Hillary's top fundraiser admits dragging out nomination until June may jeopardize Obama's chances

[kpete]

Friday, May 23, 2008
Hillary's top fundraiser admits dragging out nomination until June may jeopardize Obama's chances against McCain
by John Aravosis (DC) · 5/23/2008 12:33:00 PM ET

This is a rather huge admission. http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/hillarys_top_fundraiser_says_t.php
Hillary's top fundraiser, in what looks to me like an attempt to (again) blackmail the party, is now overtly admitting that, if we let the nomination drag out until June, it may be too late to reunify the party and as a result Hillary's supporters and fundraisers won't help Obama in the fall. Unless, of course, she's given the VP slot. Then Her Highness might deign to support the Democratic candidate for president instead of helping the man who plans to overturn Roe v. Wade:

Hillary's top campaign fundraising official said in an interview that there's a "risk" that Hillary's political and financial supporters won't get behind Obama in time for him to win in November if she's passed over for the veep slot....

"But there's a risk that if she isn't invited on the ticket, Hillary's political and financial supporters may not feel compelled to be as integrated and involved in the Obama campaign in order to provide the maximum support that he'll need to prevail in November."

"We have to recognize that we're talking about the month of June, versus a normal process that historically would have begun in the month of March," Nemazee said. "Time is not your friend. A dream ticket would be the best way to ensure both unity and full and active support, financially and politically, for the ticket to be in the strongest position to win in the fall."

more at:
http://www.americablog.com/2008/05/hillarys-top-fundraiser-admits-dragging.html

What we're currently dealing with is a form of blackmail, where the Clintons have the ability to do severe damage to Obama's electoral chances by delegitimizing his victory. He has no incentive to reward their bad behavior but he does have an incentive to get them to stop their bad behavior. So, what should he give them?
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2008/5/23/133157/239

[Diane R]

1. So, they've kidnapped us, and now they're holding us hostage to their demands.

[papau]

9. kick the Hillary supporters to the curb - they'll crawl back - they've no where to go

[Crunchy Frog]

13. Oh just go and vote for McCain. You know you really want to.

[madfloridian]

2. He is one who has constantly threatened Dean over money.

Trying to hurt his fundraising.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/2011

[myrna minx]

3. More extortion and coercion. n/t

[newmajority]

4. Extortion.... how "Democratic" of them.....

Please, for the love of Christ, let's rid ourselves of this vile DLC cancer and not look back for a second.

[BlooInBloo]

5. Clinton and her supporters just don't care. As long as Obama loses.

[bunnies]

6. Nobody likes a bully, Nemazee.

Nobody. Good luck with that.

[cliffordu]

7. Hillary's top fundraiser might be a complete idiot if you look at how the

campaign is doing financially.....

I dunno -

[LSparkle]

8. When are Dean and the rest of us going to tell her to FUCK OFF?

I'm sorry, but I am SOOOO tired of our party being run by ONE FAMILY. When
will they EVER just leave the stage so another generation of leaders can
take the reins? To quote another poster above, they're not behaving in a
very DEMOCRATIC way ...

[Occam Bandage]

10. Bullying and extortion. We should totally reward that with the VP slot.

[AtomicKitten]

11. The era of this kind of bully-boy politics is over.

[CakeGrrl]

12. They need to tell the Clinton campaign to shove it

This just proves they'd sabotage the Democrats if they don't have things their way. What the hell kind of team player is that?

So if Hillary wants to try to tank the Democrats, does that mean she's willing to switch to the Republicans?

Besides asking her supporters where they plan to go for a president that will help them, we need to ask where the Clintons will go? Why would the Democratic party want someone who's willing to take them down without a thought?

Fuck 'em.

[PoliticalAmazon]

14. And this top financial adviser who has done such a crackerjack job of Hillary's ....

campaign financing...

...where does he think she will get the money to continue? At the rate the Clintons squander money on the campaign trail, they would quickly eat through their $109million income BIll has made from selling his legacy to foreign countries.

[PATRICK]

15. Sounds like a little blackmail

from the investors themselves who WILL be left high and dry. Maybe one of them might like the VP spot or an ambassadorship to Monaco or something. They have already blown a lot of dough on Hillary who has nothing but debt to show for it and zero future influence whether VP or not. Instead of offering more it is not too subtle to here some weak blackmail pleading here as well. Some of those investors SHOULD be cast out and should be generously outlawed anyway by real election reform if the Dems win- with or without their ugly conditional help.

For once we do have a candidate above a lot of such ugly concessions. If that scares the moneyed class into forcing MORE desertion of corporate dependency it will be a good thing and remembered for the peril it put us all into for their sake.

[americanstranger]

16. It's a bluff, pure and simple.

Think about it. What do they have to enforce this?

Fundraising? Nope. Obama can blow away this guy with over 1.5 million small donors.

Loyal Dem votes? Nope. When push comes to shove, Dem voters will be more loyal to the party than to Hillary Clinton.

Infrastructure? Nope. Most of it has swung over to Obama already, and his own infrastructure has replaced/improved the DLC model in many states.

Everybody should face the fact: the Clintons don't have the juice to follow through on this. They might want us all to think they can hold the party hostage, but they can't.

---

Besides, look at the messages that have come out of the Clinton camp in the past week. bill says Obama/Clinton would be fine and dandy. Wolfson and McAuliffe are clinging to 'in it to win it.' This fundraiser is trying to extort her way on to the ticket. And Hill's in Florida, correcting the wrongs in Zimbabwe and trying to score the right to vote for women.

Do we really need this gang of off-message, self-conflicting party insiders trying to gain advantage over the presumptive nominee? Nope.

And let's not even mention that the Clinton campaign is millions of bucks in debt. This is a prime indicator that punks like Nemazee are tapped out. He has nothing to bring to the table, and all Clinton has to show for what he has pulled in is massive financial mismanagement.

Time for them to formulate an exit strategy that doesn't include extortion, bribery, blackmail or empty threats.

We have a pasty old white guy's ass to kick here. Time for the Clintons to get out of the way so we can commence the ass-whuppin'.

- as

[w4rma]

17. Why would the Obama campaign want to inherit $40 million in debt from Hillary? Hell no. (nt)

[MonkeyFunk]

18. LOL

now it's 40 million?

First all the lies about it being 30 million, now it's 40.

If you're going to just invent shit, why mot make a billion?

[americanstranger]

19. Why would the Obama campaign want to inherit a billion in debt from Hillary? Hell no.

Happy? :evilgrin:

- as

[w4rma]

20. Clinton Team Acknowledges $20 Million Debt (My opinion is that she is going much deeper into debt).

Source: Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/11/AR2008051101865.html?nav=hcmodule
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3305397

[MonkeyFunk]

22. Yeah

half is to herself.

But a few days ago, Obama fans were pissing themselves over the lie that she was $30 million in debt. It's just fun to see the lie grow and grow and grow.

[hokies4ever]

25. 20 million, 30 million, who cares

It's still way too much debt. Why would Obama want to assume that debt when he could pour that money into other states?

[Life Long Dem]

21. Hillary is going against the tide.

Hillary supporters in trying to get whatever Clinton wants are not going to be respected and appreciated within the Democratic party. So Hillary supporters need to keep in this in mind.

And for any sexist thoughts she may be receiving from Obama - is just not true. As a guy, I see a very strong man with strong leadership. Obama is a leader. Nothing more nothing less. He finished up this primary by coming full circle to where we all started - right in Iowa. Obama ran a clean campaign and a well organized campaign in this primary. Compare this to Clinton, and you come up dirty.

No one wants a leader who cries past mistake after mistake. From the Iraq war to the this election. She makes mistakes with sending us to war and mistakes at signing the rules - in trying to fix her mistakes after the facts. And now her biggest mistake will be on her. This will be her political career. For once she should have the foresight, because this time no one will be around to hold their hand after she messes up and did the people wrong.

[stillcool]

23. Extortion..

[OzarkDem]

24. More whining and conspiracy theories

from the Obama boyz club. :eyes:

[TBF]

26. Racism, extortion, obliteration, assassination... just words.

But, if you call someone "sweetie" you are in deep shit.

[kid a]

27. Her remarks put a whole new meaning to this post