Did Clinton break Democrat's no Florida campaigning pledge? (Seen in Siesta Key, Sarasota, Miami)

[seafan]

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080128/NEWS/801280404">Did Clinton break Democrat's no Florida campaigning pledge?

By ANNA SCOTT
January 28, 2008

SIESTA KEY -- Sen. Hillary Clinton appeared to break her pledge against public campaigning in Florida on Sunday by greeting a group of neighbors waiting outside a private fundraiser.

The crowd cheered when Clinton's motorcade stopped. She stepped out and smiled and waved, posed for pictures with supporters and even answered a question from a reporter.
When asked whether this meant she was breaking the Democratic boycott and campaigning before Florida's primary Tuesday, Clinton said, "I just wanted to say hello to a few people who were nice enough to wait for me."

.....

The Democratic presidential candidates pledged not to campaign here before the primary under pressure from the Democratic National Committee, which stripped Florida of its delegates when the state Legislature voted to move the primary date from March to Jan. 29, breaking the party's rules. It is up to the other delegates around the country, not the committee, to decide who gets seated at the party's national nominating convention. ..... Clinton's campaign criticized Obama for breaking the pledge when he recently bought a cable television advertisement that aired in Florida, which Obama said was unavoidable because it was a national ad.

.....

While Clinton did talk with supporters, hearing her give an actual speech meant paying at least $1,000 to be admitted to the $6.6 million home of David and Myrna Band on Flamingo Avenue. One of the Bands' sons, Doug Band, is an aide to former President Bill Clinton..
More than 200 people attended the fundraiser. So far, Clinton has raised more than $7 million in Florida -- about $2.3 million since pledging in September not to campaign publicly.

She was expected to bring in another $750,000 Sunday between the fundraiser in Sarasota and two more in Miami Beach. ..... Earlier Sunday, Clinton's campaign sent out a press release saying she would visit Florida to thank supporters Tuesday "after all polls are closed in the Florida primary, in accordance with her pledge."

[sunonmars]

1. Obama broke it in Sept 2007, so its mute point and his ads also

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/sep/30/obama-vows-do-whats-right/?news-breaking

[SteppingRazor]

2. I don't think so.

Waving to a few supporters and (especially) stopping to take questions from the press on the way to a private fundraiser does not constitute a campaign stop. What's more, Obama has done exactly the same thing after a fundraiser in Florida.

[Ediacara]

3. I think her campaign said Obama did by buying FL ad time in a big package

[AX10]

4. Obama did by running ads in Florida.

[SoFlaJet]

8. they were national ads

not bought by the Obama campaign on local stations-you'll see them on MSNBC but not on the local affiliate

[Nailzberg]

5. There is a major difference between stopping briefly to talk with reporters and a news conference.

This isn't campaigning. She attended a private fundraiser.

[seafan]

6. A bit more from the article:

While Clinton did talk with supporters, hearing her give an actual speech meant paying at least $1,000 to be admitted to the $6.6 million home of David and Myrna Band on Flamingo Avenue. One of the Bands' sons, Doug Band, is an aide to former President Bill Clinton..

.....

A few hours later, (Sami Araboghli, 11) and the rest of the neighbors cheered and chanted, "Thank you, Hillary," when she made the surprise stop on her way out.

"I saw you all waiting and I wanted to say hello," Clinton said. Teenagers and children were given first dibs at photos with Clinton.

"Sure, dear, come on up here," Clinton said to 16-year-old Cristina Conable, putting her arm around her shoulders while Conable's mother snapped the shot.

.....

[southern_dem]

7. Not taking sides

but is there an actual penalty for "breaking the pledge"? As in loss of delegates, fines, whatever?

[Ediacara]

9. There are no delegates to be lost in FL

The whole point of the pledge was to stand together with the DNC and punish the state party for breaking the rules.

[MonkeyFunk]

10. No

next question?