Reid, Pelosi, Dean may intervene in nomination (writing joint letter to Superdelegates)

http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0408/Reid_Pelosi_Dean_may_intervene_in_nomination.html

April 24, 2008
Categories: Campaigns

Reid, Pelosi, Dean may intervene in nomination

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday that he may try to force undecided superdelegates to make their decisions in the Democratic presidential race if it stretches into June.

Reid said he would consider writing a joint letter with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) demanding that superdelegates make their endorsements public.

“The three of us, we may write a joint letter ,” said Reid. “We might do individual letters. We are in contact with each other.”

Reid's comments suggest that the party’s top three officials are contemplating a high-level intervention if the primary season concludes in June without a nominee and many superdelegates still undecided.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's 10-point victory in Tuesday's Pennsylvania Democratic primary means that the contentious nomination fight will likely continue into the summer. As the race continues to tighten, the decisions of the undecided superdelegates could determine the final outcome.

(snip)

The Senate majority leader also hinted that another high-profile superdelegate could be making an endorsement in the coming days.

Reid said he met Wednesday with all of the Senate committee chairman, and that one chairman told him he was going to make an endorsement decision "soon."

and still have a prayer of winning.

They intend to bully people not to vote for Hillary.

I'd call their offices, but I sincerely doubt that they want to hear what I have to say, or even care.

The article says they will write a letter to the superdelegates to announce their choice by June? When the primaries are over?

Especially the part where they want to "demand" that the SDs make their choices public.

It's pretty clear to me what they are trying to do.

I'm really getting tired of people on this forum accusing others of not being able to read, not being able to do math, etc., etc. Yes, sometimes people make an ACTUAL reading error, but in general, it's an opinion forum and people are expressing their opinions of what they think something means, as I am here. If they intend to compel people to reveal their choices, when you couple it with all the "will of the people" rhetoric, I have my opinion about what this means.

You can take things by the exact letters in which they were written, or the spirit in which they were meant. I think we have had an enormous problem lately with people taking things absolutely literally. Almost everything leaves room for interpretation. Why would we be blessed with intuition if we weren't supposed to use it?

I can't see the "you must choose Obama part". Seems to me that there is in fact nothing between the lines. Instead it is all in the lines. The message is quite simple: end the contest after the primaries are over. Make your choice and make it public. Why would you have a problem with that?

that Obama can have a great fall. They want to run out the clock hoping to damage him more before the Convention. They would not like this idea because it limits their damage time.

want the whole summer to attempt to trash Obama out of the race.

by taking it to the convention. That Nelson guy that supports her talking about their being blood on the floor. The three of them want to save the party and win in November. THey are not trying to hand an election to Clinton. Even her super delegate supporters said they will vote for the one with the most pledged delegates at the end. If Hillary is not ahead once all the states have voted then she should step down. She won't so it is clear they are going to have to join together to push her out for the good of the party.

with my warning about what this will mean to either side if we perceive we are being cheated.

I do believe he is pushing them toward Obama, but I am not at all sure he will get the outcome he wants if he pushes too hard.

dean has been fair throughout this primary season.

But the fact that the Obama camp supporters to be wanting it to happen is a pretty big clue.

Obama is my third choice in this very long primary season. What I want, more than anything, is to have our best shot at defeating the Republican in the race, McCain. The prolonged battle between Clinton and Obama is not helping that effort, it is hurting it. So I want it over, one way or another, the sooner the better. The sooner our money and our efforts are focused on knocking McCain out, the better our chances. Join with us in calling for this to end after the last voter has voted. Join with us in fighting the important battle for our Republic, or what is left of it, and put aside the intra-party squabble. It is not all that important.

Why can't they use the same type of DEMANDS to end the OCCUPATION of Iraq and IMPEACH BUSH!!!!!

We need someone to start rapping knuckles with ruler, not writing terse letters.

Now the polls say 28% will defect if they don't get a primary.

Yeah, they're crazy. I know. I live there.

That's not the same as actually pulling the lever in a voting booth for a guy who could give your state 20% unemployement over the next 4 years while he ships your children to Iraq and Iran.

The whole electorate has no disconnect...they make all the right connections, and don't indulge their anger or grudges.


Right.

at this point.

Even Reid and Pelosi should state their positions. Reid is likely Hillary and Nancy seems to be an Obama girl, if I had to guess.

don't know about Reid though.

was involved in Hillary's Nevada campaign -- so I'm guessing Reid is for Hillary, too.

in her efforts to sabotage the caucuses for union workers. His son was her state chair.

If no action - then no vote.

The DNC had no problem stripping the voters from Mich and Fl of their voice. Why pander to the SDs?

The rules do not put a limit if May on it, so you cannot strip them.

we look like idiots.

Dean has lost control of this whole selection process. It is his primary function - and he has lost control. This election should have been a slam dunk - but at this minute - many in the country do not think we can lead. Dean looks like a cat-shepherd.

K and R

let the bosses decide

huh?

There is no more democracy left at that point.

how much Reid's "Strongly Worded Letters" are good for.

www.ez2b1.blogspot.com
email senator@bayh.senate.gov

Dear Senator Bayh,

I have been a Democrat for thirty-six years. One of the first national campaigns I was involved in was your father’s bid for the Presidency in 1976. His campaign was not unlike the current campaign of Senator Obama. Much of his support came from young enthusiastic supporters seeking hope and change. I remember when your father ended his campaign, I felt not only disappointed, but dispirited. In November, I voted for Eugene McCarthy, who was running has an independent. I voted for Senator McCarthy, not because I was angry or hated Jimmy Carter, but because I believed He could not motivate and unite the American people for change.

After almost four ineffectual years, Ted Kennedy challenged Jimmy Carter for re-election. Many Democrats believed that Jimmy Carter was not electable. The 1980 convention was notable, as it was the last time in the 20th century that either major party that a candidate tried to get delegates released from their voting commitment. Ted Kennedy sought the votes of delegates held by Carter. As a consequence, the Democratic Party was so divided that it assured the election of Ronald Reagan. Many Democrats chose not to vote, or voted for the independent candidate, John Anderson for President.

There are many parallels between the 1980 and the 2008 Democratic Presidential campaigns. First, the party is bitterly divided. CNN observed after the recent Pennsylvania primary:

But the contest appears to have left a bad taste in the mouth of many voters: Eleven percent of those voting in the Democratic race said they would vote for McCain over Clinton. Another 6 percent said they would stay home in a race between McCain and Clinton, the New York senator and former first lady. Ten percent of Democrats said they would sit on their hands in a McCain-Obama race, and 15 percent said they would vote for McCain over the Illinois senator.

Secondly, it is almost certain that at the end of Primary season that Senator Obama will have a majority of pledge delegates and the popular vote. It is Senator Clinton’s strategy to convince enough super or automatic delegates to support her to deny him the nomination. Like Kennedy in 1980, her strategy is convince delegates to the national convention that the leading candidate of the Party is unelectable.

Even if Hillary Clinton is successful in capturing sufficient number of super delegates to win the nomination, the party support for her would collapse. For the Party to deny an African American Candidate, who won a majority of both the pledge delegates and popular votes the nomination would be intolerable for many, if not most Democrats. For many Democrats such tactic stir up painful memories of the 2000 election when the candidate with the most popular vote loss to the candidate with the most electoral college votes.

If Hillary Clinton is unsuccessful guerdoning delegate support to win the nomination at brokered convention, the result will be disastrous for the Democratic Party. The last brokered convention to yield a nominee that went on to win the general election was the Democratic convention in 1932 that nominated Franklin Roosevelt. In simple terms, Hillary Clinton would just about assure the election of John McCain.

Nothing can be gain, and much can be loss by Senator Clinton continuing her campaign. Hillary Clinton should end her bid for the White House. Obama should offer her the Vice Presidency. Clinton should accept the offer. It would be a bitter pill for both to swallow but it is what both the Democratic Party and the American nation desperately needs. Neither Clinton nor Obama should place their personal ambition, pride or emotions ahead of the needs of the American people.

Senator the time as come for you to act! As Hillary lead supporter in Indiana, only you can convince her that the time as come to end her campaign. The time has come to unite the party. If you fail to act, I fear history will judge you as a co-conspirator in assuring the election of John McCain , President of the United States.


Sincerely

A Life Long Democrat.


I encourage all Democrats to email or write Senator Bayh to act now to save the party.
senator@bayh.senate.gov
Senator Evan Bayh 131 Russell Building United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

just wanted to tell you that - I don't think it'll do much good in the case of Bayh, but the points you outlined there are persuasive.

I understand Dean being impartial, but not the other two.

The more time the nominee has to prepare and campaign agnist McCain the better. What is so hard to understand about that.
Florida and Michigan will be seated but will not declare the nominee. That is the way it should be.

If it goes to the convention, the GE campaign can't start until Labor Day. That leaves only 2 months to fight against McSame who has a huge head start. This is why we say that dragging this out harms the party.

The heads of the party really need to end this mess, ASAP.

freakin idiots

a public primary for SD's that is not binding according to DNC rules


:rofl:

It is going to be way to late long before June, might as well go to the convention

By The Hill Staff
Posted: 04/24/08 06:39 PM

Reid hints Dem leaders will push superdelegates to make a decision

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that three of the party’s most influential figures might join to convince Democratic superdelegates to make up their minds which presidential candidate to support.

Reid said he, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean might write a joint letter, or individual letters, to superdelegates after the last primaries in early June, “unless something comes up” ...

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/2008--counting-2008-04-24.html