Hillary locks up Emily's List endorsement

[Herman Munster]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/206322,CST-EDT-sweet11.article

Here's a scoop. Soon after Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) makes a 2008 presidential run official, she will win the endorsement of the nation's largest political action committee.
"We are going to be there early on," Ellen Malcolm, the president of Emily's List told me. The backing from Emily's List, while not a surprise, gives Clinton, who already has a muscular organization in place, an institutional running start over chief rivals Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.).

Obama is building a national infrastructure almost from scratch. Edwards is organized but faces big pressure to raise millions of dollars early on to stay in the money game competing with Obama and Clinton.

Clinton and Obama are top Democratic fund-raisers. Clinton also has the best surrogate in the nation when it comes to collecting campaign cash, former President Bill Clinton. Edwards may struggle to land elite donors and fund-raisers who can bundle up money for a candidate by collecting it from others. And when it comes to bundling, no one does it better than Emily's List.

Founded in 1985, Emily's List is a network of donors and activists who back viable -- not marginal -- female candidates who support abortion rights. It's name is an acronym for its motto: "Early money is like yeast, it makes the dough rise." Emily's List raised about $46 million for candidates in the 2006 contests and it's listed as the biggest PAC in the nation by Political Money Line, an independent source of information about campaign fund-raising.

With its financial muscle, Emily's List is a power player -- one of the four legs within the organized Democratic money-raising community, along with labor, trial lawyers and MoveOn.org.

[porphyrian]

1. PACs are the problem, not the solution.

As long as our government can be bought and sold, only the wealthy will be represented. Campaign finance reform now.

[Stephanie]

2. Like she needs more money - she's got all the lobbyist money locked up.

Last year she was the second highest recipient of lobbyist money after Rick Santorum. Rupert Murdoch threw her a fundraiser. Emily's List is throwing good money after bad.

[illinoisprogressive]

8. Speaking of Rupert, did you know she was seen at some Fox party

smoozing it up with the Fox Family??? She is Lieberman in a dress.

[Neshanic]

3. Is Hillary still around? She's as quiet as a church mouse. Thought she took up a hobby.

[Stephanie]

4. Her hobby is raising money.

And running for cover when it's time to take a stand.

[MannyGoldstein]

6. Oh Go Screw

She took a brave stand just yesterday - turns out she's against adding troops to Iraq.

Who says she's not in the vanguard?

[Stephanie]

10. ah yes

very brave of her. way out on a limb.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Let me put this succinctly:

Fuck. Emily's. List.

I worked on a congressional campaign for a woman candidate and Emily's List was beyond useless. It is an inside the beltway insiders social club, with a big budget. As far as helping out woman Dem candidates that really could use the help, they are not worth the powder to blow them to hell.

Trust me: I am measuring my words as carefully as possible. I could be a lot more explicit and colorful regarding my complete disdain and enmity towards that bunch of matronly weasels.

Orgs like Emily's List are why Progressives and Liberals still have an uphill fight ahead of us. Because there are elitists like them who sap our political and economic energies.

[illinoisprogressive]

7. Just about every woman I know wouldn't vote for hillary for anything

She is roundly hated by everyone and only the media and her elitist friends back her. She is a coorporate whore worse than that Ellen T.and is a complete consultant driven robot and if you vote for her you are voting republican anyway.

[MannyGoldstein]

9. When She First Ran, The Women I Know in New York Loved Her

It was actually weird - they loved he and felt compelled to vote for her, but they couldn't articulate the reasons why.

Now they are not particularly enamored of her. I think she'll be toast.

(But I'm wrong a lot.)

[Matariki]

12. I'm a woman. I would vote for Hillary Clinton

But i'd vote for Al Gore first.

[JI7]

11. didn't they endorse Carol Mosely Braun in 2004 Primaries ?

[kaygore]

13. Guess I'll pull my monthy donation to Emily's List

Thanks for the heads up!

[VelmaD]

14. why on earth would you do that?

The entire purpose of the organization is to fund viable women candidates who are pro-choice. Hillary fits that bill. If we're lucky she won't be the only pro-choice woman running in '08.

[Horse with no Name]

15. I don't care

Hillary...put away your campaign dreams.
Whoever steps forward to pull our country back from the abyss is going to win the Presidency.
I only hope that it is a sane Democrat.