Harold Ickes: FL and MI should be seated. Suggests name change for superdelegates.

[madfloridian]

This is an interesting article in many ways. Ickes is one of Senator Clinton's senior advisors.

"We are going to fight all the way to the convention," Ickes said.

He thinks Hillary will hold her own in Wisconsin and win in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island. He says they will be tied or close.

We are going to fight all the way to the convention," Ickes said.

Ickes, a veteran of the Clinton White House and a central figure in Clinton's 2000 Senate race, told reporters that the campaign expects Clinton "will able to hold her own in Wisconsin" and win Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island. "We think the demographics of Pennsylvania very much suits her candidacy," he said. "By the end of this process by the 7th of June, when Puerto Rico votes, she will be neck and neck with Mr. Obama . . . Then she will wrap up the nomination."

He is pushing the new tactic to rename the superdelegates as "automatic delegates".

Ickes was quick to note that "superdelegates," the more than 790 Democratic elected officials and party leaders who may well determine the eventual nominee, should be referred to as "automatic delegates," complaining that the word "super" has "some sort of sense that they're going to descend to us from Mars." ("The fourth estate," he added, "invented the name 'superdelegates.'")

He demands FL and MI be seated. He says the playing field was even in both states. Sure, it was, Harold.

Delegates to Florida and Michigan should be seated at the convention, Ickes said. "Why should Florida not be heard at the convention?" he asked. When asked if those contests should be held again, he replied, "We don't need a re-do. Everybody was on equal footing."

Toward the end of the call, Ickes, growing irritated, said: "We are in the heat of the ups and downs of the race right now."

[MaineDem]

1. They aren't named "superdelegates" now...only by the press

They are unpledged party leaders and elected officials.

There is nothing in the rules referring to "superdelegates."

Mr Ickes should know this. He's on the Rules Committee.

[TAWS]

2. Why not just call them unpledged delegates?

[IDemo]

3. my .0000002 cents worth:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4617053&mesg_id=4617053

[liberalnurse]

4. Help me out a little if you would be so kind,

Tell me why Florida pushed up their Democratic Primary? When was it suppose to of occurred ?

I heard somewhere that Michigan pushed their Primary up in effort to get national attention to the declining industry and increased poverty. Makes sense to me.

Briefly share Florida's rational.

[madfloridian]

5. I have a whole slew of reasons. And journals. And excuses.

Relevance...to be a big kahuna in the week before Super Tuesday. They wanted the media blitz and were willing to take the voters' choice away to get it.

Proof. Vindication. Both Florida parties did it for "relevance." From March.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1459

[liberalnurse]

6. Thanks for the link.

I''ll browse your Journal as well.

[madfloridian]

7. Ickes was on the Rules committee...was for the rules before he was against them.

Harold Ickes, this is not going to play well with a lot of folks.

http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2008/02/16/ap/headlines/d8url34g0.txt

"WASHINGTON - Harold Ickes, a top adviser to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign who voted to strip Michigan and Florida of their delegates last year, 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 wasn't acting as an agent for Mrs. Clinton. We stripped them of all their delegates in order to prevent campaigns to campaign in those states. ...Those were the rules, and we thought we had an obligation to enforce them."

But now that it is not convenient, Harold wants those rules to be disregarded..

Here is the worst part. He is trying to make it sound like Howard Dean is not being neutral. He ran against him for chairman. Who is the consistent one, now, Harold.

Ickes also 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.

Rules matter depending on which hat you are wearing. Hmmm...mm.

[Major Hogwash]

13. So, Ickes flip-flopped, like Hillary flip-flopped, which is why he is with her campaign!

Maybe they would like to rename her campaign "The Flip Side of Hillary" because we've already seen the flop side of Hillary.

LoL

[From The Left]

8. Ickes Supports Hillary, Duh

Obama never even campaigned in FL and MI because he was foolish enough to follow the rules laid out by Howard Dean and the DNC. He is like a lamb to the slaughter -- never trust the Clintons and never trust the DNC.

I predict the FL and MI delegates won't be seated despite Hillary's braying.

[madfloridian]

9. Booman says it appears the Clinton will make no effort to...

maintain their dignity. He is really angry about Ickes. Harold Ickes could be next in line for chair along with Harold Ford. He ran before.

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2008/2/16/153547/100

[conservdem]

10. Here again, just what I would expect from the HC camp.

It disappoints me that more of her supporters do not condemn this thinking and strategy.

[no name no slogan]

11. Make the Superdelegates all wear capes and tights

it's only fair.

[KamaAina]

12. "Everybody was on equal footing"?!

In Michigan, the only candidates who were on "equal footing" were Clinton, Kucinich, and Uncommitted; Obama and Edwards weren't even on the ballot. This in the state that has by far the worst economy in the country, a state where Edwards might well have been able to get his populist message heard. If not for this classic Dem "Charlie Fox", it could have given him the win he needed to keep going...

Uncommitted polled well over one-third of the vote. And based on that strong showing :sarcasm: , Clinton wants her slate of pledged delegates to be seated? I say, Seat 'em, and if the state Dem parties won't agree to caucuses, seat 'em as Uncommitted.

[B2G]

14. I shall call them Fluffy

[USA_1]

15. MORE IMPORTANTLY ...

... WILL FLORIDA DEMS MAKE SURE THAT THERE WILL BE ENOUGH VOTING BOOTHS IN FLORIDA INNER CITIES SO THAT BLACKS AND OTHER MINORITY VOTERS CAN ELECT A DEMOCRAT INTO THE WHITE HOUSE?

OR, WILL YOU ALLOW THE PUKES TO STEAL FLORIDA AGAIN AS THEY DO EVERY YEAR????????

[angrypoet]

16. OBSCENE

Its just obscene the way they have twisted this series of events. WHY hasn't anyone called them on this? Where is the DNC outrage at all of this posturing and chest-thumbing being done by the HRC camp? Its crazy to me that the press and the DNC are not slapping them about the head and shoulders for all the screaming and whining they are doing. Ickes has admitted that he only agreed to it until the tide changed and now its in their favor. How could ANYBODY think it is even REMOTELY fair that she get any delegates? Its just plain crazy :banghead:

[UALRBSofL]

17. Don't believe everything Ickes says

Someone posted something about him the other day referencing Hillary and it wasn't positive. I cant remember what it was but I remember it wasn't good. I know I don't have a link and I really can't tell what the article was about. I just glanced at it and passed it over.