NYT: Bitterness among Obama and Clinton donors remains

[TeamJordan23]

July 9, 2008
Obama Donors Aren’t Rushing to Aid Clinton
By PATRICK HEALY

A prominent donor to Senator Barack Obama recently sent an e-mail plea to other supporters, asking them — for the sake of Democratic unity — to write checks to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to help retire her $23 million in campaign debt.

Some of the replies are unprintable, given the coarse language, the donor said. A sampling of others included:

“Why would I help pay off debts that Hillary amassed simply to keep damaging Senator Obama?”

“Gas prices are up, the markets are in turmoil, my kid’s fall tuition bill is coming soon. Writing checks to politicians I don’t like is not at the top of my list.”

“Not a penny for that woman. Or her husband. Or — god forbid — Mark Penn,” a reference to Mrs. Clinton’s former senior strategist, whose firm is still owed several million dollars for work that included aggressive attacks on Mr. Obama.

As Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton prepare for their first joint fund-raisers to benefit the Obama campaign, in New York City on Wednesday and Thursday, their two camps are straining under the weight of continued resentments, recriminations and feelings that remain raw since the long primary battle.

Mr. Obama has asked his top donors to help raise money for her debt, and so far they have come up with less than $100,000 (though more in pledges), Clinton campaign officials said — a “paltry sum,” in the words of one.

Several Obama donors said in interviews that they were balking at Mr. Obama’s call for help because they believed Mrs. Clinton accumulated most of her debts after she had lost any mathematical chance of winning the nomination and was hanging on only in hopes of an Obama collapse. The idea of helping her now — and lining the pockets of Mr. Penn, a reviled figure in the Obama camp — is galling to them, they said, especially at a time when they say any available money should go to defeating Senator John McCain and the Republicans in November.

While no other presidential candidate has ever amassed so much personal and campaign debt en route to losing the nomination as has Mrs. Clinton, both Clinton and Obama donors say the larger problem for Democrats is that if the Obama camp is seen as unhelpful, Mrs. Clinton, her husband and their supporters could prove something less than a force for unity.

Among the complaints from Obama campaign officials is that Mrs. Clinton’s expectation for help has been a moving target; in other words, it is unclear how much money from Obama supporters will be enough to satisfy the Clintons. Even Clinton officials and donors were at a loss to specify a number, saying only that Mrs. Clinton was helping Mr. Obama with the understanding that he would do more for her.

Continue Reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/us/politics/09debt.html

[Maat]

1. Oh, my.

I guess someone should have planned better for a certain contingency.

[TheDebbieDee]

2. The Wall Street Journal, a Rupert Murdoch birdcage-liner

came out with this story earlier today.

I think these repukes are trying to sow enmity between the Barack supporters and the former Clinton supporters that are now backing Obama. I hope we don't let the enmity grow!

[mikiturner]

4. Totally agreed

The press has a vested interest in sowing dissent and anger.

[Radio_Lady]

18. Sorry, but I believe they are covering a real story. Hillary was the runner up.

It could have gone the other way. It's debatable whether or not there was vested interest in putting a black man up rather than an older white woman.

She had some special circumstances which I don't believe any other female had (a former First Lady with a husband who had been president).

I think she is a dynamic and talented woman who deserves a chance to be on the ticket.

Let's see if there are any people on this forum who agree with me.

Certainly not willing to fight about this any more. It's my opinion and I've owned it since April.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Radio_Lady/238

[Phx_Dem]

21. She was the "runner up"

only in that she came in second. But is wasn't a close second, as the media erroneously implies.

#1 Hillary didn't get more popular votes -- unless she counts the Russian-style elections that DO NOT COUNT. Where I come from, that's called cheating and lying.

#2 Obama pretty won the nomination on Feb. 19 after his 11-straight win, and sowed it up by March 11 when Hillary didn't really win Texas (Obama won the causus and got more delegates). It was then a near mathematical impossiblity for Hillary to win.

#3 Delegates decide the winner and the delegate count wasn't really close.

So I would disagree that it "could have gone the other way." It was a mathmatical near-impossibility after Feb. 19. The only way it could have "gone the other way" was if something had happened to Obama. Thankfully, it didn't.

Note to Obama: Don't use Hillary's old plane anymore.


(Mrs Phx-Dem)

[Radio_Lady]

25. OK. She was the runner up. She beat the other men in the primaries....

Her campaign was not well handled -- either before or after February 19th.

As far as the sexism right from the very beginning, you could cut it with a knife.

Disgusting and degrading.

I'm sorry. She definitely had "exterior forces" working against her from the get-go.

That's it.

I'm done.

Have a good summer day, PHX_DEM.

Warm regards,

Lady Ellen in Alpen Knolls

[Phx_Dem]

33. Hillary had to deal with sexism

and Obama had to deal with racism. It was -- and in Obama's case still is - very ugly, but that's our unprofessional, opinionated, biased and uniformed media for you.

Warm regards to you too!

[crankychatter]

9. I don't think I've heard the word "enmity" since Sunday School

but I couldn't agree more

[Justitia]

14. Yup, we are seeing these same stories / memes recycled over & over to sow dissension in the ranks.

Let's hope most of us are hip to what the goals are here.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Ya know, it really sucks that we've gotten so low that...

we're in a spot where she goes into deep hock on a wing and a prayer and then holds everyone hostage to pay the bills.

Everything else is working just fine, and now this. I kinda liked Hillary in the past, but now I'm thinking of seeing her and her husband out of politics and out of public life.

Forever.

(If, of course this account is indeed true, which remains to be seen)

[highplainsdem]

10. This is exactly the sort of attitude making unity difficult to achieve.

She continued her campaign as long as she did because she had enough supporters to get approximately as many votes as Obama got. That is not "a wing and a prayer."

It's traditional for the winner to help the closest rival in a primary pay off debts.

And I'm wondering more and more if Obama will need to ask her to be his VP as the ONLY way to get some of his supporters to stop showing so much animosity toward Clinton and her supporters.

So far, his simply asking them repeatedly to be nice to Clinton and her supporters hasn't had much impact with the sore winners.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. It's not the sore winners that are the problem if...

it's true that she's trying to squeeze him for money.

FWIW, I'm not a "winner" in this-- I was hoping Richardson would get it and when our primary came around he already dropped out so I didn't go through hoops I had to to get to my poll. (Either Hillary or Barack was fine with me so I could get away with not voting.)

[highplainsdem]

12. Again, there is nothing unusual about him helping her pay off campaign debt.

[Catherina]

5. I'm not clear on the tecnicalities but is there any reason

the DNC can't pay off Hillary's debt?

Obama's doing fundraisers at $23,000 per person with most of the money going to the DNC.

I'm done writing checks to ANY politician. Let the fat cats bail each other out from now on since most of them protect the same interests.

[dansolo]

6. The DNC needs that money to get other Democrats elected

Why should the DNC give any money to Hillary when their responsibility is to help Democrats to get elected. There are a lot of contested seats and possible pickups that could use some of those funds. Hillary doesn't deserve a penny from the DNC.

[Catherina]

8. Don't misunderstand my point

I'm furious that they're asking little people to scrape pennies to bail out a millionaire. If they're that concerned, they can recycle the millionaire money over to Hillary.

Many of the millionaires backing her are funneling a fortune to the DNC right now. The last place the burden should be is on people making $50,000 a year.

I never understood why it was anyone's business to bail her out at all.

[rpannier]

7. It's been about a month since it ended

It has gotten better and it will continue to do so.

[bluestateguy]

13. Do average, ordinary people really need to know about this Inside Baseball crap?

Is this story taking up the time of a reporter who could be covering the candidates' positions on health care or the Iraq War?

[Beacool]

15. Well, some of Hillary's top donors are not rushing to help Obama either.

There's still a lot of weariness on both sides of the campaigns. Last night they had a segment on CNN where one of her top donors said that she hadn't contributed because she basically didn't like nor trust Obama.

If this remains, I don't see any other way to really unite the party but having both on the ticket. Some of you may not like the idea, but heck, some of us weren't thrilled at the choice of nominee either. Therefore, we should all suck it in and come together.

:eyes:

[Radio_Lady]

17. Beacool, I saw that interview also. I completely support a unity ticket at this time.

I can't see any way out of this.

Thanks for your cool headed analysis of this.

[Beacool]

20. Thanks!

I haven't changed my tune in quite a while. I have thought for some months now that, since both candidates were almost equal in votes, that they should each be on each other's ticket. Many Hillary supporters are not thrilled by Obama and I know that plenty of his supporters are not thrilled by Hillary, but so what??? Put them both together and maybe we can finally unite the party.


Here's the link to the CNN segment:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/09/clinton.obama/index.html

[Radio_Lady]

26. Good news! At least, we're talking about it and not being beaten with a BIG VERBAL STICK!

Thanks for your comments and the link.

Warm regards,

Lady Ellen in Alpen Knolls

[Beacool]

28. You too take care!!

:hi:

[highplainsdem]

22. Agree. I posted a similar comment upthread last night, that we need a unity ticket to unite the

party. At this point I don't believe anything less than that will work.

[Beacool]

29. Yep, me neither.

United we stand, divided we fall.

[Arugula Latte]

23. I want to smack that hypocritical asshole, Lynn Forester de Rothschild.. She makes me sick.

Obama an "elitist"? What a joke. Her arrogance and presumption is breathtaking.

Here is HER humble background:

"Some background: Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild was introduced to her husband British banking financier Sir Evelyn Robert Adrian de Rothschild by Henry Kissinger at the Bilderberg conference in ‘98. Portfolio labeled her “the flashiest hostess in London.” She’s “mistress” of the Ascott House, the 3,200-acre Rothschild family estate in Buckinghamshire. She’s on the board of Estée Lauder. She’s friends with Tony and Cherie Blair and other big-moneyed Brits, including the utterly corrupt Conrad Black and his wife, Barbara Amiel. She also owns what has been described as “the most beautiful apartment in New York”

What a f@#$ing hypocrite. :grr:

[Doctor_J]

16. Yes, this is the GOP/Big Media daily meme

thanks for bringing it to DU :eyes:

[SurfingAtWork]

19. Clinton could probably build a good deal of good will with Obama supporters if she

Would come out and forcefully denounce groups like PUMA, Roll Call Denver, etc. It also wouldn't kill Obama to approach his small donors and ask them to at least make a small donation $5, $10, whatever.

[DFLforever]

24. You think there's resentment among his big donors,

there would be an explosion of wrath if he asked his small ones. We'd be reading about it in more than the WSJ. The antipathy toward the HRC primary campaign can't be overestimated.

Then there's the practical one. These small donors, most of limited means, are not topped out and Obama needs their money for his campaign.


Generally, when campaigns run out of money and can't drum up financial support, it's because people don't like the odds, so they fold. Hillary decided to go on without that support so is in a poor position now.

I think Obama's flush donors should contribute and raise funds for Hillary because he's asked them to and for the sake of unity. And for practical reasons. Hers won't contribute to him until his contribute to her.

I don't think HRC should give groups like PUMA any recognition at all
even by denouncing them. Most appear to be simply GOP front groups.

[newmajority]

27. Actually, I think Hillary SHOULD denounce PUMA, and as soon as possible.

It's her name, and what they distort as "her" cause that they use to create their miserable cult. Only Hillary herself can take that away from them. And without Hillary, those mutants don't have any illusions left to market themselves on.

[DFLforever]

30. How do we know that HRC would really want to?

Maybe she takes comfort in them and it helps her feel better about what was a terrible blow for her. I couldn't fault her for that. On the other hand, like the rest of America, she probably pays no attention to them whatsoever. So why denounce them?

IMO, these groups like PUMA are duds. Media, especially cable, loves them for the soap opera, but who else? What's left of them, and their delusions, will disintegrate after the convention.

[newmajority]

32. If Obama loses this election, and the media glorifies PUMA as a contributing factor

Then Hillary is going to be blamed for that, whether she encouraged their efforts or not.

Now I'm not saying the PUMA's have anywhere near the numbers to swing an election. But they sure would be a convenient scapegoat for wholesale Republican election fraud, and the media would have no problem pushing the story.

[highplainsdem]

34. She's already spoken out on this and made it clear she doesn't want her supporters to vote for

McCain or sit out the election.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080627/ap_on_el_pr/obama_clinton

The very best way to achieve unity would be for her to be Obama's running mate. Just as it would have been important for her to ask him to be her VP if she'd won the primary race. It was clear she knew that, months ago, and he has to know it, too.

[Dogmudgeon]

31. The Press sure hopes so

Otherwise, they are going to look real stupid.

Again.

How's all that über-hip derision against Al Gore been working for you?

--p!