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Rove on Clinton: She 'Barely Beat Nobody Else'

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January 16, 2008 3:27 PM

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Talal Al-Khatib Report: Former Bush adviser Karl Rove slammed Sen. Hillary Clinton's, D-N.Y., performance in the Michigan primary during a Wednesday speech to the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C.

Watch the VIDEO HERE.

"I want you to look at the results of last night’s primary in Michigan," said Rove. "Sen. Clinton’s name was on the ballot and none of her principal opponents were. Fifty-five percent of the people turned out and voted for her. She got 328,151 votes, but 236,723 people turned out for the Democratic primary to vote for 'uncommitted'."

"Think about that," Rove continued. "If you run against nobody, and nobody gets 40 percent of the vote. The other 5 percent of the vote went for three other people. 27,924 votes went for the guy who believes in UFO’s, the guy who dropped out, and the guy who last held public office somewhere around 1855. That’s a pretty remarkable testament to the deep concerns the Democrats have about Senator Clinton when she can’t barely beat nobody else."

The three unnamed Democrats alluded to by Rove as having picked up five percent of the vote against Clinton are Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio congressman who confirmed at an October debate that he has seen some kind of unidentified flying object, Chris Dodd, the Connecticut senator who dropped out of the presidential race after the Michigan ballot was printed, and Mike Gravel, who represented Alaska in the U.S. Senate from 1969-81. 

The Clinton campaign responded to Rove's dig by noting that two Obama supporters -- Michigan Rep. John Conyers and his wife, Detroit City Council President Pro Tempore Monica Conyers -- ran a radio ad in Detroit encouraging Democrats to vote "uncommitted" in the primary.

Even though Clinton's top two rivals did not appear on the ballot, a Clinton spokesman sought to frame the 15-point margin over "uncommitted" as a positive affirmation.

"Anytime you win a race by a 15-point margin, it's a great victory," said Clinton spokesman Phil Singer.

Obama and former Sen. John Edwards removed their names from the Michigan ballot after the Democratic National Committee declared that no delegates chosen in Michigan's Democratic primary would be seated at this summer's convention. The DNC blocked Michigan from holding a delegate-awarding contest because it violated national party rules when it was scheduled before Feb. 5.

Clinton refrained from campaigning in Michigan but she left her name on the ballot.

A spokesman for Monica Conyers joined Rove in offering a blistering assessment of Clinton's Michigan performance. The spokesman to Monica Conyers also sought to tie the unusually high "uncommitted" vote to the recent Martin Luther King and "fairy tale" comments made by Clinton and her husband, the former president.

“Michigan was the first time, where in effect, the vote was a referendum on the racially insensitive remarks of both candidate Clinton and former President Clinton," said Sam Riddle, a spokesman for Monica Conyers, "and the verdict rendered by black voters in Michigan was nothing less than a complete rejection of the Clinton candidacy."

"Forty percent of Democratic voters selected uncommitted: an invisible, non-entity," he added. "She acts as if she has inherited the black vote, and nothing could be further from the truth."

Obama said on a Jan. 13 conference call with reporters that Clinton was "ill-advised" for making comments which he saw as minimizing the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But the Illinois Democrat who would be the nation's first African-American president has more recently joined with Clinton in seeking to dispel the rancorous feud over race. 

January 16, 2008 in Bush, George W., Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (133)

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The absolute negative opinions amaze me. It seems as though "common sense" has bee kiddnapped. I am a Clinton supporter, but would have been uncommitted. It's time we had a smart concerned lady as a leader. So people quit being jerks.

Posted by: Ken Smith | Jan 16, 2008 3:45:19 PM

Karl Rove writing against Senator Clinton what a SURPRISE. Rove was a disgrace as a member of Bushies administration almost getting a CIA agent killed with his mouth. Keep on keeping on Rove, you are like Dennis the Menace but not as cute!

Posted by: Jerilyn D. Bifulco | Jan 16, 2008 3:54:50 PM

I think that poll makes sense. 55% for a Clinton and %45 for anyone but a Clinton. Sounds like it was mostly a Clinton lover turnout anyway. I mean, if you were for Obama, but couldn't vote for him, you probably wouldn't go out to actually vote for "nobody". The fact that she had a hard time beating no one is awesome!

Posted by: TexBork | Jan 16, 2008 3:54:51 PM

Um.. facts are a terrible thing. Fact is, most Dem candidates boycotted the MI primaries because they broke party rules and moved the primary up. The Dem vote is Michigan means NOTHING! Remember when Rove said he had "the real numbers" on the 2006 elections, then he turned out to be wrong? He's wrong now too.
Keep it up, Rove, whenever you talk, you send more independents to the Democratic party because they are sick of you and Bush.

Posted by: AppeaseThis | Jan 16, 2008 4:15:59 PM

The "anybody but Clinton" candidate got 40% because they were more honest and more trusted than Hillary; and this was really nobody and they got 40%. Or should I say "Billary" since both Bill and Hillary are running;

Posted by: No to Dems | Jan 16, 2008 4:17:47 PM

Karl, real credible source. Isn't this the guy who drummed up support for Iraq, Drilling in Alaska, Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest Americans, Ambassdor John Bolton to the United Nations, Ban on Gay Marriage, Two conservative Supreme Court Justices to the US Supreme Court, etc, etc, etc, etc....

I am surprised ABC is using a quote from such a credible source.

Posted by: Brian | Jan 16, 2008 4:20:25 PM

Also if you remember 2000, George Bush actually didn't win. ABC should really reflect on what it puts out there. It's like they are doing someone's dirty work.

Posted by: Brian | Jan 16, 2008 4:23:18 PM

To all the Clinton supporters on here, can anyone tell me what in the world she was talking about when she kept referring to issues as Black-Brown ones last night in the debate? Geez, any Repub were to utter that and they would be crucified. Next we will have Huckabee singing "Red-Brown-Yellow-Black and White" if this nonsense doesn't stop.

Posted by: Steve | Jan 16, 2008 4:25:32 PM

I wouldn't read anything into the results. When the election a one-horse race with a one-trick pony, why turn out to further a foregone conclusion? Better to keep your options open before committing to the only name on the ballot.

Posted by: Publius | Jan 16, 2008 4:34:04 PM

Karl Rove should be writing his comments from prison ... and maybe he will some day!

Posted by: Jackson | Jan 16, 2008 4:38:25 PM

The Mich. vote does show that 40% would vote for anybody instead of the status quo candidate.

Obviously it reveals a motivation within our party to head out to the booth to vote "no to Clinton."

Posted by: Edna | Jan 16, 2008 4:38:42 PM

And yes, Rove should spend the remained of his life in a box.

Posted by: Edna | Jan 16, 2008 4:40:11 PM

And yes, Rove should spend the remainer of his life in a box.

Posted by: Edna | Jan 16, 2008 4:40:44 PM

Rove is a disgrace to our Country.. He committed Treason by releasing the name of a CIA agent.. He's a SLUG, and will end up in Hell with bush & cheney.. The 3 of them have brought our Country down to their level, which is as low as it could go.. Nobody cares what he says.. The Democrat's will take the White and clean up the mess the Republican's made, just like Clinton did after bush#1.. I hope Hillary/Obama go on for the next 16 years.. We need leaders that love America, not money.. The young people will speak up this time..

Posted by: J.Murphy, CA. | Jan 16, 2008 4:48:02 PM

Who cares what Rove thinks. Look what his candidate has done to our economy! And Hillary Clinton will clean up the mess that Bush, Rove and Cheney will leave this country with.

HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT!!! ... there is no other choice!!

Posted by: Elinda | Jan 16, 2008 4:56:45 PM

Thank you J MURPHY from California...abc lops my posts off for some strange reason so i am left to CHEER for yours...

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN..

Posted by: daddyblue | Jan 16, 2008 4:57:40 PM

Please, Rove's stream of BS could only be gobbled up by delusional republican zealots. All of this means nothing. Rove is trying to create divisions among the democrats to further his dream of seeing the republican party lead America to ruin. Clinton did receive 55% of the vote, the best republican got what, 37%? 55% should be about Clinton's margin in the general election in November. Guess Rove is grasping at straws to stir up negativity among the democrats.

Posted by: Sean | Jan 16, 2008 4:58:32 PM

It's obvious to the most casual observer that some folks are still trying to push the Race/Gender issue.

Posted by: gcbfred | Jan 16, 2008 5:03:02 PM

I am a democrat but I'd rather vote for Britney Spears before I vote for Hillary

Posted by: Richard, Memphis, TN | Jan 16, 2008 5:03:45 PM

Hey i need to present my candidacy now.If nobody could come this close to beating clinton then i can beat nobody and clinton combined.

anyone up there for the post of campaign manager?

Posted by: EE | Jan 16, 2008 5:04:40 PM

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