A massive e-mail and Internet campaign is under way aimed at derailing the nomination of Barack Obama and making Hillary Clinton the party’s standard bearer next week in at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
"It’s downright nasty," said Memphis, Tenn., super-delegate and City Council member Myron Lowery, who has shared dozens of the messages he’s received with The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal newspaper.
"I think it’s divisive for the ‘Support Hillary’ campaign to continue at this time. She made the decision to fully support Mr. Obama," said Lowery, who initially supported Clinton but later switched his allegiance to Obama. "I don’t know why they’re not taking their cue from Hillary and falling in line."
Lowery said he does not believe Clinton herself is behind the effort, but that it’s "her supporters, acting on their own because they’re proud of what they have done for her."
Most of the messages Lowery has received from across the country come from Hillary supporters making the case that she won more voters’ votes in the primaries, she won bigger states, that Obama won states that won’t vote Democratic in November, and that she is the only "electable" Democrat.
"Obama could not ‘seal the deal’ with voters during the primaries," said one message Lowery received Tuesday from a Sacha Millstone, a Colorado delegate to next week’s convention. "The more voters got to know him, the more voters chose Hillary Clinton …
"Democrats must offer voters the candidate with the best chance of winning in November, the experienced candidate who understands the problems we face and the solutions we need — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton."
Millstone was informed earlier this month by the political director of the Colorado Democratic Party, William Compton, that a complaint had been filed against her seeking to disqualify her as a delegate for her "disparaging public remarks" about Obama.
Michael Gordon, of Parker City, Ind., wrote to delegates Tuesday as representative of PUMA (which stands for "People United Means Action"), noting that the Obama campaign spent $56 million in July "only to lose ground to (John) McCain…
"Where Obama once got a free pass on such despicable relationships with anti-American people such as Rev. Jeremiah Wright … , (George) Soros … , Louis Farrakhan — the American voters are beginning to realize what a questionable and shady past this man has led," Gordon writes.
Ann Timulinas of North Attleboro, Mass., e-mailed to superdelegates that Clinton was the party’s "only hope for a Democratic president." David Piper, of Glendale, Calif., reminded delegates that Clinton on June 7 "suspended, not ended" her campaign.
"I think it’s a terrible tactic," said Memphis delegate, Baptist minister and Shelby County, Tenn., Democratic Party Chairman Keith Norman. "We had hoped that this kind of politics, especially from within the party, would have been abandoned."
A pledged Obama delegate, Norman noted that some of the attacks are overtly racist and that in one instance Obama was likened to "the Anti-Christ."
"We have a historic moment that we need to grasp and we need to move forward as a unified party," he said.
As for giving Clinton a floor vote, Norman said he is dead-set against it. "All it will do is give the Republican Party a greater opportunity to fight our candidate," Norman said.
Asked if he thought Clinton, who is actively campaigning for Obama, might be orchestrating the disharmony, Norman said, "If she doesn’t stand up and speak against it, then she’s for it. If she’s aware of it, she needs to make a clear statement that this should not be done."
Kelly Jacobs, a Hernando, Miss., delegate pledged to Clinton, said she is not "with that cadre of mal-discontents who want to have a war on the Democratic floor," but she said she thinks it’s only fair to have a floor vote for the New York senator.
"What is my role at the convention then if not to vote for Hillary?" she asked. "If this is just about Obama, then only invite the Obama delegates."
Jacobs was a Howard Dean delegate in 2004 but ended up voting for John Kerry once Dean exited the race. Jacobs said her understanding since high school civics was that the delegates vote for the candidate to whom they’re pledged on the first ballot unless that candidate has taken his or her name out of contention.
Elly Manov of Vero Beach, Fla., a Republican alternate delegate to the St. Paul convention starting Sept. 1, said she’s all for a Hillary Clinton floor vote in Denver.
"Any disharmony in the Democratic Party works for us," she said. "There will be a lot of dissatisfied people."
(E-mail Bartholomew Sullivan of The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal at sullivanb(at)shns.com)
43 thoughts on “Clinton faithful want to stop Obama”
Belle, I had no idea you were 84. When you use terms like “she devil”, it sounds well, youthful and therefore due to your comments, I thought you were.
BHO voted for FISA. Retroactive immunity for the telecoms
and he continued to fund the war.
He opposed the live birth bill and lied about it.
There were so many times when he could have stood up and worked for change as a US Senator. He did nothing.
He had a rep in IL for showing up when the work was done to take the credit.
He is all talk. No accomplishment. He was working with a charity with some 50 million in funds, but the records are sealed. It was a CHARITY using public funds.
People in his district had no heat, were living in crumbling buildings and he did zip. NADA. He actually claimed to know nothing about it.
He didn’t exactly set the world on fire as editor of the Harvard Law Review. Sure it’s a huge honor, but what did he do? Anyone know? Do tell.
So the two places he had executive experience with the charity and the Law Review, there really isn’t anything there.
People are voting for this guy because he is not a republican and he makes pretty speeches, though when he speaks off the cuff he has a lot of “uh” (it’s a drinking contest in the making I tell you) and seems rather lost.
He refused town hall meetings with McCain where issues would actually be discussed. What was he afraid of?
He is doing the minimum 3 debates with McCain only because he has to. If he has all these great ideas, why won’t he articulate them?
As for Roe V Wade, we have a democratic majority and we are expect to gain more democratic seats. Surely, the dems will grow a spine. I guess the lot of you are not counting on that either, which is pretty sad.
Sherry, I would like for you to explain to all of us just exactly WHY YOU DO NOT TRUST OBAMA. That is a question I keep repeating to myself every time I read one of your posts. You keep ranting but don’t say what it is you think he is going to do. What are you afraid of? What in the world has he said or done to give you this attitude? PLEASE EXPLAIN YOUR POINT OF VIEW SO WE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!
colocritic
Geez! I feel like I walked into Romper Room!!!
“You get more with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word” – Al Capone
Obama voted for Retro-Active Immunity for Telecoms, that sealed it for me. I don’t care if Pillary pulls a little
upset scam at the Democrapic Convention, I will not vote for Sir Obama of Camelot or the Pants Suit Wench.
Both are traitors and for anyone who thinks Obama voted for Telecom Immunity out of political necessity, well…, that is a bunch of Horse Hockey. The Democrats let themselves be spirited away by voting for Bush’s war resolution and it just keeps on going and on. The Democrappers are not an opposition party, they are the Harlot party, and they keep doing the Bend Over routine.
The Neo Cons will pull another stunt and the SpinelessCrats in order to not look un-patriotic will bend over and take another cigar in their keesters, all in the name of political expediency. The Democrappers happily live up to this pavlov routine and continue to eviscerate the Consitution. The Democrapic party stands for nothing.
Stupid Democrappers.
Vote Third Party, VOTE NADER!
No More Lexus Liberals of the Fancy Pants ‘the care of our country is off the Table’ Pelosi variety.
No More Fancy Pants Traitors or Pants Suits of Any Nature that have Clintons walking in them.
No More Hairy Reed Traitors
And If I hurt any Democrappers Feelings, then watch out, or I will taunt you a second time.
FOOD FIGHT !!! FOOD FIGHT !!!
I just hope some of you realize you are being suckered by the GOP, before it is too late.
Sherry, I am NOT your KID.. I am an 84 yesr old woman and proud of what I have accomplished in this life and if you want to live this long with a still active brain.. grow up and start using it now.. as they say .child, use it or lose it. Yours is getting faint to see.
I am voting. I am voting against Obama, because I believe the other guy will do less damage.
Perhaps in four years the DNC will have learned something. Or not.
And around and around we go and where it stops nobody knows….
When did the election of the person who will be charged with the awesome duty to manage this country, taking control of the reins and keep it from careening into the abyss get reduced to being just an overly petty, emotionally childish fit over name-calling and finger-pointing and temper tantrums?
An illegal war that has killed over 4100 men and women in US uniforms and 1,000,000 citizens of that country as well as displacing millions more; an economy that is destroyed; a national debt in the trillions and owned by China; an energy industry self destructing under the weight of the corporate greed that controls it; a medical/healthcare system so out of whack that millions are unable to get adequate treatment for anything and will someday require some lifesaving procedure but be denied; A world that is being destroyed by pollution and overuse of its precious resources…Not to mention the appointment of another judge to the Supreme Court; The fight for Roe V Wade (THAT ALONE is reason for ANY woman who holds that she and only she has the right to make decisions about HER body should be voting OBAMA); the fight to get any of our rights back that have been stripped from us by the current regime
And all we care about is whether or not someone, possibly a volunteer that begged to do something for Obama’s campaign or just happened to be recruited for a one time event may have rolled of some snotty immature remark, or because someone in an argument resorts to the immaturity of name-calling or because people get their feelings hurt for some stupid imagined slight, or because their candidate did not get chosen and lost the primary….This is what will determine the next President? I’m not going to vote for Obama because someone who IS voting for him called me stupid, silly, moronic, ___________________ (insert any other adjective here)
“I am NOT going to vote for OBAMA, who may actually save our sorry butts or try like HELL to do so, I’ll show you all that you can’t make me do anything….I’ll show you all” “I’m going to go out and eat worms and I will Never Ever play with you again so there!!!!!”
GROW UP!!!!!!!
THIS IS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU! It’s not about Hillary or Bill or Biden or Kucinich or Huckabee, Romney or anyone else that is out of it and not about the continued “coulda, shoulda woulda” that ain’t going to happen
THIS IS ABOUT SAVING ALL OF OUR Sorry ASSES!
If not Obama, then McCain, then Nader, whoever but make it for REAL reasons not some childish crap!
This is about your country, the World you live in, your family, your community, and your life, not whether or not your friggin sorry ego got bruised!
Whoever gets elected MUST BE the BEST PERSON available for the job and not a result of some petty bickering and childish “I’ll show you” game
I used to think the over generalizations about the Spoiled Self-Absorbed American were just that, over-simplified generalizations that denied us our individualism and intelligence.
I have learned over the past 1/2 century that I was wrong.
We deserve what we get and if we get more of the same then it’s because we are too stupid, self-absorbed and immature for better.
We have become a country of brats that seem intent on self destruction….Just because you are too childish to be rational, then do us ALL a favor…DON’T VOTE AT ALL
Yep! Another prime popcorn moment at the zenith of the silly season.
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle
Give it a rest. You people who wish to support Hillary Clinton at the expense of Barack Obama are not any better than the other idiots who are cheering you on — Bill O’rielly, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity.
You are one and the same with them. You are guilty of sabotage. If you keep playing with fire, we are all going to get burned. You are the Ralph Nader’s of the 21st century.
In the arrogant and asinine words of Bill O’Rielly “shut up!” And in my words — drop dead!
LMartinK
You guys arent getting it still. It’s not about McCain vs Obama vs Hillary. Its about stopping the GOP from taking more control over our country. Stop and examine the culture of the republican party. That culture is a corrupt culture. This is not just campaign talk, it really is in their culture. The evidence spreads over the last 35 years. Nixon, Agnew, Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr, Bush jr, Quackenbush (californians know). Dont think “Oh McCain might not be so bad”, because McCain really means 4 more years of the GOP. We cant afford for that party to grab more power over our country.
Why don’t you study a bit of history regarding the DNC?
The DNC has had roll call every year except 1964 when LBJ was unopposed.
To take Hill out of the roll call is a slap in the face not only to her but to those who voted for her.
She isn’t going to get the nomination. No one truly expects that.
Most don’t want her as VP, because they will not vote for BHO under any circumstances.
I believe your paranoia is getting the better of you.
hillary knows this is happening and she hasn’t taken her name “out of contention”?
any claim of her having no part in this is pure bs, because only hillary has the power to stop this.
hillary either wants this to happen, because she is hoping to back-door her way into being the dem nominee or she is using it as leverage to gain the vp spot.
those are the only two scenarios that make any sense.
ECT.
spartacus…right on the nose.
At that one small gathering of Puma’s and 1 Independent delegate { about 10 – 15 } Hillary was the one who gave them the info on helping her…while saying she believed a ‘ cleansing ‘ was needed…and respect shown for her { Hill’s } voters.
WELL…respect is earned…and not given for horrid behaviour as displayed by Hill or the Puma people.
And, let us not forget it was Hillary who first stated over TV….
” McCain would make a better President than Obama.”
I personally believe Hill and Bill are Dem’s in sheep clothing…they have both acted like they are true Republicans.
As a 75 year old white Feminist…I am totally ashamed of the Clinton’s and the Puma people.
Perhaps if we dismantled the DNC as well as the RNC, and started over, it would serve the greater good.
That’s a great idea Sherry. Because truth be known, it is the National Committee’s that are the crux of the problem before, during and after the elections!
Perhaps we should analyze those caucus figures. For instance HRC carried TX by 5%, yet BHO carried the caucus by 16%. That’s quite a spread.
Hill won TX and BHO came away with the most delegates.
Now that he has the nomination, he wants to fully seat FL and MI, though at one time he bitterly opposed it.
BHO not only got all of the uncommitted votes in MI, but he got Edwards as well.
She got 18 million votes. Perhaps it will count for something when enough of those beat up 18 million decide to help your man lose.
All of this PUMA effort is really just an attempt to extort Obama into offering Senator Clinton the VP slot. THAT will be the “magic compromise” that will bring them all back into the Democratic fold at the convention. They are trying to get as much publicity as possible to inflate their importance.
The question for Obama is: “Which VP best serves the campaign?” (And maybe even more important: “Which VP best serves the country?”) Does Clinton get him more votes (presumably from white working class voters and the few PUMA folks) or does a regionally-popular figure win him electoral votes in a purple area? Or does Richardson win him several states by bringing in the hispanic vote?
The problem for PUMA is that the presence of Clinton on the ticket probably would not convince many anti-Obama voters to vote for Obama/Clinton.
“many of us will NEVER, EVER forgive her”
Yeah, well I guess we are at an impasse aren’t we? Many of us feel the exact same way about Obama and his ilk. You can’t blame Hill. It’s her “moronic, manical, menopausal” supporters.
Words like yours are never healing, they only serve to inflame.
I am not a democrat. I am an independent. I don’t give a care about party. Perhaps if we dismantled the DNC as well as the RNC, and started over, it would serve the greater good.
I really think this 18 million votes figure needs to be put to rest, before it becomes some sort of holy cow. For example, picking up on the good point by pollchecker: has anyone done an analysis to estimate how many of those votes were from Republicans (as incited by the likes of Limbaugh and Coulter)? How many people registered Demo for the primaries only to rescind their registration after the show passed through their state?? And a phone or buttonholing survey to find out how many who legitimately voted for Hillary in the primary battles will continue to vote for the Dem candidate in the election, or are going to vote rather for McCain, or abstain??? We need better info than just to trundle out this same old figure, as if it doesn’t need some serious parsing.
PUMA risks not only making Hillary as popular as Benedict Arnold for the rest of her life, but turning our country into a police state with four more years of Bush/Cheney/McCain. Luckily it is a small, powerless group.
I’d call them idiots, except I fear that it would be an insult to idiots.
Hillary ran a horrible campaign; she provided fodder and lies that McCain has adopted; her personal campaign’s administrative skills were so poor and self-defeating that her own top aides were at war (Imagine four years of her presidency being no different); she lied, she cheated, and she believed in her own invincibility. The small, extremely determined Hillarians who continue to torture themselves with the deluded idea that she could ever be president are interesting to watch, though, much like seeing Mr. Bean shopping for christmas ornaments.
WHEN WILL THESE FANATICS FINALLY GIVE UP??????
I’ve never seen the followers of any political candidate behave in such an insane manner: they’re a cult, not a political movement. What makes this especially tragic is that Hillary and her people caused a large part of this with their ‘fuzzy math’ and manipulation: had they told her followers the truth in the first place, that Hillary had NO CHANCE WHATSOEVER OF WINNING THE NOMINATION, then this nonsense would not be so outspoken. However, her campaign chose to lie about the numbers; lie about the primaries; lie about the caucuses; lie about Florida and Michigan; and lie, lie, lie in order not to give up the ghost and keep both the money coming in and her failed campaign going. It was a sham, and her crazier followers simply won’t let it go.
Hillary needs to fess up and admit the truth finally, if that’s what it takes. Otherwise, she risks continually being the cause of splitting this party, for which many of us will NEVER, EVER forgive her. She started it; she needs to put it to rest, even if she needs to eat loads of humble pie. Whatever it takes to keep McBush out of the White House, unless she really isn’t serious. Then, her nuttier followers will either have to see the light, or admit they are simply selfish, self-serving witches who don’t care about electing Hillary, or a Democrat: it’s all about THEM!
If I honestly thought BHO would be better than McCain, I would hold my nose and vote for him. The fact is, I don’t trust him.
Can you say “sour grapes?” Do you want to cut off your nose to spite your face? The reason Hillary lost was because her campaign was mis-managed–not a very good recommendation for a possible president. Also, Bill should have been sent to a pleasant, but isolated, island for the past year and a half. If the PUMAS want to destroy the country, they will also destroy Hillary for the rest of history. (This may not be very long if McCain is president. Do you want a stupid, senile, demented man with an uncontrolable temper with his finger next to the red button?)
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