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Clinton Rips Casino Caucuses
January 16, 2008 7:26 PM
ABC News' Teddy Davis and Sarah Amos Report: While campaigning in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton defended a lawsuit challenging the Nevada Democratic Party's decision to permit casino workers to join presidential caucuses at their workplaces, even as he denied that he or his wife's campaign had anything to do with the litigation.
"Do you really believe that all the Democrats understood that they had agreed to give everybody who voted in a casino a vote worth five times as much as people who voted in their own precinct? Did you know that?" Clinton said in a testy exchange with Mark Matthews of KGO, ABC's affiliate in San Francisco. "What happened is nobody understood what had happened. ... Now, everybody's saying, 'Oh they don't want us to vote.' What they really tried to do was to set up a deal where their votes counted five times, maybe even more."
If turnout were incredibly low in the casino caucuses and incredibly high in the regular precinct caucuses, Clinton would be right in warning that votes cast in the at-large casino caucuses could be worth "five times, maybe even more" than votes cast at regular precinct caucuses, according to Bill Buck, a consultant to the Nevada Democratic Party.
Clinton is being disingenuous, however, when he makes it sound as if this feature of the Nevada caucuses was only recently discovered. It's been known for months.
What has changed is knowledge that the Culinary Workers, the union which represents the casino workers, is backing Barack Obama.
Clinton also criticized the casino causues saying: "This is a one-man, one-vote country."
What Clinton left out, however, is that it's not just the at-large casino caucuses which is at odds with "one-man, one-vote."
The regular Democratic precinct caucuses in Nevada are also at odds with "one-man, one-vote."
In rural parts of Nevada, five people are needed to produce one delegate.
In Clark County (home to Las Vegas), 50 people are needed to produce one delegate.
Democrats in Nevada and Iowa structured their caucuses this way in order to encourage candidates to campaign in rural parts of the state.
A federal judge has set a hearing for Thursday to help determine the legitimacy of the at-large casino caucuses.
The Nevada caucuses themselves take place on Saturday.
January 16, 2008 in Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (96)
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What they should have is a primary not a caucus. To have this on a Saturday also means that Seventh Day adventist and Jewish people would not be able to participate. Also I would think the casinos would be busy on a Saturday, who picked a caucus on a Saturday any way, a primary on another would be better.
Posted by: Kardasia_Prime | Jan 16, 2008 7:38:59 PM
The Clintons better hope the judge throws this out. Being viewed as blocking the vote, a famous Rove maneuver, would be frowned upon from here on out.
Posted by: Jack | Jan 16, 2008 7:39:01 PM
Clinton can NEVER defend trying to deny the rights of union members who don't support her to vote, What happened to the Clinton cry when Bush won about every vote counting?
Posted by: Patriot2008 | Jan 16, 2008 7:49:47 PM
Bill is pressing hard for Hillary. This is not his election but Hillary's. He should understand sensitivities and avoid this very muscular approach which will lead nowhere, all in all this is a fight in the same party. Go Barak, Go, God blessings with you with OForceOne.
Posted by: BKMC | Jan 16, 2008 7:50:51 PM
An even more shameful thing is the Democratic party ignoring Fla and Mich, and no one is speaking out on it! Time the Party leaders got it together and realize this whole system of electing a Party Candidate is not fair, and should go to registered party memebers vote for the candidate and one person one vote period! Then percent of delegates is divided by percentage of state vote, geez that is fairly simple isn't it!
Posted by: me | Jan 16, 2008 7:51:22 PM
Bravo Mr President (and next First Spouse)!
Your 'parsing' of words, the meaning of 'is', 'the biggest fairytale', 'I want you to know I did not have ---- with this woman' are becoming legends.
Keep 'em coming.
Love it!
Posted by: Cantab94 | Jan 16, 2008 8:03:19 PM
Bill, you are so full of it! Since the caucuses are being held on a SATURDAY, how exactly are teachers disadvantaged with respect to culinary workers that are actually working that day?
The Clintons say they want a race- and gender-blind campaign; clearly what they meant is a morailty-blind campaign, and clearly they think we are all idoits.
They are trying to defeat the would-be first black President of the United States by supressing the minority vote. It's rather stunning.
Posted by: Daley | Jan 16, 2008 8:14:58 PM
WHO IS RUNNING FOR THE PRESIDENCY ANYWAY? Hilary Clinton? Or Bill Clinton for an illegal THIRD TERM? . . . . Bill Clinton is using his wife to get another crack at White House interns. . The Clintons' fouling of the White House and undermining of the US Presidency is what cause the nation to have the bungling bush, the UNPROVOKED Iraqi war, the emptying of the national treasury, and the destruction of the economy. . . . The Clintons are self-destructive. THEY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED NEAR THE WHITE HOUSE!
Posted by: Gobama | Jan 16, 2008 8:15:03 PM
He proves more and more every day that Hillary can not stand on her own.
He's doing most of her campaining, and he's constantly defending her stupid mistakes and statements.
She is clearly riding on his coat tails and quite frankly, not making any kind of statement for "women", since her biggest credential and 'experience' are Bill's. Enough already. He needs to step back and let the world see who she is without him. She's nobody without him -- and has only made it as far as she has by being married to the cheater.
Yuk on the both of them!
Posted by: hklm21 | Jan 16, 2008 8:28:42 PM
What an embarrasing display for a former President. Not right on the facts, not right on law, manipulating public opinion through the press, getting testy with an interviewer....this is getting beyond "Rove" territory, more like "Hugo Chavez" tactics.
Disappointing.
Posted by: J Woods | Jan 16, 2008 8:39:38 PM
well, i betcha if the union had backed Hillary they wouldnt have said a word. interesting - Hillary has a campaign doing the same kind of stuff that Rove used to do.
I'm voting for Obama because I'm tired of the divisiveness. Hillary is smart, intelligent but no hope on uniting anything except the republican conservatives against her and Bill.
Posted by: vmcgreen | Jan 16, 2008 8:41:25 PM
So many things are demeaning for the candidates right now. The news, asking more questions about what the candidates say about each other than what they say about the issues. The candidates themselves (some of them) pulling transparent political tricks because they believe there are no consequences, and us, for putting up with it. We are saying to the candidates: "I will vote for one of you, but not based on my reasoning"
Posted by: laura | Jan 16, 2008 8:48:58 PM
Bill Clinton is Hillary's husband. He's also a former POTUS. He sides with his wife. That's what husbands are supposed to do.
Posted by: patrioticgrrl | Jan 16, 2008 8:50:14 PM
Well, you can't have one vote counting for 5 inside Las Vegas. Now, in all due fairness it's possible that they knew about this a year ago, but hey, who cares???? There isn't a statute of limitations on changing your mind! LOL.
Jack- I think you could be right, but hey, Bush was appointed Pres this way, and went on to win another election. Clearly, Hillary will not be a Bush.
With all this being said, if Obama is going win this one, she should let him, hell, she's going win the nomination regardless of the Nevada results.
Posted by: Rude2u | Jan 16, 2008 8:51:42 PM
The Clintons are thoroughly corrupt. They got an 8-year pass from the media, crediting BC with Reagan's economic gains and ignoring and even abetting their corrupt behavior.
Posted by: Stephen Coen | Jan 16, 2008 8:53:44 PM
35 years of experience? Hillary would be nobody if it wasn't for her last name. She wouldn't have been first lady of Arkansas or of the U.S. She only won elected office in her own right after Bill left the stage, and now Bill is involved every step of the way in this campaign. How would Clinton supporters react if Bush 43 didn't make a decision without 41s consent? Obama is at least standing on his own two feet.
Posted by: Jorge | Jan 16, 2008 8:53:46 PM
Bill and Hillary didn't care about this before the Culinary Union endorsed Obama a week ago! I guarantee if they had backed her they would not be saying a word!!
Doesn't the country see right through them?!?
Posted by: Kenny | Jan 16, 2008 9:04:22 PM
What I have noticed here is that Bill never really was grilled by the mainstream media in his years in office--it was the right-wing media that gave it to him. Now, he is more universally recognized for some of his past improprieties, and the mainstream press seems to be making up for letting him get away with things before. Bill has always played fast and loose, but now he's being called on his misrepresentations, and he is ######. It is just so typical of him to try to get away with trying to disenfranchise union workers like this--making believe he's out for 'one man, one vote', when Clinton Democrats set up the system, and Clinton allies filed the lawsuit. What Bill has not been used to, though, is getting raked by Conservative, Moderate, AND Liberal reporters. I tell you, the Clintons can't see that the calendar--and the electorate--have come a long way since 1992.
Posted by: SteveW | Jan 16, 2008 9:06:00 PM
Do the Clintons deserve my vote? Hell Yeah! I'll vote for a team (Hill-Billy) that consistently kicks right-wing-hate-nut-jobs down the street all day long.
The tables will turn, in more ways than one.
....And ....you'll see a gain in the stock market on the very day that Mrs. Clinton takes office. Certain!
Posted by: patrioticgrrl | Jan 16, 2008 9:07:27 PM
The problem is the caucus mantality. it should be done away with and all states have a primary instead.
Posted by: robert kellogg | Jan 16, 2008 9:08:24 PM
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