Obama-Clinton Group VoteBoth Shuts Down

WASHINGTON — An effort to urge Barack Obama to pick former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton as his running mate is shutting down under the assumption she is not a contender for the No. 2 spot.

The two former Clinton staffers who started the group Vote Both say Obama's decision to offer Clinton a prime-time speaking role at the Democratic Party nominating convention and other signals suggest Obama will not chose her.

"Because it seems that Senator Obama has made his decision to offer the slot on the ticket to another candidate, we believe that continuing to ask him to pick Hillary is no longer helpful to our party's chances of winning in November," Adam Parkhomenko and Sam Arora wrote in an e-mail they planned to send Thursday to the 40,000-plus supporters who signed onto their online petition.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the campaign won't comment on the vice presidential search and hasn't finalized the convention speaking program. Obama and Clinton advisers have said Clinton is likely to speak on the convention's second night, Aug. 26, which is the 88th anniversary of the ratification of the amendment giving the women the right to vote.

Parkhomenko and Arora have a combined 10 years experience working for Clinton. Most recently Arora was a press aide to her presidential campaign and Parkhomenko was executive assistant to former Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle, who is now chief of staff for Obama's yet-to-be named vice presidential nominee.

In an interview, Arora was coy about what makes them so confident Clinton won't be chosen.

"All indications we have from people close to Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are that Hillary is not on the short list," Arora said. "We're looking at how we can _ if we can _ use Vote Both to help him because we want a Democrat in the White House."

Obama said this week that he wants a running mate who will help him change how business has been conducted in Washington _ seen by many as an indication that he won't pick Clinton.

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On the Net:

http://www.voteboth.com

Comments

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Voters get the same option - don't have to pick someone that's not acceptable. That will happen.

[baba2nde]

Relief! Can you spell Kaine, now? Tim Kaine for VP. Obama/Kaine ticket, that is it!

Oba...ma/Kaine, uh, ...ma/Kaine. McCain. That will really confuse the low information voter.

On second thoughts, these are not cynical men. Strike that, sorry.

[AshevilleVoice]

I'm relieved that he won't choose Hillary.

IF she had folded after her loss on Super Tues, when everyone could see that her only path to nomination necessitated an all out Rovian assault on Obama, she would have been a viable VP. The loathsome tactics that she used will weight her down for a long time to come.

[foreffectivegovernment]

AshevilleVoice: You said, "IF she had folded after her loss on Super Tues, when everyone could see that her only path to nomination necessitated an all out Rovian assault on Obama, she would have been a viable VP."
Hillary's only path to the nomination was the same as Obama's. The superdelegates would have to make the decision because neither candidate could reach the magic number with pledged delegates.
Until Jesse Jackson, Jr. intimidated the Democratic Black Caucus into supporting Obama and the superdelegates who received donations from Obama's PAC supported Obama and until the Obama "organization" of militant young people secured a majority of the Red State Caucus delegates for Obama, the race was a tie. Threats to "riot in the streets" by Obama supporters swayed the other superdelegates to put Obama over the required number of delegates to become the presumed nominee of the Democratic Party.
Any other memories of the Democratic Primary is just a "fairytale" created by David Axelrod, Teddy Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean, John Kerry and the Left Wing Liberal Wing of the Party that brought about this illegitimate nomination of Barack Obama.

[PoliJunkie]

I cannot stand any of your post, because you are really against AA's. Please stop this now before it becomes too late!

[Independent voter]

Finally!

I hope that hillary's fan club can join in the fight against the Evil Empire

[ebbtide]

Hillary and Bill Clinton are now just "also rans" and are irrelevant. From now on in, anything that either of them says in public is suspect, in my opinion. I will always view them from here on in with a jaded eye. They are finished and I wish HP would stop highlighting the Clintons as if they were the powerful force they once were--- or thought they were. I am happy to say good-bye to the Clintons and ready to move ahead, without them.

[goldman]

you are a jerk if obama loses clinton will be right back in 2112

[PoliJunkie]

"2112" I guessing you and I and HRC will probably be......a DEAD!

[Samnite]

What took them so long?

Bye.....

[the964kid]

Maybe members of this group didn't notice the hard feelings at the end of the primary season, but I could've saved them a lot of time and effort by telling them: she was never a contender.

[drlangston]

Hillary May not been a contender ,but obama won't get my vote.

[11907281]

Let us know when you make it back to grown-up land, OK? For now you get a cookie for your statement (o)

[Killjoy]

Why would Obama choose Hillary when she stated to the whole world that Obama is not ready and John McCain is.. The Repugs will kill them with video replay on that one. I hope he is not that stupid. Hillary lost all her chances when she came with the kitchen sink Plot.

[Bronxcutie]

I wouldn't count Hilary out as VP. I think names are being thrown out there to throw people off. It will be Hillary or Joe Biden.

[barackobama4prez]

I guess some have to "keep hope alive" for a unity ticket. trust me...she's not in.

[unionave]

If we want the Dems to win in 2016 lets hope he picks a VP that a true Dem party member and a team player . HRC does not fit any of these items .

[Darnamell]

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[Rockerbabe]

I thought the Obama mantra was "change" or is that just the theme of the moment? 18+ million votes and the money that goes with it, is a lot to dismiss.

[Furby]

He doesn't seem to need their dough, so his VP pick won't be influenced by money. How utterly refreshing, and novel for american politics. No price tags. I think they call it democracy, but I can't remember that far back.

[truthskr]

Most of Hillary's 18M, which is a dubious count by the way, are already behind Obama. The only people still sitting out are the likes of groups like PUMA or just blatant racists...so, all people who would never vote for him anyway regardless of the the VP pick. There really aren't that many former Clinton supporters still in play, most went along with Clinton to Obama, being the intelligent, issues-based Democrats that they are, and the rest has chosen other roads, leading them to their own political obscurity.

It's long past to let go of the 18M voters argument - it's blatantly false and smacks of denial and deperation.

[CubanPete]

I sure can't wait until McCain is elected and he brings back the draft. I wonder if he can "selectively" draft just the Nation of Obama. That would be one way to make "grown-ups" out of them.

[theMightyT]

lol the GOP - party of petulant children - are the grown-ups? what a joke.

[Furby]

But wouldn't it be nice if, in the event of a McCain victory, he rewarded those who support the war by drafting them first. After all, who is he to stand in the way of a good Republican who wants to do his duty to his country in the military.

[Peddler]

I guess Hillary will just have to take her 18 million voters, along with her 25 million campaign debt and look for other solutions. Obama will get some of those voters, but he will win with or without their support. It is either Obama or McCain............the choice is yours America.......choose wisely.

[Vantunow]

So it shall be written and so it shall be done!

[Greg285]

Obama is getting full of himself? What does that mean exactly? As a African-American, can someone pleas help me understand what you mean by that?

And why does Obama still needs Hillary's help if he wants to win in November? Her supporters are backing him now, just look at the latest polls regarding Latino Voters. The media has filled up a large majority of Americans mind with false facts! It's so sad that so many people will fall for any and everything except the truth. The truth of the matter is that if Obama was white, this race would be over, plain and simple. It's has nothing to do with his experience, but the color of his skin. Americans (Not all, but a large percentage) need to wake up and admit that they have a problem with the man because of the color of his skin. As if, voting for McCain is going to make their life better? Amazing how people can vote against their on self interest....

[barackobama4prez]

As an AA you know what it means. "uppity n**ger"

[who38]

Please ease off on the racial thing. Obama is bi-racial so any insult of that type can go both ways. And Latinos ARE supporting Dem candidates. Are you part of that Cornel "Whatsis" group? I think that you need to get out more.