Surprise! Hillary’s Supporters Not Falling in Line Behind Obama

Foon Rhee reports at Political Intel (Boston Globe):

“Despite Hillary Clinton's repeated entreaties, her supporters are still not falling in behind former rival Barack Obama, according to a new poll released today.

“And that reluctance is weakening Obama six weeks before Election Day, according to the poll conducted for the Associated Press and Yahoo News.

“Among Clinton voters during the Democratic primaries, 58 percent now support Obama -- the same percentage as in June, when Clinton ended her bid and threw her support to Obama -- even though 69 percent view him favorably, up 9 percentage points from June.

“Meanwhile, the share of Clinton supporters saying they'll vote for Republican John McCain grew from 21 percent to 28 percent, with the number of undecided staying constant, according to the survey, conducted by Knowledge Networks.

“And while 87 percent of Republicans are behind their party's nominee, only 74 percent of Democrats say they will vote for Obama.

“Clinton gave an impassioned speech praising Obama at the Democratic National Convention last month, then took the extra step of having delegates formally approve Obama's nomination. Over the weekend, she launched a grassroots effort to get her loyalists on board.”

The Obamas Get It – Barack Needs the Women’s Vote to Defeat McCain

It’s good to know the Obamas have become aware of the contribution Hillary Clinton has made to her country through her life’s work and her historical campaign. It’s also increasingly apparent that both Barack and Michelle have had their eyes opened to the importance of reaching out to Clinton supporters and all women if they expect to defeat John McCain in November.

Adele Stan reports:

“DENVER--Today's meeting of the Democratic Women's Caucus featured a surprise guest: Michelle Obama.

“The potential first lady is making a concerted effort, it seems, to reach out to the different women's constituency groups in the Democratic party, including those closely allied with Hillary Clinton. (Earlier this week, Michelle Obama spoke to a gathering sponsored by Emily's List, the organization that bundles donations to fund pro-choice candidates.)

‘“In today's remarks, Ms. Obama offered Hillary Clinton some major props, saying, ‘Thanks to her, my husband is a better candidate.’ The ballroom full of women echoed with cheers and applause. ‘Thanks to her,’ Michelle Obama continued, ‘his campaign is a better campaign. And thanks to her, my daughters -- and all of our daughters -- have the freedom to dream bigger dreams...’

“Michelle Obama went on to list the causes dear to the hearts of caucus-goers: health care, equal pay, reproductive rights. She spoke rather poignantly of the tensions of being a mother who works outside the home, saying she often feels she short-changing her daughters when she's at work or on the campaign trail, and feels she's giving the job and the campaign short shrift when she focuses on her girls. ‘We all known that guilt,’ she said, ‘and I know I can get an 'amen' on that.’ The audience shouted back, "Amen.”’

“Her remarks ended in an appeal to the party's women activists to redouble their efforts on behalf of the Obama campaign. Predicting the upcoming election to be ‘a tight contest,’ Michelle Obama told a roomful of admirers, ‘Women are going to make the difference in this campaign...I am going to need you every step of the way.”’

Watch Out for those Stubborn Hillary Clinton Supporters

Can you believe it? The Obama camp has landed in Denver, but not to the expected thunderous applause from a unified gathering of delegates. Instead, those stubborn Clinton supporters are still demanding justice for their candidate.

USA Today reports that more than half of Clinton backers are still not sold on Obama. Here’s the scoop:

“DENVER — Fewer than half of Hillary Rodham Clinton's supporters in the presidential primaries say they definitely will vote for Barack Obama in November, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, evidence of a formidable challenge facing Democrats as their national convention opens here today.

In the survey, taken Thursday through Saturday, 47% of Clinton supporters say they are solidly behind Obama, and 23% say they support him but may change their minds before the election.

“Thirty percent say they will vote for Republican John McCain, someone else or no one at all.

“The findings spotlight the stakes for Clinton when she addresses the convention Tuesday and when her name is placed in nomination.”

Read the article in its entirety here.

Hillary’s Backers Will Be Heard in Denver

At Real Clear Politics, Stephen Ohlemacher reports that Clinton backers will be making noise at the Democratic convention in Denver.

In other words, Mr. Ohlemacher, they’re still refusing the dictates of party leaders to sit down, shut up, and get with the program?

Ohlemacher writes:

'"The Clinton and Obama campaigns have pledged in a joint statement to 'ensure that the voices of everyone who participated in this historic process are respected" at the convention.

"They have not, however, decided whether Clinton's name will be placed in nomination.

"'The only way a Democratic Party will have the credibility to elect a Democrat in November is if the party uses a legitimate process to choose its nominee," said Heidi Li Feldman, co-founder of The Denver Group. 'We are not per se a Clinton support group, we are a Democratic Party get-your-act-together support group.'

"Some of the activists complain the Obama campaign manipulated party caucuses; others feel the media treated Clinton unfairly. Nearly all are still angry over how the party divvied up delegates from the Florida and Michigan primaries.

"With the agreement of all Democratic candidates, the states were initially stripped of all their delegates for violating party rules by holding early primaries. None of the candidates campaigned in the two states, but Clinton won the two primaries and thereafter tried to get all the delegates seated.

"The national party reinstated the delegates in May, but gave each a half vote. And it awarded Obama some Michigan delegates, although he had taken his name off that ballot because of the party's initial decision.

"With the nomination clinched, Obama said this month that he would seek to give both delegations full voting rights."

Read more.

Sen. Clinton a Political Force for Years to Come

When Sen. Clinton stood up and voted no to the Senate’s version of the FISA bill yesterday; whereas, the Democratic Party's newly selected presumptive nominee, Barack Obama, caved and voted yes, the news was blasted around the world.

Once again, we were harshly reminded that the Democratic elite in collusion with the media had forced the more reliable and better-qualified candidate out of the race to hand the nomination to Obama.

But according to the Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder, Clinton is wasting no time in gearing up for the future:

“Hillary Clinton has reconstituted her political action committee -- another sign that she plans to remain a political force for years to come.

“Clinton has asked Capricia Marshall, a long-time Clinton friend and former White House social secretary, to be HillPAC's executive director. In that role, Marshall will coordinate Clinton's extracurricular political activities, including her fundraising for other candidates and non-Senate-business political travel.”

Ambinder reminds us:

“In its time, HillPAC was one of the most active PACs on the planet; it went dormant during Clinton's primary campaign and today, its website features a only an e-mail sign-up and a contribution solicitation. When Clinton closes out her campaign account, several staffers and advisers will transfer over to the HillPAC operation. They won't have to move: part of the campaign's Arlington headquarters will become HillPAC central."

Ambinder suggests that fundraising is now the critical issue:

“Fundraising begins soon; the PAC has only about $5,000 cash on hand, according to OpenSecrets.org.

“A Clinton spokesman did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment, but two other Clinton insiders confirmed Marshall's role and the PAC's impending re-opening. Clinton fundraisers have circulated an e-mail asking donors if they wanted to transfer their donations to Sen. Clinton's general election account to the PAC.”

Clinton boasts a considerable following. Ben Smith at Politico recently commented on her powerful email list. Referring to former presidential candidates, Smith reported:

'“It’s Clinton, however, who is the most imposing new member of the legacy candidate club. Aside from her e-mail list, she has direct access to even more supporters on social networks that didn’t exist in 2004. She has more than 158,000 'supporters' on Facebook and more than 191,000 'friends' on MySpace."'

Keep in mind that although the Democratic primary was artificially concluded in June, few if any of Clinton's 18 million supporters have agreed to sit down, shut up, and get with the program dictated by the party elite and its media allies.

Support for Hillary Clinton Climbs Since Democratic Primary

Egalia at Tennessee Guerilla Women reports recent CNN poll results showing that nearly one-third of Hillary Clinton’s supporters are planning to stay home in November; that number is up from 22% from a poll taken in June.

Egalia continues:

“The number who say they will cast a protest vote for McCain has declined.

“According to the CNN poll, strong support and preference for Hillary Rodham Clinton to be the Democratic nominee has increased since the closing days of the primary:

“In another sign the wounds of the heated primary race have yet to heal, 43 percent of registered Democrats polled still say they would prefer Clinton to be the party's presidential nominee. That number is significantly higher than it was in early June, when 35 percent of Democrats polled said they preferred Clinton to lead the party's presidential ticket. . Obama won 59 percent of support from registered Democrats polled in June; now he garners 54 percent.”

Interesting: throughout the Democratic primary, Obama repeatedly labeled Clinton as polarizing and divisive, while describing himself as a uniter, not a divider. Based on the above CNN poll, the presumptive nominee is having some difficulty uniting his own party.

18 Million Cracks in the Ceiling

Below is an excerpt from “The Progress Report,” issued by The Center for American Progress Action Fund on Monday, June 9, 2008. The Report’s comments about Hillary Clinton’s recent speech and her campaign are a must-read for Clinton supporters.

On Saturday, thousands of people joined Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) as she ended her historic run for president. "Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it," Clinton told her supporters. "And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time." Her campaign may be over, but the effects of her candidacy will continue to pave the way for progressives. "She shattered barriers on behalf of my daughters and women everywhere, who now know that there are no limits to their dreams," said Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). Even First Lady Laura Bush said she "admired Hillary's grit and strength." Because of Clinton's candidacy, women analysts were featured by the media more frequently, women's issues rose prominently in the national debate, and the need for more women office-holders entered the national consciousness. Even while facing intense displays of misogyny, as the New York Times's Paul Krugman noted, Clinton continued to stay focused and put forth policy proposals that were "surprisingly bold and progressive."

How Else Can Clinton Supporters Let the DNC Know That Sexism and Misogyny Are No Longer Acceptable?

Photo credits: AP

According to Monday’s US News and World Report, “A major topic for speculation in the media this morning is the extent to which Clinton's supporters will now rally around Obama.”

Noting that although Clinton endorsed Obama and urged her supporters to rally behind him in her speech on Saturday, she kept her 1915 delegates, the above article cites comments from several other news sources:

‘“The Wall Street Journal says ‘questions linger’ about ‘how soon and how sincerely her campaign and her supporters will rally behind’ Obama. USA Today reports Obama's campaign ‘says female voters will respond to Obama's life in a ‘female-centric'’family, as he discusses the influences of his mother, grandmother, wife and mother-in-law.

‘“However, McClatchy reports that many Clinton backers remain embittered, and have ‘said they thought that unfair news coverage’from sources such as MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann put Obama over the top. Other ‘common culprits were the Democratic National Committee and the party superdelegates, who helped swing the nomination to Obama in the last few weeks.”’

Personally, my most acutely painful memories of the Democratic race for the nomination are of repeated attempts by party leaders, allied with the good old boys network in the media, to pressure Hillary Clinton to drop out of the race before millions of people had been given a chance to vote.

I couldn’t believe the headlines declaring Obama the nominee the day after his win in North Carolina on the same evening that Clinton won Indiana. And I’ll not soon forget that CNN could not project Clinton’s win until after midnight due to the deliberate withholding of the city of Gary’s results by its mayor, an acknowledged Obama supporter.

In the final analysis, I know I am not alone among Clinton supporters who feel the only effective way to let the DNC know that sexism and misogyny are no longer acceptable is to exit the Democratic party and register hereafter as independents.

Some of us may even choose to vote “present” in November.

Clinton Supporters Are Mad as Hell, and Guess What?

Now that party bigwigs and their media allies have anointed Obama as the Democratic nominee, where can a disaffected Clinton supporter go? Blog.wired.com names a couple of web sites where Clintonites can sign up to help the Republicans in 2008.

Sara Lai Stirland writes:

“They're mad as hell, and Hillary Clinton's supporters aren't going to take it anymore.

“Some Clintonites are so mad about Barack Obama's Tuesday victory that they've launched a web site to build support to launch a lobbying group to support Republican John McCain.”
Read More.