PUMA Hillary Supporters Hold Closed-Door Convention Strategy Meeting

**Updated Twice Below**

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- More than 250 diehard Hillary supporters were scheduled to meet this weekend at the Marriott Wardman Hotel here to plan their convention strategy. The group's online spokesperson said that the meeting, "PUMA Conference 2008," was "closed to media of any kind."

PUMA stands for "Party Unity, My Ass" -- a coalition of voters who believe the Democratic Party primary process is deeply flawed and that Democratic Party leaders have underestimated the seriousness of opposition to Obama. The group rallies around the conviction that Hillary Clinton was forced out of the race by party insiders and unfair news coverage, and members look to the day when a national watchdog of some sort would point out and combat sexist reporting in the media. (Take note, NBC and Maureen Dowd.)

It's clear PUMA is looking for Hillary Clinton's name to be placed into nomination at the National Convention, but which convention -- Democratic or Republican? PUMA founder and spokesperson Will Bower told the Huffington Post in June that even though he has been a lifelong Democrat, if Hillary's destiny is to become vice-president, then he would prefer a McCain/Hillary ticket.

Is PUMA really prepared to be part of a McCain victory?

Seeking the answer to that question, I roamed the halls of the Marriott Wardman Hotel Saturday looking for the PUMA Conference, doing my best Michael Moore "Roger and Me" impersonation. "No PUMA conference is registered here," they told me at the front desk. Allegedly they told a Hearst reporter the same thing a day earlier.

No reports yet on what PUMA may be cooking up for the conventions.

Today I received this email from Bower: "The conference was moved to a new location. We made an agreement with all our participants that we would treat the proceedings as confidential. There was a great deal of information that was generated that our members want to disseminate to their colleagues in their own way."

****
UPDATE: Bower is making the media rounds this week, starting tonight, Wednesday 13 August, on Fox. PUMAs believe Democratic Party unity depends upon whether or not the name "Hillary Clinton" appears on the nominating ballot in Denver. A nominating petition requires 300 delegate signatures. "We have over 200 names and we're pretty sure we're going to get all 300," Bower told Fox. According to the rules of the convention, Hillary Clinton must sign off on the petition. Would she? "My guess is she would," Bower told OffTheBus. "But we're not connected, so I have no idea what she's thinking."

UPDATE TWO:Despite official word issued in a joint press release by the Obama and Clinton campaigns that makes it clear Hillary Clinton's name will be placed into nomination at the convention, Bower intends to go forward with his petition so that the final decision to put Clinton's name on the ballot won't rest in the hands of DNC chairman Howard Dean.

Follow Diane Tucker on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dianetucker

Comments

[kerwynkus]

I know what I am about to say does not apply to all PUMA people - and it certainly does not apply to Geraldine Ferraro - but I really think some of these people are actually fake Democrats. These are the folks who argued that Obama should not choose a female running mate, and yet they are now so happy that McCain has chosen a woman that they are going to vote for her? Are we really to believe that these die-hard Hillary supporters­/Democrats are excited about an extreme pro-Life candidate? McCain voted against equal pay for women, whereas Biden championed the Violence Against Women Act, and yet they support McCain/Palin? Are not these so-called "Democrats" really Republicans who are following Rush Limbaugh's advice in crossing over and disrupting Democratic party machinations? OK, not everyone, and I know some people are indeed very upset about the treatment Clinton received (though why they ignore the racism Obama also faced is beyond me), but this is a small group of people who immediately jumped on the McCain train. Perhaps they were there a long time ago?

[Diane Tucker - Huffpost Blogger]

Here's a link to the latest:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-tucker/die-hard-hillary-supporte_b_121003.html

Keep me posted! And thanks for reading.

[chrisbee]

http://yestodemocracy.com
learn more about these swiftboaters, PUMA.

[BartLA]

If you want to see the whole conference in its glory, complete with "closed-door photos", click on link. It's something to behold. LOL.

http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comments/the_truth_about_puma_conference_08_you_cant_spell_conference_without_c_o_n/

[Temperancegirl]

Thank you for posting this. MADE MY DAY!

[DoubleBarrellBunnyAnger]

Bottom Line:

PUMA = Republican

[YouDisgustMe]

and that's the god honest truth...

[Freesia2]

A little present for anybody who is as tired of this whole PUMA mess as I am. And there are pictures.

It seems we all missed a chance to party.

http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comments/the_truth_about_puma_conference_08_you_cant_spell_conference_without_c_o_n/

[greeniefromOH]

I like Hillary, too, but I am soooooooooo sick of these people. No wonder there are only 250 of them. And I agree that they have been seriously infiltrated by Republicans.

Look, folks, you don't change the rules after the game is played. Obama played by the rules which were set forth before the campaign even began, and HE WON! She didn't! And guess what? We trust him to do the exact same thing in the G.E.
I was a Hill supporter early in the primaries, but switched to Obama after realizing that he was running by far the better campaign, and that Hillary was on her way down. She was plagued by the same troubles that characterize these PUMA folks: rigidity, presumption, and the inability to bring fresh ideas to the table.

If you're going to vote for McCain, go do it already. All 250 of you. Put your country in jeopardy for the sake of making this childish point.... but I have children, and dare not take the risk.

[DrFitz]

Not only did he run a better primary campaign, whether they want to face it or not, the party would be in worse shape if she had won. Matchup with McCain aside, Bloomberg would have run as an independent if Hillary was the Dem nominee. He was very close until he saw Obama take off as a new politics pragmatic candidate. And if Bloomberg went for it, he would have spent a Billion on the campaign. Winning a race with that kind of 3rd candidate would have been next to impossible.

[afed27]

Go, gals, go! If not Hillary, go for Biden. If not Biden, try Bahy, if not Bahy, try Rangel, if not Rangel, try Sherrod Brown, if not Brown, try Lou Dobbs, try anyone, anyone but Obama!. Please!

[TheThoughtCriminal]

if mccain is elected, he will appoint supreme court justices willing to overturn roe v. wade. if that day comes, i think the pumas will have some serious reflecting to do.

[starfire426]

Why don't the PUMAS throw her name into nomination at BOTH conventions (it's perfectly clear Hill and Bill are NO LONGER Dems) and see which Party will choose her as their nominee? Perhaps, once and for all, after they receive a resounding "NO" from both conventions...HIll and Bill can slink away and start their own kingdom...with the PUMAS as their serfs!!!

[olivia]

If Hillary became the nominee, most of the PUMA Republicans would turn on her instantly and defeat her because their real goal is to elect McCain.

[judi4obama]

PUMA LINKS
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/07/14/puma-poor-unsuspecting-mccain-androids/
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/07/15/puma-pac-founder-mccain-not-good/
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/07/18/has-puma-met-its-match/
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/07/20/videos-of-the-week-puma-powered-edition/
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/07/21/hillary-tells-puma-no-deal/
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/08/04/trouble-in-puma-paradise/
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/08/09/puma-gets-scary/

http://yestodemocracy.org/

Another interesting take on PUMA by Tom Abrahams of ABC:
http://thevote.abc13.com/2008/07/puma-passion.html#comments

[judi4obama]

I've been reading up on PUMA. Here's an excerpt from my blog:
PUMA, or PUMApac MISSION STATEMENT:

People United Means Action or PUMA is a United States Political Action Committee formed by Hillary Clinton supporters who were upset at the procedural choices of the Democratic Party.
"The acronym PUMA originated from - "party unity, my ass" - used on many pro-Hillary weblogs after Barack Obama was declared the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party (United States|Democratic Party in the general election. A more family-friendly version emerged when PUMA PAC registered with the Federal Election Commission in June 2008.
The stated goals of PUMA PAC are as followshttp://blog.pumapac.org/about/:
1. To support the candidacy of Hillary Clinton
2. To lobby and organize for changes in leadership in the DNC
3. To critique and oppose misogyny, discrimination, and disinformation they believe to be present in the mainstream media, including mainstream blogs and other outlets of new media.
4. To support the efforts of those political figures who have allied themselves with Hillary Clinton and who have demonstrated commitment to their first three goals

This organization may have started out as a group of dissatisfied Hillary Clinton supporters whose hearts are true, but it was soon infilterated by cloaked Republicans bent on steering these people toward John McCain and away from Barack Obama. There's a lot of proof for this at sites like Yes to Democracy, and Tommy Christopher's blog.

[olivia]

They're ludicrous. Their mantra is that Obama is so dangerous they are going to save the country from him by electing McCain. They quote Fox News and Ann Coulter.

[judi4obama]

I've been watching the morph of PUMApac/PUMA from the beginning, seeing some interesting changes in the tone and direction of this group. It seems PUMA's goal of getting the DNC to recognize Hillary as a still-viable contender in the presidental race has been tweaked and convoluted into a twofold campaign: a sinister and racism-saturated assault on Barack Obama that is being used to blind-side disgruntled Hillary supporters and drive them into John McCain's camp.
Out of fairness, there still remain bona fide PUMAs lingering in the group who adhere to the original mission statement, many of them planning to vote for Obama. It seems they are lately beginning to see how they have been duped, and many have already left PUMA.
The other PUMA faction is the one we need to worry about and fight back against. These are the cloaked Republicans, posing as Democrats. They are motivated by extreme racism and an obsession to destroy the Democratic National Committee, and they are a driven and ambitious group of fanatics. That was too kind. Let me put it to you straight: they're a bunch of deranged loonies. And they are dangerous, as you will see when you look at some of the material linked in my next comment.

[debwarot]

Sometime within the next week Hillary Clinton will be required to make it clear to all, finally and without any doubt whatsoever, whether she has been covertly encouraging the PUMAs and their ilk. She will have to decide if she will sign a request to have her name put on the ballot.

Is it is worth tarnishing Bill's 'legacy' and mortgaging her political future? Or, does she want to go down in history as a loyal and honest Democrat who told the truth when she said she would do everything in her power to help put Barack Obama in the White House?

The decision will be hers - and we will all be watching as she shows the world what she will stand for.

[olivia]

Will Bower, founder of PUMA, says they are certain she supports their disruption because she has not released her delegates.

[NoSandwiches]

This PUMA group is doing a great disservice to Hillary. Am I the only one who believes they are all Democrats? Democrats don't vote for a Republican out of spite. If you agree with Hillary's ideas and positions, then you agree with Obama's and disagree with McCain's. If it is about Hillary the person and not Hillary the Democrat, then you are obsessed with her celebrity and she stands for nothing. That's just silly.

Hillary doesn't need the PUMA albatross hanging around her neck. She has plenty of supporters who respect her and the party but now support Obama--because they are Democrats who value what Democrats stand for. The vocal minority are just that--a small contingent of people who want attention and validation.

If Hillary were in my backyard at my barbeque I would comiserate with her. That doesn't mean I want to disrupt the convention or that I am not a supporter of Obama. I liked Hillary. I am embarrassed by the rabid HRC supporters who can't let go and are blinded by their self-righteous anger.