Breaking on HuffPost: Clinton Summons Donors (interpreted to mean suspending race)

[DemsUnited]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/02/clinton-summons-top-donor_n_104715.html

Thomas B. Edsall
The Huffington Post
Clinton Summons Top Donors, Supporters For Tuesday Speech
June 2, 2008 02:24 PM

Hillary Clinton has summoned top donors and backers to attend her speech tomorrow night in an unusual move that is being widely interpreted to mean she plans to suspend her campaign and endorse Barack Obama.

Obama and Clinton spoke Sunday night and agreed that their staffs should begin negotiations over post-primary activities. In addition to help raising money to pay off some $20 million-plus in debts, Clinton is known to want Obama to help out black officials who endorsed her and are now taking constituent heat, including, in some cases, primary challenges from pro-Obama politicians.

"This has never happened before," one donor said, referring to the personalized request by email to attend the event in New York Tuesday night.

Obama is expected to claim enough delegates to put him over the top that night at a separate event in Minneapolis.

Earlier in the day it was reported that, Clinton staffers were being urged by the campaign's finance department "to turn in their outstanding expense receipts by the end of the week," another sign that the run at the White House was nearing an end. In addition, Politico wrote that members of Clinton's advance staff had received calls and emails Sunday night, summoning them to New York City and telling them their roles on the campaign are ending.

I'll believe it when I see it...

[grannylib]

1. I hope that's indeed the case; we need to end the infighting and

get it together to obliterate McBush in the GE.

[AtomicKitten]

2. Let it be so.

[Waya]

3. Ok...one last time I will......

....give her the benefit of the doubt....

[TwilightGardener]

4. Bull. She's just going to bang her tin cup again and beg for more to keep

challenging Obama all the way to the convention.

[grantcart]

5. well lets just wait and see we can still go apeshit on Wednesday

[WeDidIt]

6. The signs are starting to pile in

IF so, I take back everything bad I ever said or thought about Hillary.

It would be truly classy of her to suspend her campaign and endorse Barack Obama right before his victory speech. If she does ti, I'd be proud to have her on teh ticket with him and would urge him to choose hher.

[Andy823]

11. It would be the right thing

For her to do, but as for the VP slot, never!

[thoughtcrime1984]

25. That's taking it a bit far, however

I'd commend that action, and if she can get her bulldogs to stand down, ie. McAuliffe, Davis, Ickes, Wolfson, then I'd be of the idea that she is serious about trying to mend fences. I still think her as VP is a poor idea, that it would not work beyond the election, but I could see her actually being in Obama's cabinet if she becomes an asset to his candidacy.

[Arrowhead2k1]

7. A sign!

About fricken time! So long Billary!!!!! :D

[ellacott]

8. This part is very interesting

"Clinton is known to want Obama to help out black officials who endorsed her and are now taking constituent heat, including, in some cases, primary challenges from pro-Obama politicians."

[KittyWampus]

15. I re-read that several times.

[crickets]

51. Same here. -nt

[Liberty Belle]

50. Good move, Hillary. People like Senator Diane Watson,

who stayed with Hillary out of loyalty because Bill appointed Diane to am ambassadorship years ago. She has taken a lot of flack from her constituents, and a visit from Obama to her district would be a classy thing for Hillary to suggest.

[redstate_democrat]

9. Hmf

In addition to help raising money to pay off some $20 million-plus in debts, Clinton is known to want Obama to help out black officials who endorsed her and are now taking constituent heat, including, in some cases, primary challenges from pro-Obama politicians.

Um, hell no. Obama's help will not save these fools who sided with Clinton even when they told their elected officials to go with Obama. We will have to respectfully disagree with Obama if he does decide to campaign for them. They were warned and they will pay the piper. That's what you get when you bet foolishly. Tubbs-Jones and Shelia Jckson Lee have some explaining to do.

[KittyWampus]

18. bad blood doesn't help pass legislation.

[cali]

21. no they don't. And this purge bullshit really is puke inducing.

Both those legislators have been stalwart liberals, opposed the war, etc. Fuck anyone who says they shoulds be purged just because they chose to endorse Clinton.

Your post is sickening.

[redstate_democrat]

30. That's your opinion

but I happen to hold the belief that when legislators go against the will of the vast majority of their constituents and defend race baiting, they are no friend to the liberal cause. They defended someone who is a corporatist DLC Rovian tactic using opportunist.

People make their choices and ultimately have to live with them. This is not the equivalent of Stalin's purge. This is a cleaning up of the typical Washington bullshit that has limited this party for too long.

[riskpeace]

34. Who are you to judge

fine Democratic representatives for their choice of whom to support?

[redstate_democrat]

44. emphasis on the word "representative"

they are the voter's proxy. That's the problem. Too many of them think that once the election cycle ends, they are no longer accountable to the voters, that they can just do what they want and there won't be any repercussions. This is how we got Democratic congress people voting for IWR and Kyl-Lieberman and capitulating to Bush et al for the past seven years. If you're gonna elect people, at least do your job and hold them accountable. If not, why even vote? How do we hold them accountable? By voting them out if they go against the will of the people. This is what Barack has said all along. He wants US to get involved and hold our elected officials ACCOUNTABLE and if we do, then Washington WILL CHANGE.

[leftynyc]

43. I assume you hold that position on

Kerry and Kennedy as well. Both of them went against their constituents wishes and went with Sen Obama. And their explanation would be.....?

[redstate_democrat]

47. Well, if 90% of their states went to Hillary, then they have a legitimate gripe

In Shelia Lee Jackson's instance, her district went something like 90% for Obama, she defended the race baiting, and her only excuse was loyalty to Hillary. Her loyalty should be to her constituents.

[leftynyc]

53. She's answerable to her constituents

when it comes to how she votes in Congress. You have a mistaken impression on what a superdelegate is. If her constituents don't like what she did, they can vote her out.

[redstate_democrat]

54. That;s what I'm saying. They can vote her out if they don't like what she did.

And since a large majority of her district did not, they may just do that. Or, they make weigh it with her entire record and decide this support for Hillary does not outweigh the other things she has done. In any case, they do have the right to take her support and defense of Hillary into consideration. Many of them will. Do I think Obama campaigning for her will change things much? No. People have put Shelia Lee Jackson in office since 1994. They expected her to be more loyal to them than to Hillary.

[leftynyc]

55. You don't even mention loyalty to herself

Wonder why that is.

[Ganja Ninja]

10. I suspect this is going to be a strategy session.

Hillary is going to use these rich donors to browbeat the SD's between now and the convention.

[endarkenment]

12. Please let it be so.

I really want Senator Clinton to help bring us back together. It really is more important than any one individual's ambitions.

[msallied]

13. I also read on Politico today that she's letting go some of her top-level staffers.

The writing is on the wall, it would seem.

[FemaleDemfromMass]

14. This would be

wonderful news if it's true. I have my fingers crossed. I am so afraid it will go to the convention.

[GoesTo11]

16. She might be preparing for a tet offensive

[DemocratSinceBirth]

19. I Read She's Channeling The Ghosts Of General Giap And Ho Che Minh

~

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. I believe General Giap, who is still alive and well at 96

Would object to that.

I gather Uncle Ho hasn't copulated with Che Guevara in socialist heaven, and thus I'm not sure who you mean by Ho "Che" Minh!

:rofl:

[VolcanoJen]

17. It will happen.

The Clintons have always believed Obama will get trounced by McCain, mainly because they have far too much respect for the current state of the Republican Attack Machine. I think they'll let this go, but behind-the-scenes will shrug and throw out I-told-you-so's until Obama gets a clear lead in the polls. I suspect Obama will do that sooner rather than later, and get one helluva post-convention bounce. :-)

[GoesTo11]

The Clintons also believed Obama would get trounced by Clinton.

So there goes that theory.

[Chrisnreno]

20. Please, please let it be true.

[gateley]

22. I'll believe it when I see it. I've been fooled too may times so far. nt

[Poll_Blind]

23. "I'll believe it when I see it..." I'm with you. n/t

PB

[PoliticalAmazon]

24. I interpret it as a strong-arm tactic: either fund me as much money as I can blow....

or you will be responsible for me dropping out.

This will be said with an audience of Hillary voters in the audience and watching on TV.

[mystieus]

26. Its over folks, time to concentrate on McCain.

[Inuca]

27. Agree. it's OVER

Still tomorrow will be cathartic. Too long in the waiting.

[gateley]

33. It's over -- AGAIN?

How many times have we said and believed this? As Rachel said, how many "just two more weeks" have we gone through?

Even if he gets the delegates and is the presumptive nominee, my concern is that she'll keep campaigning. Appealing to voters to pressure the SDs to change endorsements.

And during all that time, many Hillary supporters are viewing Obama and us as the enemy, instead of McCain.

I just don't trust her to concede. I would be ecstatic if I were proven wrong.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

38. No matter how often I see that picture, it still makes me laugh

and creeps me out a little.

And, of course, I'm NOT talking about the picture of Kathleen Sibelius...

[Kokonoe]

28. Please buy my bridge

take your pick


I didn't do that.

wow

[Kokonoe]

32. How can somebody hijack my post like that

sorry for the offensive picture that showed inplace of the other

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. It is coming

the end is coming

[LaurenG]

31. I think she's bowing out. I thought she'd wait until the 3rd though. nt

[NightWatcher]

35. I think she might bow out tomorrow night. Bill said about as much

this was the last possible second that she had to retain any grace or dignity. I truly hope she does drop out.

A "suspension" says that she'll hang around to see if Obama gets whacked before November

[mudesi]

36. She might just be begging for more money

Though please let this be true....

[backscatter712]

39. I hope that's the case.

It could be that she's begging for more money, but one would think that her donors are sick of throwing money away by now...

[Bigleaf]

40. To quote our great leader: "There's an old saying in Tenessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in

Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."


I'll believe it when I see it or the Obama camp confirms it.

:rofl:

[Erin Elizabeth]

41. I don't believe it.

I really don't. I don't think she's going to withdraw. It's an I'll believe it when I see it kind of thing. How many times has it been said that she's going to end this on x date? And it didn't happen.

Nope. She's crazy and she's staying in. So say I. Don't y'all start holding your breath or anything.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

42. might not be able to protect her supporters from being "primaried"

Some of them put Hillary above the party and above our country.

They went along with the lies and the racist dog whistling, and
it is doubtful the constituents are pleased.

[beachmom]

45. According to Ambinder, she is NOT conceding Tuesday night

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/06/clinton_aides_tomorrow_nights.php

Senior Clinton campaign aides privy to the construction of tomorrow night's election night celebration in New York insist that Sen. Clinton will not use the occasion to drop out of the race.

[Colobo]

46. She's gonna celebrate then? What will she celebrate?

[TexasObserver]

48. I still worry that she's got one more burst out of the bath tub in her.

ala Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction

[populistdriven]

49. I am still waiting on my free bumpersticker to adorn my trash cans

[uponit7771]

52. I almost shed a manly man tear

[pnorman]

56. Let's all here take a deep breath, and let this pass in watchful silence.

Not for Hillary herself, but out of consideration for those of our fellow DUers who have invested so much of their passion and efforts in her behalf.

And then we can all get back on message. November beckons, and there is sooooo much to do and not all that much time!

pnorman