Angry diehards snub Clinton call for unity: "A highly vocal minority"

[DeepModem Mom]

Financial Times: Angry diehards snub Clinton call for unity
By Edward Luce in Washington
Published: June 25 2008

....(A) highly vocal minority of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters have chosen to ignore her plea altogether. Under the umbrella group, Just Say No Deal, diehard Clintonites have set up more than 100 anti-Obama websites in the last 20 days, most of them boiling with indignation.

Some, such as I Own My Vote and No Quarter, are self-explanatory. Others, such as Done – Democrats Over Nominating Elitists – and Puma – Party Unity My Ass – choose memorable acronyms. With nicknames such as Barky, Nobama and Oblahblah, none are complimentary towards their party’s nominee. Many of the sites are run by women who believe that Mrs Clinton was the victim of a sexist alliance between the mainstream media and Mr Obama’s campaign. Yet much of the language they deploy could easily be mistaken for what comes out of right-wing talk radio....

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Political analysts say that drawn-out nominating battles often leave a residue of bitterness that can take weeks or longer to die down. Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee and former presidential candidate, told the Financial Times that it took two months for his supporters to get over their “grieving” in 2004 and transfer their loyalties to John Kerry.

Opinion polls suggest that many of Mrs Clinton’s supporters – up to a quarter of whom say they will not vote for Mr Obama – are still in the grieving stage. Others are backing Mr Obama because Mrs Clinton has told them to do so....

Many more, says Norman Ornstein, a political analyst in Washington DC, will reluctantly transfer their loyalties after they see Mrs Clinton campaigning with Mr Obama in New Hampshire tomorrow. Mr Obama’s offer to help Mrs Clinton raise funds to pay off some of her campaign debts – which exceed $20m – could provide an added sweetener....

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c55bda52-42c7-11dd-81d0-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1