Obama campaign: Supporting Our Party

[ProSense]

Supporting Our Party

By Sam Graham-Felsen - Mar 27th, 2008 at 3:45 pm EDT

Yesterday, Talking Points Memo reported that a group of top Clinton donors wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has made it clear that superdelegates should support the winner of the pledged delegate count.

Here is a portion of that letter...

We have been strong supporters of the DCCC. We therefore urge you to clarify your position on super-delegates and reflect in your comments a more open view to the optional independent actions of each of the delegates at the National Convention in August. We appreciate your activities in support of the Democratic Party and your leadership role in the Party and hope you will be responsive to some of your major enthusiastic supporters.

Obama campaign spokeseman Bill Burton promptly responded...

This letter is inappropriate and we hope the Clinton campaign will reject the insinuation contained in it. Regardless of the outcome of the nomination fight, Senator Obama will continue to urge his supporters to assist Speaker Pelosi in her efforts to maintain and build a working majority in the House of Representatives.

To expand on what Bill said, it's important to recognize that Obama supporters from across the country are working hard every day to not only elect Barack Obama, but to expand our Democratic majority.

That's one major difference between these two campaigns.

Our campaign, our movement, believes in empowering ordinary people to make a difference in our politics. We believe change comes from the bottom up, not from the top down.

That's why over a million people have donated to this campaign -- the vast majority of them making donations of $100 or less.

And that's why our supporters are dedicating their hard earned time and money to candidates up and down the ballot across the country -- so that we can expand our Democratic majority and bring about real change.

You can see these efforts in action in the My.BarackObama.com community, particularly in states that have already held their primaries or caucuses.

The grassroots organization that has helped Barack Obama win the most delegates, the most states, and the most votes is still growing, with an eye toward helping everyone on the Democratic ticket in November.

Here are some of the discussions that have been taking place on our My.BarackObama.com groups...

From a message promoting a small event for Tim Walz (MN-1):

I sort of feel like Rep. Walz is our own, local Obama--his win was surprising and fueled by young people and hope. I'd love to meet him, but alas, grad school calls for yet more weekends of my time. YOU can meet Rep Walz and some other Democratic stars after a short jaunt to Rochester this Saturday. Read below for more details!

The best thing about a possible Obama nomination is what I think it can do for "down ticket" Democrats. If people are all jazzed up and show up to excitedly vote for Obama in the general election (a response I feel Obama is likely to get and the other candidates, with all their negatives in polling might not get), there is a good chance that those turned-out democrats will send Coleman home, and Tim back for another 2 years (have you heard he'll super-delegate for Obama?) and all sorts of great democratic victories from there to local dog-catcher. That would be great!

Rep. Bill Foster (IL-14), who Obama supporters helped elect by making thousands of calls on his behalf, will be back on the ballot again this November. Check out this message from an Obama/Foster supporter...

In case you were not aware, Bill Foster won a special election two weeks ago for a congressional seat in the west suburbs of Chicago. Bill Foster was an underdog - the seat had been held by a Republican for 25 years. Bill is also new to the political scene -- a former nuclear physicist who worked for Fermi Labs. Barack endorsed him and used our grassroots phonebank support to make calls for Bill. I was contacted to make these calls (even though it is not my congressional district). Bill won by a 2:1 margin. This is the power of our grassroots network. It is sign of things to come - we are all awake and ready to make CHANGE happen by filling congress with the right kind of people.

Or take Dan Seals (IL-10). Back in January there were "Obama Supporters for Seals" phone banks. From a message promoting the phonebanking events...

Just wanted to let you know about volunteer opportunities to help Dan Seals, Democratic Candidate for Congress. While the Obama campaign has not officially endorsed anyone for the Democratic ticket in the 10th, I know Dan has a lot of supporters in our group and we have a great shot at unseating Republican Mark Kirk in 2008.

Barack will need a working majority in Congress, and there's no better way to help right here in the 10th District.

Some of our Washington State volunteers wrote...

The national campaign folks moved on to OH and TX, and the main campaign office downtown closed in the days following the caucus. The only ones left now are us - an all-volunteer, all-grassroots, all-volunteer, slightly organized effort.

The same Washington group is organizing a visibility event at an upcoming local parade, where they are promoting about a dozen Democratic candidates:

We also want to learn from our 2004 experience and remember our down-ticket candidates, especially with a definitive win for our Governor! Don't be offended if I ask you to carry a sign for a down-ticket candidate. This isn't just a presidential election year.

This is how we're going to bring about a working Democratic majority in Congress. This is how we're going to bring about change in America -- with ordinary people taking the reins of our democracy at the local, state, and national level.

And if this movement continues to grow, we're not just going to win one election -- we're going to win many elections, and we're going to change this country.

Contrast:

Hillary is not only tearing Dems apart, she's also shooting herself in the foot (no pun intended)

Bill Clinton praises McCain

Hillary praises McCain

Obama still going strong:

Obama Weathers the Wright Storm, Clinton Faces Credibility Problem



More poll data

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. If the superdelegates are not exercising their own judgement

... then why have any of them endorsed either candidate?

Their purpose is either
1) to prevent a hopelessly divided convention by piling on whoever wins the delegate count, or
2) to prevent a convention result in which the delegate count winner is not the top vote-getter, or
3) they act of their own accord.

Given the fact that there are "Obama superdelegates" and "Hillary superdelegates" #3 is strongly implied since neither #1 nor #2 have come to pass.

[jefferson_dem]

2. Another power-packed post by Pro...

:applause:

+

:kick:

[ProSense]

3. Thanks! n/t

[ProSense]

4. Bill, still campaigning for McCain

BILL: PRAISING MCCAIN

[karynnj]

5. It may be started already - Dodd is calling ton the superdelegates to end it

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5285279&mesg_id=5285279

[BumRushDaShow]

6. K&R and as they used to say POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

What happened to that mantra? :shrug:

:kick:

[writes3000]

7. And this is why the SDs will ultimately rally for Obama.

Look at the support he gives BACK to the party.

The power is in the people.

[Scurrilous]

8. K & R

:thumbsup:

[ProSense]

9. Supporting the party is what the Hillary camp calls buying super delegates.

What's this and this: Bob Johnson, superdelegate an non member of Congress