Kendrick Meek's former campaign guru disenfranchised Fla Democrats
It's probably a good thing for Kendrick Meek that Steve Hildebrand is no longer on the campaign. Otherwise this revelation in David Plouffe's book, The Audacity to Win, about what happened after the DNC stripped away Florida's delegates could be rather awkward:
I asked (Obama deputy campaign manager) Steve Hildebrand to go on a secret diplomatic mission to speak with the four early-state party chairs (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada), encouraging them to ask all the candidates to sign a pledge stating they would not campaign in any states (Florida and Michigan) that had violated the rules and were threatening the approved early states’ primacy. Yes, this was in our self-interest. But it was also in theirs. If these two big states were penalized as severely as possible, and we all committed not to campaign in them, then the role of the early states was protected with no ambiguity.
From our perspective, this would be the final nail in the coffin. The pledge would make the first four states as sacrosanct, and by signing it the Clinton people would box themselves in; they could not claim at a later date that Michigan and Florida were somehow valid contests.
Most Recent Blog Posts
About the blog
For Florida political news today, the Buzz is your can't-miss-it source. Tampa Bay Times writers offer the latest in Florida politics, the Florida Legislature and the Rick Scott administration. Keep in mind: This is a public forum sponsored and maintained by the Tampa Bay Times. When you post comments here, what you say becomes public and could appear in the newspaper. You are not engaging in private communication with candidates or Times staffers.
E-mail Times political editor Adam Smith: asmith@tampabay.com
Advertisement
Most Popular Categories
ON TWITTER
SPECIAL REPORTS
- Gov. Rick Scott
- Sen. Marco Rubio
- Inside the Gov. Scott's inner circle
- State government: All checks, no balance
SITES OF INTEREST
POLITICAL LINKS
- Republican Party of Florida
- Florida Democratic Party
- Division of Elections
- State of Florida
- State legislature
- Campaign contributions
- Federal campaign contributions
TIMES COLUMNS
- Tallahassee Bureau Chief Steve Bousquet
- Political Editor Adam C. Smith
- Senior correspondent Lucy Morgan
REAL CLEAR POLITICS BLOG
POLITICS HEADLINES from the AP
Comment Policy
| Please be sure your comments are appropriate before submitting them. Inappropriate comments include content that: |
| Is libelous |
| Is abusive, harassing, or threatening |
| Is obscene, vulgar, or profane |
| Is racially, ethnically or religiously offensive |
| Is illegal or encourages criminal acts |
| Is known to be inaccurate or contains a false attribution |
| Infringes copyrights, trademarks, publicity or any other rights of others |
| Impersonates anyone (actual or fictitious) |
| Solicits funds, goods or services, or advertises |
| Tampa Bay Times does not edit posts but reserves the right to delete comments that violate our policy. |
Registration FAQ
| Read our Frequently Asked Questions on how to register to comment on the site. |
