Hillary has a Dream (Florida and Michigan)

[newsjunkie]

Pandering to the Democrats in Boca Raton, Florida, Hillary stated: "I believe that the decision our party faces is not just about the fate of these votes and the outcome of these primaries. It is about whether we will uphold our most fundamental values as Democrats and Americans."

My, my, my. She is so filled with the Democratic ideals, and she's so protective of our basic freedoms, and she's so willing to fight for truth, justice, and the American way!

But, unfortunately, ineffective. A true leader would have voiced these concerns back in January, or actually, even earlier, at a point in time when it could have made a difference in the process.

Instead, she chooses to embrace these basic American values only when it suits her personal ambitions. There are several ways one could characterize this behavior: incompetence, second guessing, politcal chicanery, nonsense, etc. None of these appear in my list of qualities I look for in a leader.

How 'bout your list? Could you check it and let me know?

[roger d-w]

Hillary can dream, but reality will close in beginning on Saturday. How the RBC describes their decision is probably more important than the decision itself, but the net effect will be to determine the number of votes needed for the nomination.

Once PR votes on Sunday, I expect more superdelegates to announce, probably enough to bring Obama within a dozen votes of the majority so that the voters in SD and MT will provide the final margin. If this doesn't happen then more superdelegates will announce on Wednesday morning so that by noon the primary contest will be over.

Hillary needs a graceful way out and this is her best shot.

[Taopoet]

I don't really understand the logic behind Clinton's insistence that the Florida and Michigan outcomes be counted.

Clearly, we are a nation built on rules. You can't run a democracy (even a quasi-democracy) without them. If you've ever been to a caucus, convention, town meeting, etc., you've likely been exposed to Roberts Rules; if you've ever played or watched any sports or experienced childhood games, you've been exposed to all manner of rules to ensure fairness, equal share of voice, and guidelines for scoring the outcome.

Counting Florida and Michigan without holding by-the-rules elections is quite simply unfair, undemocratic, and fundamentally unAmerican. Clinton's insistence on counting these states' votes as is, is undeniably ungraceful.

I liked Obama's idea of splitting the delegates 50/50 so those states could be fairly represented at the convention, which is -- believe it or not -- more than just a beauty contest for the candidates.