Purgegate: Just stop it.

[Abacus]

Both campaigns were cleaning their rolls; why are people making something out of nothing?

LOS ANGELES – The campaigns for Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are purging potential California delegates in a bid to ensure that only their loyalists travel to the national convention in August.

Locked in a race with an uncertain outcome, representatives for both camps directed the California Democratic Party this week to knock dozens of names off lists of potential delegates who will be elected Sunday in party caucuses.

Driven by fears that some prospective delegates might be concealing their true allegiances, campaigns have weeded out dubious candidates by searching campaign-finance data, scouring the Internet and making phone calls. Both sides want to guard against electing delegates who might actually support their rival – or even a fringe candidate.

Roger Salazar, a Democratic operative running as a Clinton delegate, compared the behind-the-scenes screening to jury selection.

The campaigns “want to make sure the people who are running for delegate for their candidate are going to stay true to that candidate,” Salazar said. “If they see somebody who is a supporter of the other side, they are going to knock them off” the candidate list for each congressional district.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20080409-1531-ca-californiadelegates.html

Edit: typo

[DJ13]

1. This is what campaigns always do

I think the paper is just upset that this prevents delegate raids between the two candidates at the convention.

[Abacus]

2. I didn't think anything of it

I'd do the same thing if I was in either of their positions. Someone posting something from MyDD that tried to paint it as a crisis.

[papau]

6. 30 or so by Hillary - 900 by Obama - I guess Obama has a few more grudges to settle

[Blackhatjack]

3. There is more to this than you surmise.... Progressives are being ushered off the bus...LINK

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/4/10/133326/191

"This is where the real progressives are being asked to get off the bus. Ideologically motivated people, the progressives who have been in Bush's face and raising a stink about the Bush Administration long before it became fashionable, are being seen as not trustworthy.

What Obama's campaign wants is "mules" - people who will go to the convention and vote for Obama, no matter what. It's not about the issues, it's about the candidate. If these delegates have strong dedication to particular causes they might be persuadable, so none of those types are allowed."

BTW I am not anti-Obama --I just think this was a bad move which he will eventually regret.

[Kittycat]

4. Link goes to anti-Obama hate site, My Daily Denial.

Thanks... I'll pass. I went there a couple times, and saw numerous agreeable discussions on Hannity, along with drudge, wnd, et al.

[Blackhatjack]

5. So you don't disagree with the content of my reply, just the venue where it is posted?

People who condemn discussion because it is mentioned on a website they do not like are plentiful, and add little to political discourse and enlightenment.

[grantcart]

8. hate to ruin your pout parade but everyone has been restored

Of course the campaigns want to ensure that their delegates are in fact supporting their platform and not some other

talk about fabricated hissy fits

[Blackhatjack]

9. You would have us believe that Progressives cannot support Obama's Platform?

The mistake Obama has made here is that huge numbers of Progressives and first time supporters have donated hundreds of hours of work, travelled thousands of miles to work for his campaign, given money for the first time to a Presidential Candidate's Campaign, and when it comes to selecting delegates to represent Obama at the Democratic Convention they all have been swept away in favor of the big money fatcats and long time party officials.

He will pay a price for such callous behavior. He has bragged about the million plus who have donated to his campaign, and the overabundance of workers who have come out to support his campaign. It just will not square with those people (and the people who know them) to shove them aside like this.

IF you believe this will just go away you are kidding yourself.

[TheDoorbellRang]

7. Since that's the entire raison d'etre for a pledged delegate

of course he'd choose them by that criteria. Issues have nothing to do with their selection. I'm puzzled that the author of this piece doesn't seem to grasp this.