Is Obama like Karl Rove, Katherine Harris?

Ana Cruz, a Tampa-based Democratic consultant and Hillary Clinton backer, is accusing Barack Obama of downplaying Florida's primary.

She writes: "The campaign of Senator Barack Obama issued a statement yesterday saying, "neither the Florida or Michigan primaries are playing any role in deciding the Democratic nominee". Senator Obama, the last person to disenfranchise Florida Democratic voters was George Bush. Although you say you support "Change", what you are saying to Florida Democrats is "More of the same". Senator Obama cleverly tries but the blame for this on the DNC. But he well knows, it is the convention delegates themselves who decide who gets seated at the convention. And several of those delegates will be pledged to Barack Obama. Senator Obama needs to drop the political games here and talk straight to Florida Democrats before we vote.

Senator Obama, will you instruct your delegates in Denver to seat the delegation from Florida, or will you join Karl Rove and Katherine Harris in making sure that our votes don't count?"

Comments

Ana better hope Hilary wins otherwise she had better change her registration. what a bonehead thing to say.

it is a fact that Florida will play no role in picking who the Dems nominate. it is also a fact that whoever wins will suck up to Florida almost immediately and seat the delegates, BUT THERE WILL HAVE TO BE A NOMINEE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN?!

duh

Ana has too much time on her hands.

I'm a Hillary supporter, and I embarrassed by the shrill accusation linking Obama to Rove and Harris. C'mon.

Should we vote for someone who trashes Florida?

I'm no Hillary fan, but Ana has it right. The bonehead salvo was the one launched by the Obama campaign. Florida continues to play a role in the both party's presidential primaries as being the money trough from where candidates, including Obama, generously feed. If any candidate thinks that the outcome of this state's January 29th "popularity contest" won't have an impact on fundraising and media face-time, both here and nationally, they are sadly mistaken.

How did George Bush disenfranchise anybody? The left won't let go of their lies.

Bonehead is one thing. Saying he's just like Rove and Bush is a bit over the top.

[Mabel]

Mr. Obama's embrace of Ronald Reagan means he wants GOP votes in the general.
Not while we have Mitt Romeny, Mr. Obama. Mitt is a real Reaganite. You are just pandering to us.

"Trish" - As a Floridian, which I am certain you are not, which do you think I will remember longer? Ms. Cruz's perceived slight of the Freshman Senator from Illinois or that same Senator's dismissiveness towards me and every other voter in our state.

[Gene Smith]

I've already voted for John Edwards as I said here: http://fl-kossacks.blogspot.com/2008/01/im-voting-today.html

Having said that, all Sen Obama is doing is playing the expectations game and getting a shot in at Sen Clinton at the same time. Obama's staff can obviously read the polls showing he will lose to Clinton here. It should be expected of his campaign to downplay the Florida results.

Just politics, folks. No disrespect of Floridians really intended here. We can move on now.

11:03PM - Let me understand what you're trying to tell me - we've been historically disenfranchised in this process, so we should just shut up and continue to allow states with more cows than people, and who benefit from our tax dollars, do our bidding for us.

No, they all signed a pledge not to campaign, Obama just had the brilliance to express his opinion that, to a voter, we don't matter.

I didn't change the date, the Republican Legislature did. Thanks for the respect and compassion, Barack.

[Bella]

I am confused here Ana.... Obama is the only one disenfranchising Florida voters? I thought all the D candidates are boycotting Florida. I thought it was the party that started the whole bit about disenfranchising the voters.

Last but not least you mention, "Senator Obama needs to drop the political games here and talk straight to Florida Democrats before we vote." How can he talk to the voters if he and Hillary (along with the others) agreed to boycott Florida & not campaign here?

It looks like you have some time on your hand & trying to speak up in order to switch your volunteer status with the Hillary campaign to a paying position. It's not gonna happen if you don't have your facts straight.

The only reason Ana Cruz is writing this is because the Clinton Campaign knows Obama is getting it right. We don't need a machine as President, we need someone who has emotional intelligence and empathy. By the way, Hillary Clinton selects Ana Cruz for her Hispanic initiative in Florida. However, has anyone ever heard Ana Cruz speak Spanish once? Does she even know how to write in Spanish? No and no. I think that shows how blind the Clinton campaign is.

Gene - wow you voted and posted it on your blog! wowee, good for you, you want a cookie and a pat on the head now?

who friggin cares what you do or what you think.

and as for you 8:59 - emotional intelligence? what the frick is that? and empathy? sorry, don't know about you but I'm electing a president not a therapist - oh i hope i didn't just step all over your emotional intelligence, boo hoo.

After 8 years of abuse from the Worst President Ever, our country may just need a therapist, not to mention the rest of the world.

9:16 You seem angry at the world--I wish that you will be able to resolve any personal problems that makes you insult people you don't even know. My point is this. Obama is an individual who has selected the right people to work on his campaign. There is a article from a Harvard Professor that talks about what makes a true leader. A true leader is not years of experience... because we all know what years of expeirence can do to you in politics--it just makes you the robot of others and you become numb to the problems that we have as Americans. A true leader is someone who has the capacity to select people correctly and can make decisions without being paid by the "good old boys and girls club" All I am saying is that I am tired of this Bush and possibly Clinton Dynasty. We need something new.

This is hilarious coming from the people that just tried to disenfranchise voters in Nevada.

[Margaret]

Ana's statement, representing the Clinton camopaign, is a perfect example of beating around the same old bush and not telling the whole truth. Seems to me there was another HRC supporter who wasn't so honest with his family, nor the American public.

We're looking for an honest Nominee, one who will be frank with us and tell it like it is - we can take it Ana. We're all grownups here, and most of us are sober.

It is a good thing that Obama isn't campaigning here. Look at the false ads he is running in Nevada . . .

http://www.newsweek.com/id/94900

Those boys from Chicago know how to win at any cost.

[TK]

Let me get this straight - Ana says our votes should count, Obama says they should not, and you folks are ripping on Ana? Unbelievable.

11:13

isn't Hillary from Chicago

12:42

A Democrat sponsored the bill, and the Democratic caucus voted unanimously in favor...don't go blaming the "Republican Legislature"

god you Clinton loonies are so dumb...it makes it too easy

2:28PM - Both the House and Senate vehicles were sponsored by Republicans. God,the Clinton folks maybe dumb, but there's nothing more stupid looking than an idiot playing damage control, calling someone out and getting their facts wrong.

[James]

funny how those who hide behind screen names are those who also resort to name calling and childish rehtoric. From what i have seen, Ana Cruz has decicated much of career to democratic politics and has put herself on line. She is only saying what a lot of floridians are thinking and that is that our votes should count and should also be respected by a presidential candidate. Go Ana Go!

[Peter K.]

I read this blog frequently and have never responded to any of the posts. Until today.

I am sorry Trish and anyone else that can't recognize a Democratic candidate's snub of Florida. There is no comparison between the "pledge" and this new position of Senator Obama. We can argue with party leaders all day long about the right way to run a primary, but it is what it is.

Now we have nearly completed the 1st in the nation primaries and we have one of our own candidates disenfranchising the voters of Florida prior to the election. It has been widely reported and accepted that the delegates from Florida would be seated at the convention. Florida is a key state in the primary but could very well determine the outcome of the general election. Do you think the average swing voter, the voters that we are just winning back, will side with the Democratic Party if our nominee prohibited their delegates from having a seat at the table?

I think that is "win the battle but loose the war" mentality.

I am very disappointed in your post concerning Ana. While I don't know her very well I am familiar with her years of service to our community and the Democratic Party. We might not always agree with someone but that doesn't give any of us the right to launch a public personal attack against the person. I am sure you are a caring thoughtful person. Would you stand in front of someone and say those hurtful things? It is easy to forget that when we are typing words on a computer real caring loving people are reading them.

Let's not forget that regardless of the outcome of this primary we are all American's first, Democrats second, and we support our candidates third. As soon as we have a nominee you, Ana and myself will have to give this election 100%. If we don't I am afraid we will be have a President Huckabee....and you know I just can't see that written in the history books.

God Bless America, we need a Democrat in the White House!

Peter K: I agree with you to a point, but when you send out an e-mail like Cruz did, you open yourself up to critique.

Here's my question: Besides Henriquez's election, what has Ana ever won? The 2002 election year, that she directed, was an unmitigated disaster. She represents her corporate clients well, but I'm surprised that Clinton would choose her to run her Florida political operation.

7:42PM: Here's my answer: I don't know and I don't care. Pretty weak packaging of an attempt to "kill the messenger".

One thing I do know is that any Democratic operative who did work in this state over the last decade or so probably had a daunting task ahead of them with the Party being held hostage by the extreme who voted for kamikaze candidates who couldn't win in the general.

Ms. Cruz seems to be serving her candidate well. I knew the issue of the pledge and the boycott of Florida well, including Obama's dismissing any outcome of our primary. However, it wasn't until Ms. Cruz released the Clinton campaign's reaction did I realize how hypocritical and belitting Obama truly came across.

If your position that Ms. Cruz opened herself up for critique to such an ad nauseum extent held the slightest of merit, I would say that this independent voter's assessment is that she hit the nail on the head. Further, your self-serving post mortem on her career, solely because you disagree with her very candid and very observant message, doesn't detract from my realization that Obama waved his middle finger to me and the rest of the Florida electorate.4

[Jim]

I think Ana is good at the "in your face politics". However, she also has a lot of enemies. If Ana took care of a lot of her personal issues that people criticize her for and would act less threatened to any woman that is in politics, she has the capacity to integrate the right people. This editorial is a great example of the lack of diplomacy in her actions and making statements that have no facts to support it. However, I would have to agree that she has never won anything since the Henriquez'campaign. However, she is a good marketer of herself and exaggerates her talents. We can't blame Ana for that. Blame the people who are stupid enough to not notice and end up hiring her.

Jim,

Let me tell you a bedtime story - every operative who has been around has "a lot of enemies". Further, everyone of them can be accused of exaggerating their talents for marketing sake.

If you actually believe that her statement wasn't formulated and vetted by the hierarchy of the Clinton campaign,....well, your credibility is rather suspect.

Regardless of your view of her track record and personality, she seems to be on the winning team in this instance. I submit that the "people who are stupid" are the ones who crafted Obama's initial assessment of the Florida primary. That campaign took the gloves off way too prematurely. Mark my words, Barack's acidic standup routine from two days ago will mark the beginning of the end.