Is Hillary pouting because her $35 Million month of February was topped by Barack’s $50 Million month of contributions. No matter which way she turns, it seems that he’s one up.
Additionally, Senator Clinton, with the Texas race looking more and more like Obama by a nose, has decided to contest the procedure.
Aides to Clinton said earlier this week they were alarmed at the lack of clarity about many of the caucus rules and expressed their concerns on a conference call with Obama’s staff and state party officials. Texas has a two-step voting process, with a primary and then caucuses shortly after the polls close.
Specifically, Clinton aides questioned a provision allowing caucus attendees to vote to move the location if they choose to do so, and whether people who had cast so-called “provisional ballots” in the primary would have their votes counted in the caucus.
They also expressed concern about the automated phone system precinct chairs would use to call in the results of each caucus, saying the party hadn’t yet trained anyone to use the system properly.
It’s a little late to bring up the details that should have been worked out long ago, but when the votes are looking down candidates will do just about anything to pull the last caucus out of the hat.
According to the Texas Democratic Party, there is little reason for all the hubbub.
Texas party officials said they believed [Guy] Cecil, Clinton’s party director was threatening legal action and wrote a letter to him and to Obama senior strategist Steve Hildebrand reflecting that concern.
“If it is true that litigation is imminent between one or both of your campaigns and the Texas Democratic Party, such action could prove to be a tragedy for a reinvigorated democratic process that is involving a record number of participants here in Texas and across the nation,” party attorney Chad Dunn wrote. “Litigation regarding the TDP could cripple the momentum of a resurging Texas Democratic Party and ultimately the November 2008 election.”
The letter also noted that many of Clinton’s senior campaign advisers in Texas had helped to develop the rules governing the state’s caucus system. A Texas party official also noted that former President Clinton won the state’s caucuses in 1992 and 1996 following the same rules.
Texas has 193 delegates up for grabs Tuesday. Of those delegates, 126 will come from the primary, and 67 from the caucus.
Starting to look a little like what was good for the gander doesn’t look quite as good to the goose.
Additionally, Senator Clinton is running an ad that according to some is a scare tactic. The ad shows children asleep peacefully while it questions who has the experience to answer the call at 3:00 a.m.
Barack Obama responded that it was not a matter of who answers the phone at 3:00 in the morning, but what decision the person makes. Again, he cited Hillary’s vote to give Bush the authority to invade Iraq.
So, some say we are down to the nitpickin’ but to me it seems more like “silly season”. Let’s just get on with it. Let’s follow the rules agreed upon in the beginning and let the voters decide. When I was a child I played with another kid who always wanted to change the rules half way through the games. She never won, either.
