Posted on 04/02/2008 10:28:01 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie
BISMARCK – Sen. Hillary Clinton’s decision to speak in Grand Forks Friday, within hours of rival Sen. Barack Obama’s address to North Dakota Democrats, may lie with the party’s nonbinding Feb. 5 caucus results, some Democrats say.
Or it could just be that she’s pleasing supporters who have been asking her to come here “for weeks and weeks and weeks,” another said.
Or maybe it has more to do with Obama and Clinton both realizing they will reach thousands of Democrats in three states in a little more than 24 hours in a swing through the Dakotas and its western neighbor, said North Dakota Democrats’ executive director.
Tracy Potter, a Bismarck state senator, thinks Clinton is coming in order to keep a grip on the five delegates she won in the state Democrats’ presidential preference caucus. Obama won eight of the 13.
“It makes the most sense to me, that she is competing for delegates,” he said.
According to Democrats’ rules, North Dakota’s Feb. 5 caucus results are “instructive” – not binding – though rules also say delegates to the Democratic National Convention are expected to “in a good conscience” vote to reflect the caucus outcome.
When state convention delegates organize into caucuses – a process used at every convention since 1972 – they can organize by candidate, by issues or by affinity. Typical caucuses at past conventions include labor and education. Party Executive Director Jamie Selzler said he expects an Obama caucus and a Clinton caucus to form, among others.
Dominant caucuses formed at the convention can then sway who are selected as delegates to the national convention and who they’ll vote for at the national convention if the party’s nominee is still undetermined.
The timing of the two candidates’ speeches on Friday comes in the middle of the caucusing process, Selzler said.
On Friday afternoon delegates will take part in an anonymous caucus straw poll to test the relative strength of proposed caucuses. Any proposed caucus that doesn’t poll at least 15 percent will be considered nonviable and its would-be members will have to look for another one to join. (Poster's Note: Edwards delegates to break for Obama or Clinton?)
Then the convention will recess to hear Obama’s 5:30 p.m. keynote and Clinton’s 8 p.m. speech. Delegates will organize caucuses using signed ballots on Saturday morning.
“The campaigns take this process very seriously,” Selzler said. “I think (Clinton) is coming partially this week to make sure her supporters stay strong.”
North Dakota has 21 delegates to the national convention – the 13 at stake on Feb. 5, seven superdelegates not bound by the February results (party officials and the congressional delegation), and one more unpledged superdelegate who will be picked by those attending this weekend’s convention.
Six of North Dakota’s superdelegates have said they back Obama. Party Chairman David Strauss hasn’t said who he will support.
But Clinton supporter Nancy Vogeltanz-Holm of Grand Forks said people need no more speculate about why Clinton is coming than why Obama is coming.
“I’m not sure why it’s a different question than for Obama. We’ve been asking for this (visit) for weeks and weeks and weeks,” she said. “We’re just absolutely thrilled.”
Selzler said the South Dakota Democratic Party’s state convention is also this weekend and both candidates are also set to speak there. Montana Democrats are having their Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner in Butte on Saturday night, with both Obama and Clinton scheduled to speak there.
If Daschle can’t even deliver Dakotas and Dakota-SDs to his candidate, he should drown himself in his own pee.
Hey, does he need any help with that?
ROFL!!!
Hope you weren’t taking a drink when you read that ;0)
Gosh, I’d been hoping the diminutive former speaker would drown in his own pee when he was in power before he lost his position in election defeat.
Now I just laugh at the little guy with the hitler complex.
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