Rep. Robert Wexler (FL) @ Rules and Bylaws Committee /Part 2

12:02 p.m: Wexler is yelling. "We must find a way...to resolve this situation so that Florida may participate in this historic nominating process that will soon come to a close." ... Says the rules provide for a reduction in the NUMBER of pledged delegates... Wexler announces Obama campaign's support for Ausman petition... -- says it would award Clinton a net 19 delegates... "Sen. Obama should be commended for his willingness to offer this extraordinary concession.... "
11:58 :Wexler acknowledges that the election was held without a compliant delegate election plan; "both Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton pledged not to campaign in Florida and both agreed at the time that the primary would not count. This contest was not a normal primary election." Argues that Obama's decision to follow the rules. Wexler notes said that the RBC told the campaigns that the process was non-binding; addresses a "canard;" this is "completely untrue." Wexler downplays the Obama campaign's roll in pushing against a new Florida primary.
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/rbc_meeting_live_wire_tw...
RBC member Alice Huffman asks why a full delegate seating would be tantamount to be disunity.
Wexler: "Respectfuly, I wish you had asked this question last year."
Huffman says she couldn't have envisioned the future
Wexler declares that no one supports voters rights more than he does.
Harold Ickes then asks Wexler why he thinks Obama has conceded anything.
Wexler: "What we are saying is that up to the number 19, which is the maximum amount allowable under the Ausman petition and your rules, we the Obama campaign ... have agreed to a concession..." He notes that "In the state of Ohio and the state of Pennsylvania together, Sen. Clinton won a total of 19 delegates.." (He means NET delegates)...
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/rbc_meeting_live_wire_3_...
As the DNC prepares to decide the fates of the Florida and Michigan delegations...it turns out that while the Florida primary turnout was high relative to past primaries within the state, the relative Democratic turnout vs. the Republican primary lagged way behind relative party turnout in other primaries and caucuses across the country, where the voting counted from the start. And in Michigan in particular, the voting level there was simply abysmal. This suggests the possibility that far more Democratic voters would have come out in both states if they'd expected the contests to count, meaning that it's hard to argue that the primaries that actually took place really reflected the will of the people...Democratic primaries and caucuses have had proportionately much higher turnout than Republican contests...In a year when Democratic primaries had disproportionately high turnout compared to the GOP, it tells us something if a particular state's Dem contest was disproportionately low...two particular states were behind the Kerry baseline by a serious margin: Florida, where relative Democratic turnout was a few points behind Kerry's vote percentage -- and Michigan, where relative Dem turnout lagged behind Kerry's vote by a whopping 11 points.

It makes sense that Michigan would suffer more from this problem, as Barack Obama and John Edwards had both taken their names off the ballot in recognition that the state wouldn't count, while Clinton kept her name in the race. As a result, many Obama and Edwards supporters would have failed to show up just to vote "Uncommitted" in a race that they were told wouldn't matter under the rules, and even some Clinton supporters wouldn't have viewed it as worth the time and effort.

Indeed, the Michigan turnout wasn't even halfway decent by the standards of state-level Michigan primaries. The 2002 primary for governor saw over 400,000 more people turn out than this year's presidential primary, and the second and third-place finishers had almost as many votes combined as this year's presidential race had in total...if these two states had held recognized contests with turnout in line with the best-fit curve for the other states, it seems likely that many more voters would have turned out -- possibly as many as one million in Florida, and over half a million in Michigan -- and we simply can't know how those people would have voted. These simple facts render both contests, especially Michigan, seriously dubious as actual measurements of the will of each state's electorate.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/primaries.php

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[lisasongster]

Rep. Wexler tells it like it is! Obama is all about unity and the Clinton campaign is looking for a loophole. Let's get together and win in 08!

[bigbenz64]

Who the hell is this Ickes guy! He's an idiot and can't explain a question that he raises... Where do Sen. Clinton finds these "bitter" people. We now know why her campaign lacked potential. Why are they stealing Sen. Obama's "Yes we can" with "Yes she can". I truly hope she takes a shot in Denver with the Credentials committee so she can scorch her chances to become the VP. Can't stand spoiled people that can't get their way!

[Urbania05]

I think you all are retarded, and should not go anywhere near a voting booth this fall. Leave these situations to people who know what the hell they are talking about.All you 'Tubers, stick to what you know... worhtless bullshit that made this country one with the got'ya mentality. And please.... Harold has given his whole life to this patheic party, as did the candidate who you all are have been sworn to destroy. While you computer tards were jerking off to the new X-box, she was serving us.

[2FYNFOYA]

ickes now knows what it feels like to be wexlers be-och.

[MrRightAllTime]

I think Mrs. Clinton is a person that thinks the rules don't apply to her, kinda like she was fool by bush into voting for the Iraq war, i can't vote for a fool who got fool by a fool.

[doc4600]

I would LIKE for Hillary And her supporters should come back to this Earth

[chepenudo]

Ickes got owned at the end of this video. hahahahaha. Robert Wexler is da man!

[chepenudo]

Pondarama- Obama will be the next president. He will be a great president. The sooner you accept it the sooner you will heal. So vote for whomever you wish. I go on the record.

[TheWorldPerPete]

This guy wants full delegates for what? How does he propose to determine who the PEOPLE would have voted for if they voted??? Mind read, neutral polster (ha ha), go with his choice???

One thing is, we know he lies. Hilary did campaign in Florida. She sent Bill to do it, so now she says "I didn't campaign in Florida" -- which is only technicaly true -- and is classic Clinton. Obama didn't campaign.

Hilary is bad news, that's for sure - click on my name for more.

[Antichrys]

Harold Ickes seems to have a similar kind of voice to Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma.....the voice of a prick.

[MonsterSound]

Man it's painful to listen to the slow drone of Ickes (not to metion his spurious comments, opps, was that out loud).

[flyindude10]

Wexler kicked ass...glad he is on our side...the good side!

Obama 08