Will MoveOn Pick Obama or Clinton Today?

MoveOn.org, the powerhouse grassroots organization that showered Democrats with more donations in the midterms than almost any other liberal PAC, is asking its members whether to host a virtual vote on Thursday to endorse Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for president.

Spurred by John Edwards's withdrawal from the race on Wednesday, MoveOn surveyed a sample of its members to gauge endorsement interest, according to a source with knowledge of the group's operations. Then MoveOn set a deadline of 11 am Thursday for members to back a virtual endorsement vote. If a majority support the idea, virtual balloting will run overnight, open only the group's 3.2 million activists, and an endorsement could be announced by Friday.

MoveOn has never endorsed a candidate for president. Last cycle, it required a 50 percent threshold for its presidential endorsement, and Howard Dean fell 6 points short. But now MoveOn has raised the bar to 66 percent -- a supermajority that will be hard for either candidate to meet. MoveOn members were largely split between Obama, Edwards, Kucinich and Clinton during its three virtual town halls about public policy last year.

Yet if MoveOn does manage to unite "as a progressive community around one of these candidates," as Executive Director Eli Pariser explains in a new e-mail, its activists could play a pivotal role in this race. There are over a million and half MoveOn voters in Super Tuesday states. The group boasts 575,000 web activists in California alone -- about 9 percent of turnout for the state's 2004 presidential primary. It has one of the largest and most active donor lists in American politics, which could help finance a long delegate hunt for either candidate. And among many Democratic activists and primary voters, it offers a credential that both candidates covet: a commitment to aggressive, forward-looking politics that will end the war and confront the corrupt GOP establishment. In short, MoveOn is a political "brand" that could blunt lingering Democratic concerns that Obama's post-partisanship is too nice for the inevitable battles ahead, or validate Clinton's argument that she is the toughest, most partisan Democrat in the race.

MoveOn's endorsement dilemma also comes at a critical time for the organization, which was founded about a decade ago to defend Bill Clinton against impeachment. The group has achieved tremendous success in growing its ranks, raising money for Democrats and picking high-profile fights with the Bush administration. Yet like many progressive groups, it has a strained relationship with Democratic leaders who have failed to end the war, restore constitutional rights or advance a progressive domestic agenda in Congress. If MoveOn -- from its battle-tested leadership to its diverse, committed membership -- cannot take a clear side in what is now a two-person contest between the Democratic establishment and Democratic reform, then it will have a harder time blaming future politicians for maintaining the status quo.

Ari Melber writes for The Nation, where this column first appeared.

Comments

[belladawna]

i placed my vote and there was a box to say "not sure" if the outcome wasn't the candidate you picked... :)

[honeybee49]

Please, endorse Obama. Pretty please.

[TxWonderWoman]

I sure hope they don't endorse Obama. Hopefully they remember that he voted PRESENT on the condemnation of their Patreus ad. Hillary had the balls to vote against it. Obama was there but chose not to vote. What a coward.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/us/politics/21moveon.html?ex=1348027200&en=f5adccb90d16a2ae&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

[Merg]

I just received my ballot from MoveOn to vote for either Barack or Hillary. There is no provision on the Ballot to vote to NOT ENDORSE ANY CANDIDATE AT ALL and the ballot does not all you to submit it without checking at least one of the candidates. I contacted MoveOn to ask them to allow us to be able to cast a vote to NOT ENDORSE. We will see if they respond. Anybody else?

[StephenDedalus82]

Please endorse Obama. This along with his being called the most liberal Senator of 2007 is sure to enhance his electability. Moveon is famous at this moment for one thing: Betray us. Won't do any good winning over those vast seas of independents supposedly going for Obama (probably because the Republicans are all abhorrent and he's the shiniest thing in the room).

[BeeOplentee]

Being endorsed by MoveOn is akin to being endorsed by Peta. It will put a cloud over whoever gets the endorsement.

[greejambri]

Well, MoveOn fancies itself a "progressive" organization. That being the case, it would be quite a contradiction if they endorse Clinton. They'd have to start marketing themselves as a subsidiary of the DLC.

[JakeEasy]

To show what a brilliant political forecaster I am, I make the following prediction:

If MoveOn endorses Obama, the readers of HuffPo will champion these brilliant progressives as the leading light of American justice. MoveOn will be named the greatest grassroots organization since the 12 apostles.

If MoveOn endorses Clinton, the readers of HuffPo will decry them as racist old guard hacks who clog up the internet with their lies and hatred. MoveOn will be called an arm of the Rove political machine.

Of course the Hillary fans will see it just the opposite. At least Democrats are no worse than the Republicans in this game. Over in neocon land they are eating their own also. Issues don't matter. The war doesn't matter. All that matters is the cult of personality. If my guy does it, it is good and clean and noble. If your guy does it, he is a sick bastard who should be prosecuted.

Abandon Hope all ye who enter here.

[rubicon101]

If they are truly connected to the political world as they portray themselves to be.
Move-On.org should not be moved by flowery speeches or any other type of hype that presents itself in todays media frenzy, they should endorse the candidate that would be most qualified for the office.
Hillary Rodham Clinton should be that choice.

[timesarechanging]

It doesn't really matter who MoveOn.org endorses. I don't think it will sway any votes toward any particular candiate. People in the MoveOn community are already involved and have already made up their minds. People outside the MoveOn community don't give a damn what MoveOn thinks.

[Merg]

Want another reasont for MoveOn not to endorse? You don't want to give the Naderbots a reason to bolt for the doors. Stay unified so MoveOn can fend off Nader (again) successfully.

[Merg]

They should not endorse either at this point. It will cost them membership and dilute their power. Just wait and keep your powder dry.

[SethBLiNK]

MoveOn should either get in the "business" of backing candidates or not. Saying that they will, then setting up conditions that will almost certainly will never be met is just plain silly.

[MRb1000]

It will be Obama!!

[MinerSam]

I sure hope they endorse Hillary Clinton.

==She is the one was beind the original S-Chip Healthcare program from the White House that gave 6 million children health care, Working w/Republican Majority.

==It was Senator Clinton whom the leaders of Irland recently sought out to thank her for bringing them together after decades of violent differences.

==It was Hillary Clinton who put "Women's Rights is Human Rights" on the world map at the Bejing women's confernce that helped many women around the world. And challanged the Chinese government about their treatment of women.

==Hillary Clinton, in her visit to India broke the ice in the decades long cold relationship between the US and India.

==As Senator consistantly worked w/both sides advocating for veterans. And stopped the Pentagon from taking back money Soldiers got in signing fees but were wounded before finisishing their tours.

==And while the Republicans stopped her from passing Universal Healthcare the process she used was to meet with 400 stakeholders in health care from Hospitals, Nurses, Doctors, Insurance companies as well as Patients and learned an enormous amount. She is a brilliant person who learned from her mistakes.

==She has been calling for freezing those fluctuating interests rates for 9 months that after the White House refused to do it, has put so many in foreclosure.

==She recently challanged companies on Wall St. on CNBC to get it together or face more regulations.

I have followed her for years and spend my time with C-SPAN on. She intends to rebuild the Middle Class, Bring us back to the fiscal responsibility of the 90s that save Social Security and to fix the Government agencies the Republicans have desomated that Americans pay to protect their interests: Consumer Product Safety, FEMA, Army Corp of Engineers.

Hillary is not only a 5 Star Brilliant CEO but has consistantly been a strong advocate for children, education, and Justice for all in society, coupled with fiscal responsibility.

Bestest.