Being far behind Obama by any meaningful measure, the Clinton campaign continues to twist reports to try to claim a lead. They are again stressing popular vote, despite actually being behind. Jake Tapper writes that in making this claim Clinton Camp Misrepresents ABC News Report.
Besides being incorrect, the race is based upon delegates, not popular vote, and shifting to popular vote allows Clinton to continue to play the game of picking and choosing which states to count. As I noted recently, if the race was based upon the popular vote and not delegates, Obama would have conducted his campaign differently to increase his popular vote. However Obama campaigned based upon the party rules and concentrated on obtaining delegates.
Besides changing the rules, concentrating on the popular vote creates problems with regards to which states to count. Clinton includes Michigan where Obama was not on the ballot and write-in votes for Obama were not even counted. Clinton’s selective count does not even include the count for uncommitted in Michigan, which clearly represented anti-Clinton votes. The popular vote down plays caucus states where turn out is lower. These happen to be states where Obama had greater support.
If allowed to pick and choose which votes to count, then Clinton wins. By any meaningful criteria, Clinton remains far behind Obama. Someone who conducts a campaign like this is likely to govern like this. After what we have gone through with the Bush administration, we do not need a president who repeatedly does not tell the truth.
Democrats confuse me to no end. In 2000 you all whined because Gore “won” the popular vote but not the delegate vote. Now when it comes to getting Barry nominated, it’s NOT about the popular vote, but rather the number of delegates. Pick a lane and stay in it.
Danny,
You are confused because you got the arguments wrong.
In elections the rules must be set before the election and they cannot be changed mid course or after the fact.
In 2000 the problem was not that Gore won the popular vote. The winner of the electoral college, not the winner of the popular vote, should become president less these rules are changed. The problem was that he won in Florida if all the votes were counted but was denied the electoral votes. Many of the protests were over the Republicans going to the Supreme Court to override state law to prevent a recount. (Here it is the Republicans, not Democrats, who were inconsistent for ignoring their usual support of state’s rights when it became politically expedient.)
Just as the winner of the electoral college vote wins presidential elections, the nomination is determined by delegates, not popular vote.
Using the popular vote retroactively for the nomination creates additional problems, such as with Michigan and the caucus states.
An additional problem with Clinton’s argument is that she is actually trailing in the popular vote while she is making false claims of leading.
Someone who conducts a campaign like this is likely to govern like this. After what we have gone through with the Bush administration, we do not need a president who repeatedly does not tell the truth.AMEN