BREAKING: Hillary didn't win Florida, Gravel did!
Tue Jan 29, 2008 at 06:02:42 PM PDT
A source with inside knowledge of the ways in which Florida delegates will be assigned indicates that Mike Gravel will tie for the lead in delegates coming out of the state of Florida. The following statement was released by the Gravel campaign as Hillary Clinton was claiming victory in Florida:
Despite spending almost zero money, zero time campaigning, and getting absolutely zero attention from the national media, Mike Gravel will send as many delegates to the Democratic National Convention as any other candidate. We've heard from other campaigns that it is the delegate count that really matters, and we see this as a reinforcement of our lack of message. We will continue to expand our "silent minority" campaign to the states voting on February 5th and beyond, and promise to continue letting the voters speak up for our campaign, which doesn't really speak for itself.
More reactions after the break...
Chris Matthews broke down the surprising result:
HA! Here we are... late January... night in Alaska... and an Alaskan wins the sunshine state! Can you get any further from Alaska? If a vote is cast in Cuba, could Gravel win outright? Isn't this a blow to Hillary Clinton... that someone who got less than 5 percent of the vote is getting as many delegates as she did? What does that say about her ability to acquire delegates? What does that imply for what she is going to have for breakfast tomorrow? Do you think he'll still go with an omelet, or is she going to look for a change of pace and go with pancakes? I think she should go with pancakes. Pat Buchannan, you're a smart guy... you've run for president before... you have a big appetite. What would you have for breakfast the day after tying Mike Gravel in a primary?
His co-anchor, Keith Olbermann, added the following observation:
"From zero to hero never seemed so true."
The front page of Gravel's website now shows the total delegate tally for all candidates on the ballot, with the "0" next to Gravel's name forming a smiley-face.
While neither the Clinton nor Obama campaigns have responded to this development yet, the Edwards campaign has supported Gravel's claim to the delegate victory, seeing an opportunity to blow the race wide open again:
The delegate count in Florida has solidified our resolve to continue our campaign throughout all 50 states. This is the largest state yet to vote in the primaries, and the tie in its delegates shows how much has yet to be decided. We will continue speaking for all Americans through the February 5th states, into Pennsylvania, and beyond.
We will continue to update this situation as more details become available, but at this point it looks like the night will end with a contentious 4-way tie in the sunshine state.
UPDATE:
I think everyone's vote should count, and I'm not saying Hillary didn't earn her win tonight. I'm just trying to have a little fun. I'm even trying to slam the way Matthews has been slamming Hillary unfairly at times, because I didn't want anyone to feel this parody diary was picking on Clinton. No hard feelings are intended here...
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