US News
Clinton wins easily in Puerto Rico (Roundup)
Jun 2, 2008, 0:31 GMT
San Juan, Puerto Rico - Former first lady Hillary Clinton scored what could be her final primary victory Sunday, winning the Democratic presidential primary in Puerto Rico.
Major US television networks projected her as the winner immediately after polls closed on the Caribbean island, which is a commonwealth of the United States. With 99 per cent of precincts counted, Clinton led with 68 per cent of the vote to 32 per cent for Senator Barack Obama.
The only remaining primaries are Tuesday in South Dakota and Montana, which are believed to favour the front-running Obama.
This week marks the end of five months of state-by-state voting for the nomination, with Obama, 46, holding a small but decisive lead in delegates over Clinton, 60.
Sunday's primary followed a blow Clinton suffered after an internal party squabble was settled Saturday with a compromise for seating delegates from disputed January primaries in Florida and Michigan.
Even if Clinton wins all 86 delegates up for grabs combined Sunday in Puerto Rico and Tuesday in Montana and South Dakota, she will fall short of the threshold of 2,118 delegates - the new total to win the party's presidential nomination, after Saturday's action by the Democratic National Committee rules panel.
Obama would have to sweep an overwhelming number - about 68 delegates - of elected delegates by Tuesday to reach the mark, also deemed unlikely by analysts.
That means the final nomination rests in the hands of about 170 still undeclared, top Democrats, the so-called super delegates, who were the target of high-decibel pitches on Sunday's political talk shows.
Clinton supporters argued that the New York senator has won 17 million of an estimated 35 million votes cast during the five-month Democratic nomination contest, and that the remaining super delegates should support her because she's the most electable.
'Which candidate is best able to lead us to victory in November, and which candidate is best able to lead our nation as our president in the face of unprecedented challenges at home and abroad?' Clinton asked as she addressed an enthusiastic rally of supporters after the vote in Puerto Rico.
According to an average of polls taken by realclearpolitics.com, Clinton would beat Republican nominee John McCain by 1.8 per cent in November's general elections, while Obama's victory would be much narrower, at 0.7 per cent - a strength her strategists say indicates her strong standing among women, blue-collar workers and Hispanic voters.
'We've won the popular vote - more votes than anyone else in the history of primaries,' said Howard Wolfson, a top Clinton strategist, on Fox News.
Obama's supporters charged that Clinton's calculation of 17 million votes excludes the caucus voters in states where the African- American candidate clinched the lion's share of delegates. They also argued that super delegates must endorse the will of Democratic voters who gave Obama a majority of elected delegates. In particular, the party would alienate the African-American vote if Obama's lead was overturned.
The possibility of a joint ticket with Obama in the presidential slot and Clinton as his vice president has been raised by several Obama supporters in recent days, including Florida Congressman Robert Wexler.
Obama, speaking to a crowd outside the famous Corn Palace arena in Mitchell, South Dakota, congratulated Clinton on her Puerto Rico victory and praised her as an 'outstanding public servant' who will be 'a great asset when we go into November.'
'Whatever differences Senator Clinton and I may have, those differences pale in comparison to the other side,' Obama said.
It remains unclear what Clinton will do until the end of June, which is the deadline set by Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean and top Democratic leaders in Congress for a decision by super delegates. Party functionaries are anxious about losing any more time against McCain.
Clinton supporters have vowed to challenge some of the outcomes of the DNC rules committee meeting on Saturday, which could extend the contest until the August 25-28 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.
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Older Talkback
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..go see what Ralph Nader has to say about Barak in Saturdays Wall Street Journal...
Abridged:
By Thurlow Weed
Yesterday’s DNC decision to award Obama delegates in Michigan even though he was not on the ballot surely seemed plausible to Democratic leaders trying to find a way out of their dilemma. The idea of splitting the baby in Michigan and Florida, seating the delegates while cutting their voting strength, was always a natural one, and in and of itself will cause little problem.
But the Michigan decision is a jaw dropper. By setting aside election results to Hillary’s disadvantage, the DNC has saddled its likely nominee with an enraged opponent who now has every incentive to carry the fight through the summertime. Simultaneously, it has told Michigan voters that the DNC – and by extension, its nominee, Obama – is willing to set aside election results it does not like. That cannot have a positive effect on Michigan swing voters – and Obama needs to carry Michigan in the fall to have any shot at victory.
The Clintons’ unwillingness to accept defeat is legendary. Yet the DNC has thrown sand in the face of a candidate who is already claiming sexism underlies the opposition to her campaign. Never underestimate the fury of a woman scorned, the adage goes.
Now she can stay in the race with yet another rationale for her candidacy - she is fighting for democratic principles. And her working class voters in Michigan will hear that message.
This decision violates a cardinal rule of warfare first promulgated by the Chinese strategist Sun Tzu in his classic The Art of War – always give your enemy the opportunity to retreat. The corollary to a political campaign is that one must always give one’s opponent the opportunity to bow out gracefully. Manipulating the rules to ensure Hillary cannot possibly win does not give her that opportunity, and given the psychology of the individual in question, virtually ensures a continued battle.
In Obama’s favorite game, basketball, trash talk and demonstrating your dominance by dunking the ball over your opponent is expected. Employing these tactics in politics, particularly intra-party politics, is not very good sense.
It is particularly poor sense given that Obama was going to win the nomination anyway because the clear sense of the superdelegates is to back Obama and end the fight. This decision was as unnecessary as it is inflammatory.
It is exhibits even poorer sense because Obama is unlikely to win a close general election without Michigan.
If Barak wins than it will become the Black House in DC.
The Lincoln Room will become the Malcolm X Room, definitely!
Complete with Hip Hop, you bet ya.
grow up you insignificant turd. Either that or go tell your trifles to your fellow kids in kindergarden. You ain't funny, dude.
Rumors swirled recently of a tape that exists of Michelle Obama ranting in Jeremiah Wright’s church pulpit and railing against white people, and using the word “Whitey”…
It has been spoken of around the blogosphere in the last couple of weeks, and today while Geraldo was covering Hillary Clinton’s Puerto Rican rout of Hussein, GOP Strategist Roger Stone said the tape indeed does exist and that a major TV News outlet has possession of the tape.
There have been rumors of rewards for the tape, and some speculate that this tape, coupled with all of the other controversy that the Obama’s have been mired in, could be the straw the breaks the camel’s proverbial back, and is one of the reasons Hillary has been hanging in there the whole time.
He didn’t win the popular vote.
She has earned more votes than anyone in the history of the Democratic primaries-more than 17 million. And when the primaries conclude on Tuesday, Hillary will maintain her popular vote advantage.
They did not count all the votes.
To jeers and boos that showcased deep party divisions, Democratic Party officials agreed Saturday to seat delegates from the disputed Florida and Michigan primaries at the party’s convention in August but give them only half a vote each, dealing a setback to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The decision by party bosses was made in a smokey back room.
The agreement, reached by the rules committee of the Democratic National Committee behind closed doors and voted on publicly before a raucous audience of supporters of the two candidates, would give Mrs. Clinton a net gain of 24 delegates over Senator Barack Obama. But this fell far short of her hopes of winning the full votes of both delegations and moved the nomination further out of her reach.
Of course this makes Obama an illegitimate nominee. We know this because on January 4, 2001, we read an article entitled Black Leaders Slam ‘Illegitimate’ Bush Presidency.
A group of prominent African-Americans has challenged the electoral victory of Republican President-elect George W. Bush after a ballot exercise marked by numerous charges of selective disenfranchisement of black voters.
Denouncing what they described as ”massive voting irregularities” in the November polls, eight prominent black leaders have vowed to aggressively contest two of Bush’s cabinet nominations, to protest his inauguration on Jan. 20, and to pursue comprehensive electoral reform in the courts and in Congress.
A ”national emergency summit” was announced for Thursday at Howard University in Washington, which will involve the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, the Nation of Islam, the National Urban League, and other leading African American groups. [snip]
In Florida, nearly 10,000 ballots cast by heavily Democratic- leaning black voters were disqualified. These spoiled ballots had a crucial impact on the election since Bush won Florida by a mere 537 votes, and winning Florida gave him the presidency under the electoral college system, even though he lost the popular vote.
Hmmm. Florida votes were not all counted, people were disenfrachised, and it cost the other candidate the election even though he won the popular vote. Heh.
So Obama was selected, not elected. Dems love this line. Here is Hillary in October 2002, two years after Al Gore lost.
We’ve heard from Hillary Clinton again. There she was, just last week – the fundamentally dishonest junior senator from New York, telling a bunch of her Hollywood pals that President Bush merely had been “selected” president, not elected.
Well, we know Hillary has a long memory for this kind of thing. Now she can save a little cash on speech writers and just dust off that old line for Obama. And this time it will be true.
at the top.
The best part:
Hillary AGREED to the rules about MI and FL at the beginning of the primaries. In fact, Obama was never even on the ballot in MI. NOW, she wants them counted!
This is just another stellar example of how the rules simply do not apply to the Clintons.
or anybody else who could stop Obama from becoming president, an office which no longer has high standards, nor dignity, nor honesty, nor respect, nor integrity, thanks to george w bush.
It is like winning 50 cents on a one-armed bandit, instead of $1 million in the lottery.
Who the hell cares about Puerto Rico ? A small hump of crap in a very big sea.
It`s the mighty USA that counts and you `aint got that one baby.
Still I suppose the old Fannie can gloat over the fact with Billy-the-Willy that a few peasants in that piddling little lump of sandy rock, stuck out in the Caribbean, still love her.
A 60 mile square piece of crap with 3 million bodies scrambling all over it like flies, what a victory.
Good Luck Hillary enjoy your REAL BIG success. At least you have a fan club, be it a mixture of just about everything on earth.
'A 60 mile square piece of crap with 3 million bodies scrambling all over it like flies,'
You forget that it is American crap and American flies. While not a State, it is a Commonwealth of the US. I would ROFLMAO if those greasy spics as you would call them came over and laid an education on your stupid head.
Yo ahora Americano.
La Señora Encantadora quiénes se hacen el presidente dice que podemos ir todos vivos en América cuando ella consigue el poder. También puede tomar a burros y todos disfrutan de la vida buena en el bienestar en Florida.
Gosh - 3 million people in a 60 mile square AND all REAL Americans !!
I am absolutely dumbfounded with almost disbelief.
Go on, tell me you`re pulling my plonker.
They must be sitting on each others shoulders. Which of course means that Momma Clinton only got half the number of votes, since the guy on top could not reach the ballot box.
The UK also own a bit of rock in the Antarctic, just the same as you, but it is covered by millions of penguins NOT people. You mean to tell me that these millions of waddling birds are BRITISH CITIZENS !!
And the Moon is a lump of cheese.
'The UK also own a bit of rock in the Antarctic, just the same as you, but it is covered by millions of penguins NOT people. You mean to tell me that these millions of waddling birds are BRITISH CITIZENS !!'
Are you equating the people of Puerto Rico with penguins? Are you saying they aren't human? I think your problem lies with 'BIG DEAL !!' not with '@BIG DEAL !!' who was just trying to straighten the ignorant savage out. As for your intro, pls translate, we no spic-a da langwidge here in Alaska.
Direct translation;
Yo ahora Americano.
La Señora Encantadora quiénes se hacen el presidente dice que podemos ir todos vivos en América cuando ella consigue el poder. También puede tomar a burros y todos disfrutan de la vida buena en el bienestar en Florida.
I now American.
The Lady Encanto who are the president said we can go all births in americas when she gets the power. You can also take donkeys and all enjoy the good life on welfare in Florida.
for the translation. Now, does anybody know what it means? Excuse me,I'm just a dumb lobsterman and don't have much of a clue about all those foreign languages spoken down there in the lower 48.
At least that is ONE pile of sand that loves Momma Clinton.
Remember me - BIG DEAL ? Well here I am again, in a message to 'THANKS'.
Don`t you like penguins ? It is not that humans are equated with these wonderful birds, but the principle of ownership.
Rather like Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain etc. owned over half the world, but NONE of the inhabitants of these occupied nations were given citizenship of the occupying country.
America only gave Puerto Rico sovereign status because of their strategic fear of Communism. Of course Puerto Ricans are NOT American, they are Puerto Rican. You are talking of bits of worthless paper.
By the way - 3 million people on a 60 mile square ! They must be sitting on each others shoulders.
Not a lot of people know this - but if these 'Americans' lined up, they would encircle this piddling little island seven times !
You may not appreciate it, but those 'British' penguins can squawk a lovely rendering of 'RULE BRITANNIA' on command.
Just a point from a savage anti-spic, but otherwise enormously lovable chap ;-
I do not think lobster-men are DUMB, it is an insult to even suggest it.
ALL trawler-men and fisher-men are among the bravest, most hard working men on earth. They lead a very hard and dangerous life, for little reward, just to make a living - none of them become millionaires like the political scumbags we are all discussing.
I am proud of every single one of you regardless of being considered a savage. I wish you all a safe passage at all times and an eventual retirement in the comfort of your families.
I STILL THINK THAT PUERTO RICO IS THE RECTUM OF AMERICA.
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On to plan 9...Jun 2nd, 2008 - 00:42:18
It's time to TAKE BACK OUR DEMOCRACY from same corp-rat sell outs that selected Chimpy McHitlerburton to run AmeriKKKa! Time to MAKE our voices HEARD at the at the DNC convention this August!
Go to: www.recreate68.org
R-68 agrees with the proposition, POTESTAS IN POPULO, 'all power comes from the people.' What stands between the people and power are the party machines. The parties were devised as a means to represent the people. Today they represent nobody, not even party members, but only party bureaucracy. The people have been left without appropriate institutions for their representation. We intend to create those institutions!
Join us in the streets of Denver as we resist a two-party system that allows imperialism and racism to continue unrestrained!!!!
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