Headline Or Bust

This is the headline over an above-the-fold story in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram this morning.

The Texas Democratic Party warned Thursday that election night caucuses scheduled for Tuesday could be delayed or disrupted after aides to Hillary Rodham Clinton threatened to sue over the party's complicated delegate selection process.

In a letter sent out late Thursday to both the Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns, Texas Democratic Party lawyer Chad Dunn warned a lawsuit could ruin the Democrats' effort to re-energize voters just as they are turning out in record numbers.

The Clinton campaign denies this up and down and the stories doesn't make clear why the state party was so convinced that the Clintons intended to file a suit. Nevertheless, watch for the headline alone to generate some unfavorable news coverage in TX today.

Comments

Smith writes that the Clinton folks want to ban the proceeding from being moved outside if the crowds overwhelm the caucus sites. The Clinton people are trying to reprise the Nevada caucus playbook where they tell their supporters to get there early and then they close the doors early to the Obama supporters.

The national media needs to keep ts antenna up for voter suppression by the Clintons...when they're back is up against the wall. they will do anything.

Posted by RKA | February 29, 2008 9:25 AM

Suing if you don't like the outcome. That'll go over well in Texas.

Posted by Jake | February 29, 2008 9:38 AM

Also may be the wrong state to do this in for the Clitnons....Texans are very muh opposed to frivolous litigation.

Posted by RKA | February 29, 2008 9:42 AM

"Bill Clinton warned voters in Corpus Christi, where he was making his second campaign stop in two days, that if they didn't vote in the caucus after the polls close, they risked having their votes voided."

"March 4 you are going to be the only people in the entire United States who can vote twice and not go to jail," Clinton joked to a cheering crowd. "You don't want to win this election in the daytime and see it taken away in the dark of night."

This is untrue. You can vote in the primary and not vote in the caucus. But you have to vote in the primary to be able to partcipate in the caucus.

And you can see where the idea of a lawsuit is coming from... we don't get the result we like... we sue.

Posted by Chuck | February 29, 2008 9:46 AM

I feel sick to my stomach right now. Thanks hillary

Posted by Dan | February 29, 2008 9:48 AM

This is the groundwork for the Texas doesn't count strategy.

Posted by neilrlca | February 29, 2008 10:01 AM

Game, set, match, Obama. If he wasn't going to win Texas already, this clinched it.

Posted by SDinIA | February 29, 2008 10:46 AM

A little twist to the rules. You can't have the precinct caucus until everyone in line to vote at the polling place has voted. Precinct caucus are held at your polling place. Polls close at 7 CT, but if you're in line at 7, you can still vote. So, if at 7:15, when you are suppose to have the precinct caucus vote, there are still people voting in the primary, you have to wait until everyone has voted. You can't have any campaign material visible, either, until everyone in line has voted.

I'm sure this is going to end up be very confusing. I'm now seeing why both campaigns have urged people to vote early. I live in a heavily Democratic and activist area of Dallas. I have no idea how they're going to fit even one-tenth of the people who live in my area into the polling place.

Posted by LL | February 29, 2008 10:47 AM

you should have seen the actual paper, marc. the top headline was about clinton's threatened suit in stronger language than you have hear; directly underneath was a story about obama's "message of hope."

pretty funny.

Posted by mark | March 2, 2008 2:04 AM