On The HUSTINGS
AMID RACE FLAP, FERRARO QUITS CLINTON FINANCE COMMITTEE
A former New York congresswoman and Democratic vice presidential nominee, Geraldine Ferraro, is quitting Senator Clinton's national finance committee amid a flap over Ms. Ferraro's suggestions that Senator Obama's race is fueling his electoral success.
"I am stepping down from your finance committee so I can speak for myself and you can continue to speak for yourself about what is at stake in this campaign," Ms. Ferraro wrote in a letter to Mrs. Clinton obtained by CNN. "The Obama campaign is attacking me to hurt you. I won't let that happen."
In an interview published last week in the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif., Ms. Ferraro said: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. … And if he was a woman of any color he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Mr. Obama's campaign called for Ms. Ferraro's ouster and charged that her comments were part of a series of improper, racially charged comments by Clinton supporters. A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton's campaign, Howard Wolfson, said the campaign played no role in Ms. Ferraro's comments. Ms. Ferraro denied any racism and claimed she was lauding the African-American community for its loyalty to Mr. Obama.
DEAN VISITS FLORIDA AS CLINTON EASES STANCE ON DO-OVER
With high-stakes discussions ongoing about a possible "do-over" Democratic primary in Florida, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean, is paying a quick visit to the Sunshine State.
Dr. Dean arrived in Fort Lauderdale yesterday afternoon, coming from Alabama, a well-placed source told The New York Sun.
A spokeswoman for the Democratic Party, Stacie Paxton, confirmed the trip and said it was to attend a scheduled fund-raiser. However, Dr. Dean was also talking by phone to members of Florida's congressional delegation about the standoff over the primary, the spokeswoman said.
Florida, which voted January 29, and Michigan, which voted January 15, are slated to be stripped of their delegates because their primaries took place before the time window the national party had approved.
Mrs. Clinton had insisted on recognizing the outcome of those contests, which she won, albeit with no campaigning in those states and Senator Obama's name not on the Michigan ballot. However, Mrs. Clinton yesterday said for the first time that new primaries would be acceptable, as well. She rejected "any other solutions," which would include caucuses or an automatic 50-50 split of delegates between her and Mr. Obama.
Senator Nelson of Florida and state lawmakers are proposing a mail-in primary, but on Tuesday the state's congressional delegation rejected that option and the idea of another traditional primary. Mr. Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, told reporters yesterday that he had "real questions" about the logistics of a mail-in vote.
PRESIDENT CLINTON CHASES CAMPAIGN CASH IN MIDTOWN
President Clinton is set to visit a Midtown karaoke bar tonight on a quick detour from the hustings in Pennsylvania. Senator Clinton's campaign is staging a concert featuring an Irish women's ensemble, Celtic Woman, and a U2 tribute band, 2U. Tickets start at $100 for the show at Spotlight Live on Broadway and 49th Street. The Irish theme underscores a concerted effort by Mrs. Clinton in recent weeks to leverage her support in the Irish-American community.
MISSISSIPPI DITTOHEADS MAY HAVE BACKED CLINTON
Liberal Web loggers speculated yesterday that some of Senator Clinton's support in Tuesday's Mississippi primary may have come from conservatives who heeded radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh's call to vote for the former first lady because, in his view, she would be easier to defeat in November than Senator Obama. According to exit polls, 12% of voters in the Democratic contest there described themselves as Republicans and three-quarters of those voted for Mrs. Clinton. On Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton's aides boasted of her strength among independents and Republicans.
