Obama, Clinton Use Florida Swing to Bolster Their Support

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Obama, Clinton Use Florida Swing to Bolster Their Support
By Shailagh Murray and Perry Bacon Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, May 22, 2008; A06

TAMPA, May 21 -- Sen. Barack Obama sought on Wednesday to win over general-election voters in the critical swing state of Florida, as rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed to remain in the race until the state's invalidated primary results are counted, even if that means taking the fight to the Democratic National Convention in August.

Obama began his first Florida campaign swing in eight months with a downtown Tampa rally for 15,000 supporters, the start of a three-day tour aimed at introducing the senator from Illinois to core general-election constituencies. Clinton (N.Y.) held three events in South Florida and sought to rally support for her long-shot quest to defeat Obama, despite another setback on Tuesday, when Obama won the Oregon primary and claimed a majority of pledged delegates for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Clinton elevated the state's status in the Democratic primary process to a test of American democracy and a civil rights cause, recalling the bitter recount of 2000 that clinched the White House for George W. Bush. "The lesson of 2000 here in Florida is crystal clear: If any votes are not counted, the will of the people isn't realized and our democracy is diminished," Clinton said in Boca Raton. "You learned the hard way what happens when your votes aren't counted and a candidate with fewer votes is declared the winner."

Clinton added: "I am here today because I believe the decision our party faces is not just about the fate of these votes and outcome of these primaries, it's about whether we will uphold our most fundamental values as Democrats and Americans."

Clinton told the Associated Press she would not leave the race until the impasse over Florida and Michigan is resolved. "I feel very strongly about this," she said of the issue....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/21/AR2008052102751_pf.html