Posted on 02/16/2008 4:43:43 PM PST by Uncledave
WASHINGTON (AP) - Harold Ickes, a top adviser to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign who voted for Democratic Party rules that stripped Michigan and Florida of their delegates, now is arguing against the very penalty he helped pass.
In a conference call Saturday, the longtime Democratic Party member contended the DNC should reconsider its tough sanctions on the two states, which held early contests in violation of party rules. He said millions of voters in Michigan and Florida would be otherwise disenfranchised - before acknowledging moments later that he had favored the sanctions.
Ickes explained that his different position essentially is due to the different hats he wears as both a DNC member and a Clinton adviser in charge of delegate counting. Clinton won the primary vote in Michigan and Florida, and now she wants those votes to count.
"There's been no change," Ickes said. "I was not acting as an agent of Mrs. Clinton. We had promulgated rules and those rules said the timing provision ... provides for certain sanctions, automatic sanctions as a matter of fact, if a state such as Michigan or Florida violates those timing provisions."
"With respect to the stripping, I voted as a member of the Democratic National Committee. Those were our rules and I felt I had an obligation to enforce them," he said.
Clinton won after all the Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign in either state because they violated the party rules. Clinton, who flew into Florida on primary eve but did not hold a public rally, tried to argue that Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois had violated the pledge by airing a national ad campaign that also showed on Florida television stations. Ickes' dual positions on the issue illustrate some of the internal division within the party as Clinton and Obama run neck-in-neck in the Democratic presidential race.
Some Democratic leaders have expressed concern that the tight contest might ultimately hinge on the positions of some 700 party insiders known as superdelegates. Civil rights leaders also have been somewhat split on whether seating the Florida and Michigan delegates would unfairly disenfranchise minority voters.
As of Saturday, the delegate count stood at 1,280 for Obama and 1,218 for Clinton. If the DNC were to award Michigan and Florida's 313 delegates based on the vote in their primaries, she would be ahead because she won both states.
On Saturday, Ickes reiterated the campaign's view that new "redo" votes in Florida and Michigan aren't necessary. He said many superdelegates are elected lawmakers or governors who are supposed to exercise their independent judgment to vote contrary to public opinion if they believe another candidate has a better chance of winning. In response, the Obama campaign said Ickes' viewpoint runs counter to democratic principles. "The Clinton campaign just said they have two options for trying to win the nomination - attempt to have superdelegates overturn the will of the Democratic voters or change the rules they agreed to at the 11th hour in order to seat nonexistent delegates from Florida and Michigan," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. "The Clinton campaign should focus on winning pledged delegates as a result of elections, not these say-or-do-anything-to-win tactics that could undermine Democrats' ability to win the general election."
Ickes, however, expressed confidence that DNC Chairman Howard Dean will work out a solution to Michigan and Florida's stripped delegates and that there will be no delegate fight at the Democratic National Convention in August, predicting that Clinton will have the nomination locked up shortly after primaries and caucuses end on June 7.
"We hope the national chairman will engage the Democratic leadership of both of those states and work out a suitable compromise," Ickes said, stressing that neither the candidates nor the Democratic party will be well-served by a "bitter fight" that lasts into the convention.
Honestly the only fair thing they could do is divide those delegates evenly between HillBama. Those who voted for Hillary would squeal like pigs but that’s tough noogies for them. After all they’re the ones who voted for the woman who thought she could cheat her way to victory.
Nice of the AP to take notice...
"Disenfranchised": A word used by Democrats which means "we didn't get our way."
“Ickes explained that his different position essentially is due to the different hats he wears as both a DNC member and a Clinton adviser in charge of delegate counting. Clinton won the primary vote in Michigan and Florida, and now she wants those votes to count.”
This is classic Clintons.
There is no depth...below which a Clinton aid is willing to sink, in order to further the cause of corruption, dishonesty, and incompetance.
Shamelessly admitting a gross conflict of interest in the matter...
There is no depth...below which a Clinton aid is willing to sink, in order to further the cause of corruption, dishonesty, and incompetance.
Democrats is as Democrat does. Gotta hold a snake like Ickys real close the the head, or he’ll turn and bite ya.
D-E-S-P-A-R-A-T-I-O-N
23 minutes ago. Hi, Harold. Enjoying Free Republic?
"So I told Obama he better stay up on the damn porch and keep his mouth shut if he knows what's good for him."
If they allow the Mich. and Fl. votes to stand then the DNC will be disenfranchising those Dems who did not vote because they knew the votes would not count. plus Sickes knows if there were a re-vote that Osama would clean the Beast’s clock and sink her for good. I love a good RATFIGHT...pass that dang popcorn will ya?
Sure, whatever you say.
Paging Al Sharpton
If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.
...before acknowledging moments later that he had favored the sanctions. Ickes explained that his different position essentially is due to the different hats he wears as both a DNC member and a Clinton adviser in charge of delegate counting. Clinton won the primary vote in Michigan and Florida, and now she wants those votes to count. "There's been no change," Ickes said. "I was not acting as an agent of Mrs. Clinton. We had promulgated rules and those rules said the timing provision ... provides for certain sanctions, automatic sanctions as a matter of fact, if a state such as Michigan or Florida violates those timing provisions. With respect to the stripping, I voted as a member of the Democratic National Committee. Those were our rules and I felt I had an obligation to enforce them," he said....he concluded, "There's been no change, just a complete reversal of my earlier view. Get over it. Move on. Where's the beef?"
Ickes explained that his different position essentially is due to the different hats he wears as both an A-hole and a d!ck-head.
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