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Obama Hits Florida, Focuses on McCain
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ShareMay 21, 2008 2:42 PM
ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Touching down in the Sunshine State for the first time since September, Democratic frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., took only seven minutes to remind Florida voters Wednesday that as of Tuesday's contests he has captured the majority of pledged delegates.
"It is good to be back in Florida, it's good to be back. I know you guys have been holding down the fort," Obama told the crowd of 15,000 in Tampa, "Last night I was in Iowa because we marked a significant moment in our campaign where we achieved a majority of the pledged delegates that are assigned in this election. And, so, we are at the threshold of being able to obtain this nomination."
Obama praised his party rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for an "admirable campaign, quickly changing focus to the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, targeting him on foreign policy and lobbying.
Watch the VIDEO HERE.
"Look at his foreign policy," Obama exclaimed of McCain, "He has been spending the last week describing his foreign policy by explaining who he won't talk to. I mean that's his whole foreign policy 'I won't talk to that guy and I won't talk to that guy, and I won't talk to that guy.'"
Obama was referencing the back and forth of last week between himself and McCain over sitting down to meet with both friends and enemies of the US. Bush and McCain have criticized Obama for his stance to sit down with leaders of rogue nations.
Obama this weekend doubled down on criticisms of McCain for the resignation of five of his staffers for lobbying ties. But today, the senator drummed up some research to make his case that McCain says one thing about lobbying when he's a senator and another as presidential candidate.
"John McCain offered a bill that said he would ban a candidate from paying registered lobbyists. And he did this because he said that having lobbyists on your campaign was a conflict of interest. This is what he said 10 years ago. Well I'll tell you that John McCain then would be pretty disappointed with John McCain now because he hired some of the biggest lobbyists in Washington to run his campaign, and when he was called on it, his top lobbyist actually had the nerve to say the American people won't care about this."
The Obama campaign says that Obama was referencing legislation in 1996 and 1997 that was introduced by McCain to prohibit campaigns from hiring lobbyists.
Senator McCain's campaign was quick to respond to this charge. “Despite his own campaign's ties to lobbyists, nothing comes between Barack Obama and a partisan political attack," McCain spokesmen Tucker Bonds said, "In Senator Obama's world, lobbyists can raise money and advise his campaign on policy issues, their families can contribute but supposedly they have no role. It's absurd, despite his own rhetoric, Senator Obama still refuses to disclose the list of lobbyists advising his campaign. What is Senator Obama hiding?"
Senator Obama campaigns throughout Florida for the next two days – wrapping up his first trip to Florida this year on Friday. The campaign says Obama will continue to highlight the differences between himself and McCain during his time in Florida, an important battleground state in the general election.
May 21, 2008 in Kucinich, Dennis | Permalink | User Comments (35)
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It is so fun to watch the Republicans on the defensive for a change.
Chuck Hagle coming out in defense of Obama's positions was outstanding.
No wonder the republicans want Hillary to be the nominee.
John McCain is outclassed big time.
Posted by: Rita | May 21, 2008 2:54:03 PM
Here are the vote counts:
Clinton 18,200,357
Obama 18,148,061
Posted by: a new name | May 21, 2008 2:58:37 PM
Obama the transparent candidate! Where is that list of lobbyists working on your campaign Senator Obama? Any luck finding the 8 years of state senate records yet? What do you think your campaign advisors company was really doing when they breeched the passport security for all three candidates - covering something up for Obama? And how do all those Floridians like seeing you? Are you telling them that their votes don't count now, but you demand that they vote for you later?
Posted by: calli | May 21, 2008 3:04:19 PM
Calli....give it up, Hillary is OVER...she lost...
Posted by: newera | May 21, 2008 3:06:21 PM
Ha!
Does he really think Florida wants to hear his argument about delegate math? What a joke!
There was a piece in the NYT claiming that Oregon is a swing state. I live in Oregon and it will go dem,, no matter who's on the ticket this year. Yes, we're a little quirky and have a divide in the state, but the green corridor far outnumbers the rest of the state.
However, Florida is truly the definition of a swing state. There is little hope that Obama can swing it in his direction after his "rules are more important than voters" argument. And to start off with that shows just how disconnected he is with a majority of voters.
I have a question as well. I read somewhere that Dean said that though the delegates of Florida are i question, the votes "of course" count, as they were certified elections with downticket dems as well. Is this true? and why is no one talking about that?
Posted by: drae | May 21, 2008 3:07:57 PM
People make up crap in their own minds to play victim if nothing else. When did Obama say that the votes of Floriday don't count? He was following the rules established by the party.
Get over this phoney outrage and start focusing on issues.
Posted by: hkeith | May 21, 2008 3:08:51 PM
I pray that Hillary understands that we need to join together. If things had been the opposite, I would DEFINATELY vote for Hillary, but it will be OB...
Posted by: cindyct | May 21, 2008 3:09:14 PM
Obama sent his lawyers to block a Florida revote when everyone else strongly favored it. Does he honestly think he can now compete there?
Posted by: hopesprings52 | May 21, 2008 3:12:59 PM
Mr. BHO: It's too little, too late; you phony hypocrite, and sure loser in November. You are stealing the nomination.
Posted by: phony | May 21, 2008 3:15:50 PM
Again it is not the votes that don't count at the moment. It is just the pledged delegates. But by all means, keep believing what you like. Obama refused all solutions to a certified election.
But hey, just keep "hoping" that Florida will forget about it.
Posted by: drae | May 21, 2008 3:17:04 PM
Hillary has not lost and Obama has not won. It is up to the superdelegates and they don't count until they vote on the convention floor! Hillary is not giving up, and neither are her supporters. And we will never, ever vote for Obama - EVER! Obama is suffering from premature victory celebration!
Posted by: calli | May 21, 2008 3:17:30 PM
Yes, all players were given several options and discussions were held, regardless of what you want to believe. Obama's team nixed all options.
I suggest you get YOUR facts straight.
Posted by: drae | May 21, 2008 3:22:59 PM
In answer to your question drae: according to the DNC RULES - only the pledged delegates may be stripped from a state, the popular vote is not affected and the RULES allow for the popular vote to count. So Hillary is correct and following the RULES by counting the popular vote for MI and FL. Obama removed his name off the ballot in MI - no RULES said he had to do it. Obama and Edwards ran phone banks telling people to vote uncommitted on the ballots - that was a violation of the RULES. Obama advertised in FL - that was a violation of the RULES. Hillary is leading in the popular vote - and the media and Obama can say all day she is not, but the RULES say she is!
Posted by: frisco girl | May 21, 2008 3:24:16 PM
Thanks frisco girl, that's what I thought I understood, but how can the MSM continue to misrepresent and misreport?
Apparently propaganda is alive and well in the nation of the free press.
Posted by: drae | May 21, 2008 3:31:05 PM
Thanks frisco girl, that's what I thought I understood, but how can the MSM continue to misrepresent and misreport?
Apparently propaganda is alive and well in the nation of the free press.
Posted by: drae | May 21, 2008 3:32:59 PM
frisco girl is smart!
Why in the world does BHO characterize HRC supports less-educated?
Posted by: a new name | May 21, 2008 3:35:08 PM
So Obama is in Florida.. How pathetic..
Posted by: DMK | May 21, 2008 3:36:38 PM
The hostages were released because Reagan negotiatied with Iran? Is that what they program into you Obama supporters at cult central? The Iranians released the hostages before they were intimidated. scared shirtless
Posted by: geevill | May 21, 2008 3:44:30 PM
First of all, nobody asked nobody to take their name off, and nobody asked nobody to abide the DNC rules. They all volunteered not to campaign in MI and FL. Secondly, it is not only HRC's name on the ballot. Thirdly, it is BHO who went one step further, along with a couple of other people, to take his name off the MI ballot, for no other reason but pandering Iowa voters to show that he is "more phony" to keep Iowa caucusing first. Fourth, BHO realized he made a mistake, and decided to keep his name on the ballot of FL. Fifth, since his name was on the ballot of FL, he started airing commercials in FL, breaking DNC rules. He was stopped because it was pointed out that he had been breaking rules, and he came out with a phony excuse as he does whenever he is criticized on his mistakes. Sixth, in the same vein, BHO advertised to MI voters not to vote for HRC, and vote for uncommitted as a way to show supporting the phony himself.
If any rules were broken, it is BHO who really broke the rules.
Posted by: phony | May 21, 2008 3:48:54 PM
a new name
those aren't the vote counts...
Michigan was a seperate election unfortunately...
the only way Hillary is the most popular candidate is in an election where oBama's name didn't appear.
In fact Hillary wins in elections where Sen. Obama's name doesn't appear on the ballot.
Good for her...but that doesn't mean you can put up numbers from an election where voters didn't have the choice.
duh.
Posted by: dl | May 21, 2008 3:52:28 PM
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