Clinton Donors Warn on Superdelegate Fight

Note from Greetings: This type of politics disgusts me. It is no different than the campaigns run by the Bush team. And with Hillary now appearing regularly on Fox, and her recent meeting for endorsement with the most right wing newspaper (and owner) in the country, The Pittsburgh Tribune Review (just before the PA primary), whose owner personally sponsored the legal funds to keep the heat on Bill Clinton, I have to wonder how much of an about face Senator Clinton has had - and if she is now beholden to the ultra-right wing media of Rupert Murdoch and Dick Scaife. This sounds like "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.", as the song goes. Her nod and wink to the Canadian government on NAFTA, while simultaneously blaming Obama, makes me think so.

March 27, 2008 By JEFF ZELENY, NY Times

WASHINGTON — Leading contributors to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton intensified their effort to keep the Democratic presidential contest alive on Wednesday and urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi to stay out of the superdelegate fight, admonishing her for suggesting that the candidate ahead in pledged delegates — now Senator Barack Obama — should become the nominee.

“This dynamic primary season is not at an end,” said a letter to Ms. Pelosi, which was signed by 21 top Democratic fund-raisers. “Several states and millions of Democratic voters have not yet had a chance to cast their votes.”

The letter, which carried threatening overtones in noting that many signatories were major Democratic donors, highlighted the deepening rift inside the party among supporters for Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama. While Ms. Pelosi has declared her neutrality in the race, she has said that she believes that the party’s superdelegates should not overrule the will of the voters and should back the candidate with the most pledged delegates.

As former President Bill Clinton warned voters in West Virginia to “saddle up” for a heated duel between the candidates, the Clinton supporters asked Ms. Pelosi to “reflect in your comments a more open view to the optional independent actions of each of the delegates” at the convention. In a statement Wednesday evening, a spokesman for Ms. Pelosi said the speaker believed that the fight should be resolved before the convention.

“The speaker believes it would do great harm to the Democratic Party if superdelegates are perceived to overturn the will of the voters,” said Brendan Daly, the spokesman. “This has been her position throughout this primary season, regardless of who was ahead at any particular point in delegates or votes.”

In her remarks on the matter, Ms. Pelosi said earlier this month on the ABC News program “This Week,” “If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic Party.”

In their letter, the Clinton donors reminded Ms. Pelosi that they had contributed to House Democrats and urged her to be “responsive” to their argument on Mrs. Clinton’s behalf.

The letter was signed by some of Mrs. Clinton’s largest fund-raisers, including Robert L. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, and Maureen White and Steven Rattner, longtime friends of the Clintons. They called the position of Ms. Pelosi and a growing number of uncommitted superdelegates “untenable,” and warned against any effort to cut short the race.

Mr. Obama is almost certain to maintain his lead in pledged delegates after the remaining 10 contests are finished on June 3. Mrs. Clinton is working hard to close the gap, making the case to superdelegates that she is the more electable Democratic candidate in the general election.

The letter was the first public indication, in the party’s prolonged nominating fight, that hard feelings in the presidential race could spill over into other Democratic campaigns.

As he campaigned in Parkersburg, W.Va., on Wednesday, Mr. Clinton dismissed concerns that the increasingly bitter nominating fight could wound the party. He said the race should not end until all voters — and superdelegates — had a chance to weigh in.

“I think your vote should be counted, don’t you?” Mr. Clinton said, speaking to voters who are scheduled to cast their ballots May 13. “I know Hillary’s gaining on them when they say, ‘Oh, let’s shut this down now; we don’t want to be divided.’ ”

Mr. Obama’s campaign released a statement calling the letter “inappropriate.”

Aboard his campaign plane Wednesday evening, Mr. Obama called the proposal by Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee for resolving the nominating contest in June “a good one” — though Mr. Obama seemed to be endorsing a June conclusion more than Mr. Bredesen’s idea of convening a meeting of superdelegates to settle the nomination.

“I think giving whoever the nominee is two or three months to pivot into the general election would be extremely helpful, instead of having this drag up to the convention,” Mr. Obama told reporters as he flew to New York.

Patrick Healy contributed reporting from Greensboro, N.C.