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Posted
Saturday, January 26, 2008 8:04 PM
| By
Christopher Beam
Hillary Clinton just sent out an e-mail saying she called
Obama to congratulate him on his win. Then this:
“We now turn our attention to the millions of Americans who
will make their voices heard in Florida and
the twenty-two states as well as American
Samoa who will vote on February 5th.”
Clinton has been talking
about Florida
as if it were any other primary. The reason: If people treat Florida
as a real contest—not just a beauty contest—they’ll have to treat her win in Michigan the same way.
It’s a smart move, if only because her declarations that Florida matters are self-fulfilling. If she
says it matters, and convinces people to show up and vote for her, then yes, it does
matter. And what can Obama say to rebut it? He can’t say Florida doesn’t matter. That would violate Rule No. 1 of primary campaigning: Don't insult a state until its primary is over. The best he can do
is emphasize the importance of delegates rather than states -- a flimsy-sounding case now, but one that will sound a lot more cogent if Super Tuesday doesn't produce a clear winner.
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