Clinton’s delegates

When it comes to primary season, earlier is better. The states with the first primaries (or caucuses, for states that don’t like efficiency) get all the press and attention that comes from the start of the campaigns, and whatever financial boost can come from that.\nThis is why several states tried to move their nominating contests forward. In an attempt to get control of the calendar, though, most of these states were penalized by the parties. The Republicans chopped the number of delegates in several states in half, and the Democrats took away all of the delegates from Michigan and Florida. Following party orders, none of the Democratic candidates campaigned in either state.\nExcept one.\nLast Friday, Sen. Hillary Clinton suddenly broke party ranks, saying that she believed that Florida’s and Michigan’s delegates should be counted after all, and that she would be campaigning in Florida, even though the national party had requested that candidates steer clear of such campaigning.\nAt this point, I wish I could stop writing columns about the Clintons. I wish one of them wouldn’t do something every week to prompt my ire. But there’s just so much material.\nIt is fairly clear what is going on here, and it most likely has little or nothing to do with Clinton’s stated goal of trying “to make sure their (Floridians’) voices are heard.” This assertion appears to be little more than just a two-pronged calculated political move.\nFirst of all, if Michigan and Florida were recognized, it would be an enormous coup for her in her race against Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nod. Michigan had 128 delegates “at stake,” and Clinton garnered 55 percent of the vote. Florida has 185 delegates, and Clinton leads there almost 2-to-1.\nAlso, the move is a bit of a look ahead to the general election. Stripping the two states’ delegates was a bit of a middle finger toward Florida and Michigan from the national Democratic Party. However, both are vital states in any election. In trying to “make their voices heard,” Clinton is hedging her bets and trying to win over any voters who might just be mad enough to vote Republican.\nStripping Florida and Michigan of their delegates was a criminally stupid move by the Democratic Party, as was ordering candidates not to campaign there. Throwing the states a bone is actually a good move on the part of Clinton — but I’m uncertain it’s for anything other than her own interests.\nThere’s more to the issue of trying to reinstate delegates. You see, Michigan has already voted, and Clinton won. Does anyone really think that if she’d finished last, she’d want any part of those results? It appears to be a pretty under-handed attempt to get some free delegates, which she may need.\nIt would be nice if Hillary would at least try not to play into the Republican stereotype of the “do anything to win” Clintons. She’s not helping herself or her party.