucky have turned out despite being told their votes would not matter, and that this means every vote should count.
Wolfson said that contrary to rumors, there has been no discussion between the campaigns about a possible joint ticket between the two leading candidates. He also said that Obama’s search for a vice presidential candidate was premature in light of the fact that he is not yet the nominee, but said it is not the Clinton Campaign’s position to judge how the Obama Campaign operates. He said that to his knowledge, Clinton was not currently looking for a vice president to run on her potential ticket.
Clinton Campaign pushes for Florida and Michigan
Ickes said that the campaign believes that all delegates from both states should be seated and have a full vote. Of the 55 uncommitted delegates from Michigan, Ickes said that all should be seated as uncommitted delegates. He said he is hopeful that this will be resolved in the Clinton Campaign’s favor at the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws meeting on May 31.
Wolfson said that Clinton has a “winning map” in the general election against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), despite recent portrayals of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as the inevitable Democratic presidential nominee. He said this does not mean that Obama could not win the general election if he became the nominee, but that he believes superdelegates should choose Clinton as the stronger candidate.
When asked why Clinton’s position seemed to be that states could “break the rules” of the party with no real consequences, Ickes replied that the intention in excluding Florida and Michigan was to “send a message” to other states that there would be “severe consequences” if they did not comply with party mandates. He said that goal was accomplished since no other states broke the rules, and the states did suffer by being denied a full-fledged campaign.
Wolfson said voters turned out in unprecedented numbers and due to the high level of voting, every measure should be taken to make sure their opinions are honored and respected. When asked if he would still think the votes should be counted if the turnout was much lower, Wolfson said that there was “every expectation” before the primaries that the Florida and Michigan votes “would not be consequential.” He said people in states like West Virginia and Kentucky have turned out despite being told their votes would not matter, and that this means every vote should count.
Wolfson said that contrary to rumors, there has been no discussion between the campaigns about a possible joint ticket between the two leading candidates. He also said that Obama’s search for a vice presidential candidate was premature in light of the fact that he is not yet the nominee, but said it is not the Clinton Campaign’s position to judge how the Obama Campaign operates. He said that to his knowledge, Clinton was not currently looking for a vice president to run on her potential ticket.