Hillary Donors Warn Pelosi: Endorse or We'll Pull Our Money

Posted by Pam Spaulding, Pam's House Blend at 5:50 AM on March 27, 2008.

I tried to lay off blogging about the swill coming out of the operation run by Mark Penn and his boss, the Senator from New York, but I simply can't -- the desperation has turned into such scorched-earth campaigning that it's hard to digest. One can only believe that winning at any cost is the mantra going on in that shop.

Take this latest flap -- wealthy donors sending a letter to Nancy Pelosi that's no less than a street-thug mobster bat to the knees, an extortion attempt to silence the Speaker after she stated her opinion about the role of superdelegates: "If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what's happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic party."

Deep pocket, influential Hillary supporters who are big fundraisers in the party sent out the missive (obtained by TPM Election Central).

From the letter:

We respect those voters and believe that they, like the voters in the states that have already participated, have a right to be heard. None of us should make declarative statements that diminish the importance of their voices and their votes. We are writing to say we believe your remarks on ABC News This Week on March 16th did just that.

...We have been strong supporters of the DCCC. We therefore urge you to clarify your position on super-delegates 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. We appreciate your activities in support of the Democratic Party and your leadership role in the Party and hope you will be responsive to some of your major enthusiastic supporters.

Whoa. Is that BET magnate Bob Johnson up there on the list? The same Bob Johnson who unleashed this race-tinged attack against Obama?

At a rally here for Mrs. Clinton at Columbia College, Mr. Johnson was defending recent comments that Mrs. Clinton made regarding Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She did not mean to take any credit away from him, Mr. Johnson said, when she said that it took President Johnson to sign the civil rights legislation he fought for.

"And to me, as an African-American, I am frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Hillary and Bill Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues since Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood -°© and I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in the book -°© when they have been involved."

My comments today were referring to Barack Obama's time spent as a community organizer, and nothing else. Any other suggestion is simply irresponsible and incorrect.

The fact is that Clinton (or Obama) cannot win enough delegates to secure the nomination outright, given the remaining primaries, so delegate poaching (something she said she wouldn't pursue) is on the table -- and hot and steaming at that. The behavior is pathological at this point.

If I were any of these big donors, I'd be pissed at the crappy return on investment -- her campaign is bleeding money, she didn't wrap up the coronation on Super Tuesday, and it's been one political blunder or another. They should be asking why Hillary won't cut the expensive Mark Penn loose. About the only thing she can point to was a small bounce from capitalizing on the Wright situation (something she probably shouldn't have raised, given her own affiliation with The Fellowship - read this Mother Jones article, or this sex-abuse convicted pastor).

Besides, candidates need to stop harping on the inane, intemperate comments of religious advisors to score political points. Who cares about Obama's or Clinton's religious affiliations as long as they aren't affecting policy -- we're not electing them to enhance our spiritual awareness.

Oh that's right, we're talking about common sense and politics -- my mistake.

***

Fantasist, liar or confused -- more tall tales from Clinton?

I'm really tired, so tired, of this. It's so embarrassing at this point, but she brought it on herself after her Indiana Jones lie about dodging sniper fire during a 1996 Bosnia trip with Sinbad and Chelsea. because of that whopper the press is now digging -- and finding that Hillary is fond of telling tall tales -- this time unearthing a murky fable that she tried to join the Marines.

Who knows what really happened or why, but the fact is that Clinton has damaged herself by raising the trust factor with her lies about death-defying diplomatic adventures in Bosnia. Her highly paid advisers should have known this was going to happen.  

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Tagged as: pelosi, obama, clinton

Pam Spaulding blogs at Pam's House Blend.