DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND ENDORSES...

[unapatriciated]

Imagine if the headline read that instead of
MoveOn Endorses...
So they had some kind of poll where SOME of their members picked who they like.
We all know how accurate polls are.
MoveOn is founded on furthering progressive ideals.
Some think Obama is more progressive.
Some think Hillary is more progressive.
It is a matter of opinion and not fact.

How many of you would quit DU if they publicly endorsed a candidate that you did not support?

On edit: - I am not backing either frontrunner since my candidate dropped out.
I simply do not think any organization which runs on member donated money should assume it knows who's best for ALL their members.

[joshcryer]

1. Thank god I don't really support anyone.

Actually, it might do me some good to take a break from DU.

After Super Tuesday maybe. :)

[MonkeyFunk]

2. actually, MoveOn was NOT founded on furthering progressive ideals..

it was founded to try to forestall a Clinton impeachment. That was the extent of their original mission, and I was one of the first contributors.

The've since morphed into something else.

[gateley]

4. That's interesting about their original mission - I never knew that.

The things you learn on DU.....:7

Thanks for the continuing education. :hi:

[MonkeyFunk]

6. yep

it was an electronic petition to convince congress to censure Clinton and "move on".

[rodeodance]

21. yup I recall that.

[unapatriciated]

11. Yes, you are right - thanks...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_MoveOn.org
But it didn't take them long to "morph" into the current MoveOn
That's when I became a member - in 1999

[Unsane]

12. So they should be biased in Clinton's favor forever!

:crazy:

[unapatriciated]

15. They should be unbiased

[MonkeyFunk]

29. I don't pretend to say what they "should" do

I stopped caring about them after the impeachment, when they decided to keep the money-train rolling by getting into some other business.

[unapatriciated]

14. That's ironic...

An organization created to support the Clintons is now working to take down the Clintons
:sarcasm:

[newmajority]

28. How is that "taking down the Clintons"?

Nobody's trying to throw Hillary out of the Senate. However it is a fact that a majority of their members don't want her to be President. Just as is the case with an overwhelming majority of Americans.

[unapatriciated]

36. Notice the sarcasm tag...

you can't even make a joke on here anymore

[neutron]

18. obviously, they have radically changed

[shaniqua6392]

3. I would quit in a heartbeat.

Just like I quit Move On and The Nation Magazine.

[SoFlaJet]

16. you also need

to stop watching Real Time and Countdown-you Clinton-ites are unbelievable-you people are acting like republicans I guess if a French political leader came out said and Obama would make a great president we would soon see Hillary Clinton's supporters here at DU say we need to stop calling french fries FRENCH fries now...you know just like the RWers did

[shaniqua6392]

26. For your information....

I am not a Clinton-ite. I just want certain entities to remain unbiased to certain candidates. I don't really care which of the candidates gets the nomination, as long as it is a Dem. I would appreciate it if you Obama lovers would not prejudge other DU'ers like this. Some of us really don't care because we have already had our primary and we will vote for whoever gets the nom in the GE. It is insulting.

[SoFlaJet]

31. for your information

I was for Gore first, then Kerry (until Clinton and her buddy McCain threw him under the bus) then Edwards and NOW Obama-again, Move On took a survey asking us members who WE want and they would back us up

[unapatriciated]

37. Should Du take the same survey?...

and publicly ENDORSE the winner?

[SoFlaJet]

39. only if they want

to see all the hatred and vitriol they can stand from Clinton's surrogates and supporters when Obama wins

[demnan]

5. Well didn't DU already vote for Kucinich?

n/t

[ingac70]

9. Yes.. notice how that is ignored. n/t.

[chascarrillo]

17. I quit DU.

:sarcasm:

[Uben]

7. Since I donate regularly to DU

...and they have no policy of endorsing primary candidates, I don't think it would be ethical for them to use those funds to endorse any candidates. If they endorsed Obama, the Clinton supporters money would be used to endorse Obama, and if they endorsed Clinton, the Obama supporters money would go to endorse her. That is not ethical by any means.

If they established the fact that they were going to start endorsing primary candidates next year, it would give members the option to opt out before they donated, and then I would see no problems with it.

[ingac70]

8. They sent e-mails to the membership for the vote...

If some Hillary supporters didn't bother to read it that is their problem.

[neutron]

23. They sent them the NIGHT before the deadline

on a weekday, when most people come home from a 10 hour day and
are not going to read their pollitical email.

This was a MoveOn con job.

[Skidmore]

10. Let me know when your face turns blue and you pass out.

[unapatriciated]

44. I guess you didn't notice that I have not chosen between...

Clinton and Obama. My candidate dropped out. I will cast my vote Tuesday. There are many of us, who on very short notice are left at deciding our vote all over again. So to insult me for raising a valid point does not help your candidate. I doubt if he would approve of such insults.

[Jed Dilligan]

13. So quit MoveOn

What's the big deal? They knew some people would quit when they did this.

Why is everyone so convinced that the vote was inaccurate? No one has explained to me how the method they used would bias the vote for Obama.

[neutron]

19. I quit MoveOn yesterday

[Jed Dilligan]

25. Then why are you still griping?

As a non-member, you don't have any further say in the matter.

[neutron]

27. I'm clarifying Lies - how is that griping?

[Jed Dilligan]

33. There's only one lie I found in the PR

and that was, in today's climate, closer to the genre of "distortion" than outright lying.

[unapatriciated]

30. apparently , as a member, he did not have a say to begin with

[Jed Dilligan]

32. Yeah he did

He got an e-mail asking whom he supported--that was his say. (Assuming you're right on the poster's gender)

[unapatriciated]

47. Well I'm still waiting on my e-mail...

and I have been a member since 1999. It could not possible be accurate on such short notice. All it accomplished was the disenfranchisement of many of their members including one's like myself who did not support either of the two front runners.

[SoFlaJet]

24. and it's not like MoveOn itself

came out and said THEY were supporting Obama, they took a VOTE of the membership through an E-mail campaign saying they would promote the candidate that THE MEMBERSHIP VOTED FOR!!! Just keep up with the hate and division Clinton operatives-soon the island you're standing on will become a rock jutting out of an ocean

[unapatriciated]

40. Yet, the headline reads...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/us/politics/02dems.html?ref=politics
Obama Wins Endorsement of MoveOn.org

By JEFF ZELENY and PATRICK HEALY
Published: February 2, 2008
LOS ANGELES — As the Democratic presidential rivals dashed into a final weekend of campaigning before the nominating contests here and in 21 other states next Tuesday, Senator Barack Obama collected the endorsement on Friday of a leading antiwar group, MoveOn.org. He said his opposition to the war would make him a stronger general election candidate.

[unapatriciated]

48. I'm not saying it was biased...

What I'm saying is that it was divisive and not necessary. It was done on very short notice based on sending out e-mails then immediately holding an on-line voting. I have been a member since 1999 and did not receive an e-mail, so I'm sure there were others who failed to get notice. I am neither an Obama or Clinton supporter and I see the fighting every day between the two camps on this board but this is a discussion board so it doesn't affect issues. I joined MoveOn (in 1999) to further progressive issues not to see it start a war with it's members.

[maximusveritas]

20. So unions and organizations like Emily's List shouldn't endorse either?

I've donated to Emily's List and will continue to do so even though they support another candidate. It would be childish to do otherwise.

[cd3dem]

34. when my union endorses someone I don't like, I ask for a rebate and get it!

[neutron]

35. did Emily's List deceive their members and Lie to the media?

The media is NOT just saying MoveOn endorsed Obama.
The crawl on MSNBC stated that the 3 million members in MoveOn
endorsed Obama.
And the NYT gives the impession that the 1.7 million stateside
membership endorsed Obama.

Not just a token few.

If Ellie what his name wants to endorse Obama, fine and good.
But he has no business implying that membership is behind this,
when FEW MEMBERS EVEN KNEW there was a vote.

Dumping out an email the evening of a business day with a deadline
of the next morning is rushing something through and then
slamming it out to the media outlets.

MoveOn should refund all donations to members who do not
like their cheap, sleazy tactics.

[unapatriciated]

43. There is a big difference between a paper ballot,,,,,

and a very short notice on-line poll. When unions decide to endorse they give more than few days notice to vote and usually many ways and places to do so. They also use paper ballots not on-line polls. But that is not my point. MoveOn is about furthering progressive ideals, not in dividing their membership. I also might add my union always gave me a choice whether or not to use my dues to support their endorsed candidate.

[cd3dem]

22. agreed... besides... MoveOn.org should endorse ideas... not candidates...

[russian33]

38. if DU endorses ANY candidate in the primaries

i would stop donating, and quit...

DU, like any other democratic site, should support Democratic causes, and not drive a wedge in the party...imho

[emilyg]

41. Agree.

[KennedyGuy]

42. I thought DU already HAD endorsed....

can't get any more pro-Omaba than on his own site..
From sanctioned, co-ordinated attacks against Hill supporters to all day Hill bashing.

[thevoiceofreason]

46. Get real

There is equal amounts of venom both ways.

And, although I may have missed it in my having to pay attention at work, I have yet to see you say anything even neutral toward Barack.

[ErnestoG]

45. I wouldn't, because I'm not that stupid, selfish and shallow.

[unapatriciated]

49. So I'm stupid,selfish and shallow...

because I'm upset that MoveOn started an unnecessary war between their members. One that could have an affect on whether or not they would be able to raise the funds needed to further progressive ideals. I would feel the same way if they had endorsed Clinton. This endorsement will not change any votes in the primary(most voters have already decided) , all this accomplished was to divide and weaken MoveOn.