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Clinton Gives Cold Shoulder To Voters Needing Champion

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 6, 2007

Updated: 09/05/2007 11:11 pm

Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama made an enormous mistake over the weekend by pledging not to campaign in Florida before the state's presidential primary on Jan. 29.

The two Democratic senators joined John Edwards and second-tier candidates in agreeing to boycott the Sunshine State for ignoring party rules and moving up its primary.

By refusing to meet and greet the people of this diverse state, Clinton, Obama and the other Democratic candidates will create a void in which others can define them - a dangerous political strategy at any level. Just because they don't show up doesn't mean Floridians won't engage in a rich debate about their qualifications and character.

Clinton's flip-flop is particularly vexing. The Democratic frontrunner had promised to campaign here despite the Democratic National Committee's retaliatory decision to ban Florida delegates from the national convention. Delegates officially nominate a candidate on behalf of the party's electorate, so winning a state with no sitting delegates is said to be a hollow victory.

Such a view underestimates the power of Florida, a perennial battleground state in the race for the White House.

Given the timing of this primary, whoever wins Florida - with or without delegates - stands to gain an unbeatable bounce just days before a Super Tuesday-like slew of other state primaries.

What Floridians have learned from this decision is that Clinton is willing to kowtow to people with influence - in this case, the excitable and unpredictable DNC chair Howard Dean - at the expense of average citizens.

After all, how a candidate runs her campaign says a lot about the leader she might be.

Clinton should have used the standoff to demonstrate leadership and show that she can solve challenging problems. Instead, she promised one thing and is now doing another.

Yet she still expects Floridians to believe she can stand strong on the world stage.

At a time when Democrats stand a good chance of regaining the White House, Clinton, Obama and the other candidates have demoralized the rank and file who want their votes to count. Judging by the letters we've received, Democrats are angry.

The Democratic National Committee may have the right to determine its convention membership, but alienating voters is no way to win an election.

Until now, Democrats have had the tailwind in this presidential race. These latest missteps suggest a preview of how they plan to lose.

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