War Breaking Out Over Superdelegate Role in Democratic Primary
Hillary Clinton pauses while speaking at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, N.C., Thursday. Her supporters stirred controversy when they called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to stop saying superdelegates should follow the lead of pledged delegates. (AP Photo)
The battle over the Democratic presidential nomination turned nasty on Thursday, one day after Hillary Clinton donors subtly threatened to stop the spigots for House Democrats if Speaker Nancy Pelosi insists superdelegates vote the same way as pledged delegates.
Liberal group MoveOn.org — which has endorsed Barack Obama — issued a letter to its members, asking them to sign on to a statement that says millionaire donors shouldn’t dictate how the race is won. It also asked for members to match the money the donors would otherwise supply.
“The Democratic nomination should be decided by the voters — not by superdelegates or party high-rollers. We’ve given money — and time — to progressive candidates and causes, and we’ll support Speaker Pelosi and others who stand up for democracy in the Democratic Party,” reads the statement.
In sending the request to join, MoveOn’s political action team called the donors’ letter to Pelosi “the worst kind of insider politics — billionaires bullying our elected leaders into ignoring the will of the voters.”
In the letter sent to Pelosi on Wednesday, the Clinton supporters asked that the House speaker retract statements she made a week prior calling for superdelegates to follow the will of primary and caucus voters.
Superdelegates “must look to not one criterion but to the full panoply of factors that will help them assess who will be the party’s strongest nominee in the general election,” the donors wrote.
The letter also noted the donors “have been strong supporters” of the House Democrats’ fundraising arm.
“We therefore urge you to clarify your position on superdelegates and reflect in your comments a more open view to the optional independent actions of each of the delegates at the national convention in August.”
Spokesman Brendan Daly said Pelosi is confident superdelegates will make their choice between Clinton and Obama “based on many considerations, including respecting the decisions of millions of Americans who have voted in primaries and participated in caucuses. The speaker believes it would do great harm to the Democratic Party if superdelegates are perceived to overturn the will of the voters. This has been her position throughout this primary season, regardless of who was ahead at any particular point in delegates or votes.”
Clinton campaign officials said on a conference call Thursday that they knew about the pointed letter to Pelosi beforehand but only in general terms.
“We got a heads up,” said a spokesman, adding that everyone recognizes that superdelegates have the responsibility to exercise independent judgment about who is best for the party and the country.
The officials denied knowing the details or approving of any of the language. Pressed on the tenor of the letter, Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson said the Clinton camp is committed to electing Democrats to the House of Representatives and “believe strongly in Pelosi’s leadership.”
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Democratic donors who wrote Pelosi have contributed nearly $24 million to Democratic candidates and committees over the last 10 years.
Hillary Clinton’s Senate and presidential campaigns and her political action committee received $554,000. By comparison, Barack Obama collected $52,200. Contributions for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which helps Democratic House candidates, equaled $2.9 million.
BET founder Robert Johnson, a Clinton supporter who has contributed $2 million to Democratic candidates over the years, and signed onto the letter, said he will continue to contribute to the party but it’s the superdelegates’ prerogative to choose who they want.
“The real issue is fundamental fairness in making sure that the superdelegates carry out their role. They are not, as Nancy Pelosi, would suggest ‘confirmation delegates.’ They are not robot delegates. They are superdelegates whose charter authorizes them to analyze who will be the better candidate of the two to run against the Republican candidate and win the presidency,” Johnson said. He added that he has a letter on his desk from Pelosi asking him to contribute $100,000 to the national convention, but he has not decided yet whether he will donate.
The MoveOn team also calls for the members to match “whatever the CEOs and billionaires refuse to contribute.”
Calling Clinton’s donors “the old guard,” the MoveOn group said, “This is how the Democratic Party used to function — the big donors called the shots. But the small donor revolution has changed that. The 20 people who signed this letter have given Democrats an average of $2.4 million per year over the last 10 years. Small donations now dwarf that: In February alone, Obama and Clinton raised $47 million in small donations.”
I show no pity for Flordia or Michigan they flaunted and snub their noses to DNC Rules and thought they would get away with doing this in the long run. Maybe you Clinton die-hards will realize this after Sen. Obama has won the nomination. Don’t vote or better yet vote for Johnny Mac. The Clinton’s are a nasty wound to our souls and have been for their terrible lies and whinning over the years.
Obama 08
Nancy Pelosi’s argument basically states that Sen. Kennedy and John Kerry and Gov. Richardson and others in states that Hillary won should now vote for Hillary instead of Obama because she won their states and thats the will of the people in their states.
We all know that is not going to happen which is precisely why Hillary wants it to stay the way it has been for years. Superdelegates get their own independent vote.
It just so happens this year their votes will most likely decide the nominee. If Obama supporters want to complain about something they should be complaining about the proportionate distribution system that we have for awarding delegates because if it was winner take all this battle would have been over already.
Oh wait…Hillary would have won then so we cant argue for that.
It’s interesting how in the republican party no one cared that Mike Huckabee remained in the race to the very end.
Oh wait…probably because he had no mathematical chance of winning the nomination. There werent even enough delegates left for him to catch up.
Yet we all want Hillary to just give up and quit and are all yelling at her for staying in the race.
Hmmm….could it be because she actually has a chance to win this.
I never knew how many quitters we had in the democratic party leadership…they are all being exposed which is a good thing.
Comments like Hillary would have an excellent career in the Senate as if to say dont bother for the White House you wont make it?
In the last 40- 50 years who was the last 2 term Democratic Party president?
That’s right it was a Clinton, and we haven’t been in the White House since. These defeatist attitudes going around right now forcing a candidate out who can make our party win, make me sick to be a democrat.
My nominee will not be a person who is friendly with a racist pastor, who accepts this racist pastor as family, whose pastor talks down on white people as rich racists yet builds an expensive house while many poor black people go homeless.
A nominee who claims he is for all people but gives less than 1% of his wealth to charity only increasing it when he runs for president. Oh wait his largest donation $27,500 went to his racist pastor’s church. Money well given.
A nominee who lies about his own family and belittles his own grandmother on national tv.
To the democratic party I say a vote for Obama in July or August will be a no vote for me in November.
With respect to Jenna, first off, let me say that I think the Democratic party’s original idea to strip those states that did NOT follow party rules off all of their delegates. I think the Republican party chose a fairer punishment: delegate totals cut in half so that voters would still have a say.
However, it is wrong to say Hillary won Michigan and and Florida “fair and square.” Please recall that the Democratic party rules, to which both Hillary and Obama agreed to abide by, were for Democratic candidate not to campaign there and not to put their names on the ballot because those states did not play by the rules. Since Obama was not on the ballots in those states, AND because voters knew they didn’t count, turnout was very low, particularly when compared to the national registration surge. Hillary Clinton broke her own word and party rules and did NOT win anything aside from the ire of Democratic party leaders.
Hillary Clinton needs to do the math and bow out of the race she cannot win either in the at the convention or in the Fall. I used to entertain voting for Clinton based on her “experience” but have been totally turned off by her tactics and “win at all costs” strategies that are literally destroying the Democratic Party and have eroded the sizeable national lead the Democratic party had.