Clinton Supporters Plan To 'Swarm' DNC Meeting

So, if I have this right, here are the potential remaining battles in the 2008 Democratic Primary process: Primaries in South Dakota, Montana, and Puerto Rico. A meeting of the DNC Rules and By-Laws Committee to determine how the Democrats will continue to pretend to "punish" Florida and Michigan for moving their primary without actually enforcing any rules or handing down any penalties. Then, possibly, a superdelegate convention where uncommitted superdelegates will be forced at gunpoint to make a decision they could have plausibly made months ago. And finally, a full tilt bloodbath at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, which will prepare America for when John McCain is named King of America and Her United Anbar Provinces, propels us via time machine to the year 2013, and then explains how our Chinese overlords have forced us into a largely "Thunderdome-based" economy.

Speaking to the voters of the Sunshine State yesterday, Senator Hillary Clinton invoked the 2000 Recount Fiasco and spoke of the lessons learned. Now, for me, the lessons mainly are: "Do not allow the fate of our democracy to rest on David Boies' shoulders," but for Clinton, it's different:

"We believe the popular vote is the truest expression of your will...We believe it today just as we believed it back in 2000 when right here in Florida, you learned the hard way what happens when your votes aren't counted, and the candidate with fewer votes is declared the winner. The lesson of 2000 here in Florida is crystal clear. If any votes aren't counted, the will of the people isn't realized and our democracy is diminished. That's what I've always believed."

But that's not the only lesson she's learned from Florida:

The next Democratic donnybrook will be in a Washington ballroom.

Busloads of Hillary Clinton supporters will swarm a meeting next week at a D.C. Marriott, where Democratic Party elders hope to forge a compromise over Florida and Michigan's now-voided convention delegates.

"We really don't know what to expect, but we do know that the Clinton people are very organized," said a senior Democratic National Committee source.

Tactically, this takes a page right from the Karl Rove Recount 2000 playbook: send a mob of angry villagers to turn a relatively genteel process into a shrill folderol. Nevertheless, while the stage is set for roving gangs of superfluous supporters to disrupt the DNC proceedings, this will still be a model of decorum and tranquility compared to Clinton's other bizarre voter-rights reference, Zimbabwe. Though it should be noted that Zimbabwe's electoral strife would have been magnified one hundred-fold if it had featured Howard Wolfson conference calls.

Comments

[bobdob]

Hillary said: "If any votes aren't counted, the will of the people isn't realized and our democracy is diminished. That's what I've always believed."

I'm glad to hear she believes that. I assume she'll fight very hard to make sure that the votes of those citizens who would have voted for Obama if they had thought their votes would count, will be counted.

[abby4ever]

Wouldn't it be ironic if there were riots this summer---not from Obama supporters but from Hillary supporters? I doubt there will be...unless, of course, Hillary decides that there being some could get the nomination away from Obama and into her greedy hands.

[devanate]

A bunch of old biddies rioting in the street. The million hag march! I love it!

[captainkona]

Hopefully most of them will be yelling "don't taser me, bro"! by the time it's over.

[barackobama4prez]

FL/MI for Clinton are STRATEGY. I personally believe she does NOT want to campaign for Obama. She will suspend her campaign until the convention so she doesn't have to campaign nor raise funds for Obama. Then she will be rejected at the convention and go on all the morning to night talk shows, along with her supporters, to claim sexism and reverse racism against HRC.

This is all so she doesn't have to publicly EAT HER WORDS and make a sincere attempt to help Barack become the nation's next president.

[abby4ever]

I see. Well, when they 'swarm' maybe they can be chased off with the same stuff they use on hornets when THEY swarm.

[apwerner]

Does anyone out there know the e-mail address to the DNC?

I would like to voice my concern about this so-called "mobbing" of their upcoming meeting.
How can any one campaign get away with this uncivilized behaviour? I would appreciate
the e-mail address if anyone has it.

Thanks.

[Parkhurst]

What, you mean like threatening race riots if Obama isn't handed the nomination? That sort of thing? Let's be clear that the people acting like gangsters here are team obama.

We're going to take this all the way to the convention and confront Obama and his thugs directly.

[abby4ever]

Obama supporters WERE charged, by Hillary and McCain supporters, with threatening riots if he didn't get the nomination. (The charge was false.) That's why I said it would be ironic if it turned out to be Hillary supporters staging a riot. The way she's been appealing to the masses and making comparisons were her struggle and the Civil Right's Movement and Women's Sufferage, etc., I'df say she secretly hopes her strategy will lead to big marches at the very least. Hillary would just love to say she has the people behind her, in a fight for justice or something.
Hillary is nuts.

[dill]

So, anyone who supports Obama is a "thug", even though Hillary supporters are the ones who plan to "swarm" the DNC meeting to demand that Hillary be the nominee, even if she doesn't have the majority of the delegates, and even if they gave her Florida and Michigan, would STILL not have the majority of delegates? Exactly where is your reasoning abilities?

[barackobama4prez]

[e-mail]

[KrishnaCore]

Awwww poor Hillary. Here is the problem: She assumed from the get go that no one was going to be able to challenge her for the nomination. She thought that the Clinton brand was going to provide her with sweeping victories through out the country. It has not. Hillary's hubby was a great president, but people grew tired of the controversy and assorted BS surrounding his presidency. Let's just face it - they are a little on the shady side!

[Canaris]

How long do you think it will be before Sen. Clinton makes a statement something along the lines of "voters that back me won't vote for Obama, so you have to select me as the nominee or we'll lose in November"?

I accurately predicted she'd bring up the 2000 election in Florida when she showed up here to boost her popular vote argument (not that it was that difficult to predict), so let's see if I'm right on this one as well.

[maribelle1963]

"voters that back me won't vote for Obama, so you have to select me as the nominee or we'll lose in November"?

She's been saying that for weeks! Where've you been?

[speakingtruth2power]

The white riot during the Florida recount was a disgusting display of rethug hypocrisy

& so would this be the same. The DLC will trade our liberal values for their access to

power, just like the neocons did to the conservatives' principles, they once adhered to!

[JackND]

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080523_In_most_inclusive_count__Clinton_has_the_numbers.html

Just read this loopy piece over at RCP. What the clearly Clintonian author neglects to mention anywhere in the piece is that Puerto Rico does not have electoral votes in November, and therefore its popular vote is irrelevant in the calculation of total popular vote if it is to be used as an electability argument for Clinton.

It's also why, even if superdelegates are weighing the popular vote in their decision, they most certainly won't overturn the outcome based on popular vote in Puerto Rico.

[shelobo]

Another double standard of NOW ,a PAC group who supports Clinton.NOW Opposed U.S. military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, and hence the liberation of women there, but opposes rules to keep female soldiers out of combat
Declared that NOW was "troubled" by verdict against Andrea Yates for drowning her five children
Was part of NOW leadership that refused to criticize President Bill Clinton during his sex scandals. At the time, Clinton was funneling TAXPAYER dollars to NOW,another problem with PAC's .The funneling of money ,one wonders if a donor name search would bring up hundreds of NOW members funneling money into Hillarys campaign ? http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1895

[shelobo]

One of the groups of the 'supporters' that will be swarming the DNC meeting is a PAC ,a womens political activist group known as NOW ( http://www.nowpacs.org/ ).One of NOW's agenda's is supposed to be promotion of ending racism .NOW condemns the racism that inflicts a double burden of race and sex discrimination on WOMEN of color, where is the equality of the sexes that this group promotes ,when they do not mention MEN of color ?.My question to this group is why are they supporting a PERSON who USED the 'RACE CARD' in a statement she has made several times?Hillary claims she only quoted a article by AP ,if she feels that racism should not be a factor ,WHY did SHE quote a racist article then if she not have not a racist views? That would be like a devoted KKK member quoteing Wrights sermons and baseing information on that sermon..I applaud these ladies for being in favor of fair treatment of women,but I also say these ladies should not be promoteing activities that disrupt the meetings of OTHER political groups .NOW also has an agenda gainst the media,they have an article at one of their links 'The Media's Deeply Ingrained Sexism' http://www.nowfoundation.org/news/spring-2008/media.html. I do agree at times the media is biased ,but when I read the articles at NOWS site ,I see biased views there also.

[Sneakerface]

Yeah, I got an email from NOW PAC about a week ago about this. I have great respect for NOW and all they've done, but certainly less so now. This reall pisses me off. Maybe NARAL can send a group to counter-protest, since they have endorsed Obama.

[tschlak]

Didn't you listen to Bubba?? HE got the race card played on HIM by Obama!!

[PKSSK]

I think it is interesting that Florida State Senator Stephen Geller, who initiated the lawsuit against the DNC, had a private meeting with Clinton the day before he filed the lawsuit. This is why she cannot be on the ticket with Obama.

[BillyShears]

So many of us have this candidate figured out. We all knew that all Hillary's recent calming and feel good statements were setting the stage for an attack of unprecedented levels. This has been her pattern. Watching her campaign has been all about "waiting for the deafening sound of that other shoe dropping."

No wonder Karl Rove thinks she's hot.

[mikatollah]

Hillary is using the popular vote as a last gasp to keep the primary going. But let's be clear.... the national popular vote total means absolutely nothing. We nominate our presidential candidates just like we select our presidents... by state. This was a difficult lesson we had to re-learn in 2000, could have seen in 2004 and may see again in 2008.

So while the popular vote totals are interesting, they will not determine the Democratic candidate. If they did, we would not have states running caucuses instead of voting primaries, or let the people of Puerto Rico and Guam vote.

As for Hillary supporters trying to intimidate the DNC, I encourage you to show some restraint. The tactic may have helped Karl Rove in 2000, but this race is not that close, and the visual image of Democratic thugs disrupting their own party will only help the Republicans in the fall.

[Parkhurst]

mikatollah wrote:
"Hillary is using the popular vote as a last gasp to keep the primary going. But let's be clear.... the national popular vote total means absolutely nothing. "

-----------------------------------------------

Yep, typical republican thinking. They worship Ronald Reagan too, just like wonder boy. They disparage the accomplishments of eight years of Bill Clinton's presidency, just like Obama. They don't give a flying fig for the will of the people - neither do you nor does the snake oil salesman you follow.

[newddle]

Gee, if a mob shows up at the Rules Committee meeting, how can the RBC possibly say no to it?

[thetiger1974]

People get on her screaming stupid statements and dont realize that we do actually go to your profile to check what your history of statements are to see if they match. We know who is a repub and indi or a dem. We know who is for Hill O or Cain. We know who you are trust me.

[MBFLA]

Hillary is making me ill as she ruins the Democratic Party with her egomaniacal and nonsensical quest for the presidency at this point. We knew our votes would not count in Floreida and I imagine they are at least as smart in Michigan. I suggest the delegates be divided 50/50 and let's MOVE ON before we end up with McBush lll leading us over the edge. HAVE YOU NO SHAME, HILLARY?
A 53 year old white woman from Florida.

[DMW1]

Smartey, are you a Republican or are you just trying to stir the pot?

I clicked "See Profile" and viewed your post on 4/24:
"I, too, support Obama, but not for the reasons you mentioned. I'm simply anti-Shrillary. That's right -- I'm a non-supporter of little Miss Wrinkle Face, Her Royal Pantsuit Hillary Rodhent Clinton. The same woman who has virtually no accomplishments other than to hitch her wagon to the big lug know as Blowjob Bill. There's no way any sane, anti-Iraq person could support that shrew, or her sleezy stupid-shit husband -- the guy who sent bombs raining on Baghdad for no other reason than to deflect attention from Mouthy Monica's testimony."

Yet today you post:
"I worked for the Hillary campaign, and we are tired of the evil, mean way we have been treated by Mr. Obama. His tactics have been hateful and snotty, and we're going to get him. This man of color -- not a colored man -- is not qualified to be president, and his staff and supporters are going to be sorry. Hillary is destined to be president, and this man will rue the day he stepped in our way. He -- and his fans -- have been warned."

What's the story?

[McPander]

Please send an Email to your representatives:

Sirs,

I had hopes that I had finally found someone who would be a voice for me, Senator Obama. I am saddened to find that the hope I once had is slowly slipping away.
I had hoped that the democratic party would stand up to Senator Clinton after her race baiting comments "Hard working Americans, White Americans", but to my disappointment that is not the case.

My pledge to you:

I will not vote for her.
I will not vote for Obama/HRC...
I will donate to any campaign that apposes Hillary Clinton...in any elected office
I will donate to campaigns either Republican or Democrat that appose people who are her supporters.

My disgust in the Democratic Party has helped me find my own voice. That voice will be against you and all those that stand with her.

[Sneakerface]

No. I support Obama 100%, and I loathe the Clinton campaign's dirty tactics. But I don't agree that saying "Hard working Americans, white Americans," is race baiting at all. Why does a positive remark about whites mean she is making a negative remark about non-whites ? It doesn't. I think we lower ourselves when we try to make a big deal out of comments that may have been poorly worded, especially when it is clearly that the candidate's intent is not what those who try to play "gotcha" are trying to infer. It was unfair when the media tried to spin Michelle Obama's comments, which clearly were about a moment when she felt particular pride about being an America, into an anti-American sentiment that she was not at all expressing. I hope Obama picks a woman as his running mate, and I hope it isn't Hillary. But if it is, I will hold my nose and vote against McCain anyway. BTW, why do you assume that when we write our representatives, they will be addressed as "sir ?"

[McPander]

and I would hope the person copying and pasting would know to change Sir....

[maribelle1963]

You miss the point. To address the letter to unknown receipients and address them as "Sirs" went out with Jim Crow and sitting in the back of the bus.

The proper form of address for unknown receipients is gender neutral, such as "Dear Board members" or ""To whom it may concern".

Has been for a long, long time. Where've you been?

[wendelgee2]

Amen.

[buckygreen]

Four State Pledge Letter 2008
Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina
August 31, 2007
WHEREAS, Over a year ago, the Democratic National Committee established a 2008 nominating calendar;
WHEREAS, this calendar honors the racial, ethnic, economic and geographic diversity of our party and our country;
WHEREAS, the DNC also honored the traditional role of retail politics early in the nominating process, to insure that money alone will not determine our presidential nominee;
WHEREAS, it is the desire of Presidential campaigns, the DNC, the states and the American people to bring finality, predictability and common sense to the nominating calendar.
THEREFORE, I _____________, Democratic Candidate for President, pledge I shall not campaign or participate in any state which schedules a presidential election primary or caucus before Feb. 5, 2008, except for the states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina, as "campaigning" is defined by rules and regulations of the DNC.
_________________________ ________
John/Jane Doe, Doe for President DATE

Hillary Clinton's campaign co-wrote and explicitly agreed to the party rules, and Hillary Clinton signed the above pledge.

Obama/Webb 08

[maribelle1963]

Which if nothing else, leaves open the option of a lawsuit.

[Dustee]

And add this on, Clinton and company were the ones that helped to punish Floriday and Michigan.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/5/22/0226/35614/632/520082

[theillusion]

Hillary, please stop it. Why Zimbabwe¦did she actually take it to Zimbabwe? I can only imagine how the Hillary team came up with that one. Well, let"s find any country where a Black man stole the election. Bingo¦Zimbabwe, in case you forgot, Mugabe also took the land from White people, just a reminder.

[purplestategal]

A Clinton supporter blogged earlier that Florida and Michigan Clinton supporters need to step it up and take it to the courts 'like Al Gore'. One of the problems that I see with the statement is that Michigan already has taken it to the courts, and a federal judge ruled in March that the January primary was unconstitutional. So that would leave Florida, but there's already a ruling against the early primary already on the books as precedent. How good are the chances that she could get a different outcome? As for the other problems that I see in linking Clinton's case to Gore's, I'm leaving that untouched. Too many huge distinctions between the two.