Clinton Summons Top Donors, Supporters For Tuesday Speech

Hillary Clinton has summoned top donors and backers to attend her New York speech tomorrow night in an unusual move that is being widely interpreted to mean she plans to soon suspend her campaign and endorse Barack Obama - not tomorrow night but within a day or two.

Obama and Clinton spoke Sunday night and agreed that their staffs should begin negotiations over post-primary activities, according to reliable sources. In addition to seeking Obama's help in raising money to pay off some $20 million-plus in debts, Clinton is known to want Obama to assist black officials who endorsed her and who are now taking constituent heat, including, in some cases, primary challenges from pro-Obama politicians.

"This has never happened before," one donor said, referring to the personalized request by email to attend the event in New York Tuesday night.

Obama is expected to claim enough delegates to put him over the top that night at a separate event in St. Paul.

In an afternoon conference call today with about two dozen top fundraisers, Clinton strategist Harold Ickes spoke in very conciliatory terms about Obama, in contrast to his tougher rhetoric in public and on television, according to sources. He told the participants that Clinton wants to "significantly" help Obama, but he did not go so far as saying that she will announce withdrawal -- that is the prerogative of the candidate.

Ickes told the group to "take a deep breath" and let Clinton proceed in her own fashion.

Earlier in the day it was reported that Clinton staffers were being urged by the campaign's finance department "to turn in their outstanding expense receipts by the end of the week," another sign that the run at the White House was nearing an end. In addition, Politico wrote that members of Clinton's advance staff had received calls and emails Sunday night, summoning them to New York City and telling them their roles on the campaign are ending.

Comments

[Flagal]

No one should be too surprised if Hillary announces she is taking the fight to Denver.
She has sent mixed signals since Iowa.
I have equated her personalities to Sybil or a Chameleon.

[neem]

It would be so nice if Obama could pick his own running mate. He might actually win! Oops, I forgot, these are the Democrats. Let's put HIllary on the ticket, and double the Republican turnout! That will also help Proposition 22 to pass in California.

[SaddieMcCall]

There is an internet petition for women supporting Obama (to dispel the myth that he has a problem with women voters. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/WomenForObama/signatures-23.html Over a thousand signatures right now.

[cyndeewi]

Hillary is expected with with Sout Dakota and is almost beating Obama in Montana. I am really changing my mind about her because people really want her. After all that has happen, they have seen her act crazy and still vote for her then they must really want her. Obama cannot win South Dakota then he must really do some thinking.

[washington31]

Republican TROLL GO AWAY!

[IndependentMynd]

You owe me some coffee. Thanks for the laugh, Rush Limbaugh's zombie.

[mhoiles]

Totally disappointed. The Democratic party has lost this voter.

[Melissa]

Bob Beckle on Fox this a.m. claims a video tape is coming out that is very damaging to Obama. He wouldn't go into detail but he seemed upset.

[billrott]

Yeah, they have been claiming that for months now. it is nothing more than HOT AIR

[cranialknowledge]

Check yourself mel. You're getting your news from fox. fox is not news, it's a propaganda machine.

[LeftHandedBrain]

If someone on Fox seemed upset, it must be all hype.

[IndependentMynd]

Why is it that these videos are ALWAYS coming out but they never quite seem to make it? In the age of YouTube, why isn't it there??? John McCain called his wife a c*** and THAT made it into the public domain. Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones & Gennifer Flowers made it into the public domain. The FACT that the Saudis donated 'large sums' of money to Clinton's library made it into the public domain. I think if such a video actually existed, FOX would have BLASTED the airwaves with it. Rush would be playing the audio and the RNC would have had it all over YouTube. I think Rush/FOX/RNC are kind of lost now that Hillary Clinton is not the nominee. They were all set to blast her out of the water with their 'intel' but are now using 'whisper' campaigns to SMEAR Barack Obama. We are wise to your tactics. Please come out from under your rocks and MAN THE HELL UP. We are waiting for you.

[Flagal]

Oh well

[AMJordan]

We never had it to begin with.
.... . / -- ..- ... - / - .... .. -. -.- / .-- . .----. .-. . / .- ... / ... - ..- .--. .. -.. / .- ... / .... . / .. ...

[kdublya]

.-.. --- .-.. !

[NYC07]

She's just holding the rally to pass the hat one more time.

[campgranata]

why should this campaign cost her anything out of pocket? She clearly won't put her money where her mouth is.

[SaddieMcCall]

She's inviting all children to sell their toys.

[morticia]

right, or maybe sell their blood.

[RobertaInCT]

She won't have to pass the hat, Obama will bail her out....

[Marmann]

Suspending her campaign but not ending it? I guess she's doing that for the "good" of the country "just in case" someone assassinates Obama soon.

I'm getting a very bad feeling for Obama today. Sorry. I simply don't trust Hillary Clinton or some of her redneck supporters.

I pray for Senator Obama's safety and that of his family, as well.

Either way, I hope that the outcome of this primary doesn't trigger such monumental unrest in America that Bush will be "forced" to declare his martial law plan.

[southernsepia]

Calm down mann, it's gonna be alright.

Whatever Hill does I'm looking forward to Obama's speech tonight.

I have no fears for him - at the moment.

I think it's gonna be o.k.

[IndependentMynd]

Please, the 'rednecks' comment is unnecesssary. Because of her campaign tactics, I find her considerably less trustworthy now but it's really time to stop this. Please.

[gadfly55]

The Scottish play, Macbeth, sums up the Clintons with incredible accuracy for anyone who can read Shakespeare. Billary's untrammelled ambition disqualified her from consideration as President. Along with Penn, Ickes, Wolfson, and McAuliffe, their crew was hellbent on destruction of Obama at any cost. This will not be forgotten, regardless of the great leader's generous gestures at reconciliation with HRC, such as fund-raising assistance. He would want to watch how smarmy he becomes, and how much he presumes of his supporters. I wouldn't give Hillary the time of day, never mind a worthless nickel.

[editoranne]

If only we could all ignore her, but like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, she just won't go away and now she's killing bunnies.
The rumor is that she's demanding that Obama pay her debt (now about $40 million) before she concedes. That's $40 million he could have used against McCain if she had done what all other candidates did and quite when she ran out of money. And this will leave her debt free and ready to run again in 2012 after she sabotages the party in spite for not crowning her the nominee.
I felt for her and would have supported the dream ticket if she hadn't lied, schemed and played to the most racist fears of some party members. Now that dream would be a nightmare.
Send her to the Supreme Court. She can't run for anything ever again and she can torture the conservatives there instead of the rest of us.

[NotWaldo]

Tonight, the sky will open,

The light will come down,

Celestial choirs will be singing,

And a voice from far far away will say :

"Go home, you're getting on my nerves"!

[wakupmagy]

Brilliant!

[WasteNJ]

Maybe the clouds will open and it'll just be a lightning bolt coming down on the stage.
"Hillary, abandon your campaign, lest ye be judged for thy sins.."

[jcahill]

post of the day-lol
NotWaldo we needed that :)

[cranialknowledge]

Nice callback!

[LongTom]

Earlier in the day it was reported that Clinton staffers were being urged by the campaign's finance department "to turn in their outstanding expense receipts by the end of the week,"

Good luck to THEM!

Hillary will not begin unifying the party tonight. She still thinks she can get this. I think she's nuts.

[campgranata]

Let her people go: so they can get paying jobs.

[WasteNJ]

You think those poor campaign staffers are getting paid after this? Hill barely paid her vendors under the scrutiny of campaign conditions!

[dsmyre]

She won't concede. She will interrupt Obama's victory speech Tuesday night, too.

[StephenDedalus82]

Obama's the only one who has done that little trick.

[Ariesjill]

Not sure if it’s been posted…I only caught the replay. But Andrea Mitchel whom I would trust with my life, and I can’t say that about many---on Chris Matthews, said that there is a meeting scheduled for June 17 in Chicago of ALL THE DEM GOVERNORS & Barack A STRATEGY meeting.

It really is over. UNGIRD

[Sloppyseconds]

Please God have mercy on our souls and let it be over.

[MarciL]

"In a campaign stop in Michigan on Monday, Mr. Obama lavished praise upon Mrs. Clinton, in what aides said was a signal intended to set the tone for how his supporters should treat her in the coming days.

“Senator Clinton has run an outstanding race; she is an outstanding public servant,” Mr. Obama told voters at a forum in Troy, Mich. He added, “She and I will be working together in November.”

If that is how Obama wants us to treat her, I think we should follow his lead.

Obama '08

[mhoiles]

You can psudo kiss up to her now, but the damage is done. Obama and the far left have won the battle, but lost the war. I hope all of these "new voters" he has brought in turn out in November.

[Ariesjill]

And then, pls God---given you got the above done already....could you have Huffington hire more post editors?

[marc1antony]

according to POLITICO - they are not suspending but rallying their supporters to continue through till the Convention

[Ariesjill]

Stop going to the mouth of the fake horse. But Andrea Mitchel whom I would trust with my life---on Chris Matthews, said that there is a meeting scheduled for June 17 in Chicago of ALL THE DEM GOVERNORS & Barack A STRATEGY meeting.

It really is over.

[loudspeaker]

Let's hope so because she has the only real plan for the U.S. economy. And Obama's closeness to traitors like Soros and Murdoch is frightening to say the least.

[WasteNJ]

Are you joking? Murdoch held a fund raiser for Hillary at the beginning of the Primary season! She is now quoting Karl Rove's "statistics". How much you don't know, that's what's frightening.

[gtt]

Huh? Obama close to Murdock ? I seem to recall that Murdock was hosting fundraisers for Senator Clinton.

[kdublya]

The Queen of Hearts speaks.

[thizzkid]

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