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In further evidence that the Democratic primary is straining the party, liberal activist organization MoveOn.org is circulating a petition that attacks a group of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) donors, who had “threatened” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for her stance on superdelegates. “This is pretty outrageous: a group of Clinton-supporting big Democratic donors are threatening to stop supporting Democrats in Congress because Nancy Pelosi said that the people, not the superdelegates, should decide the presidential nomination,” said MoveOn, which is backing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), in an e-mail to supporters. A group of deep-pocketed donors had, in a letter to Pelosi, criticized the Speaker’s position on the role of superdelegates, while also pointing out that they were “strong supporters” of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). MoveOn said the letter was a threat. “It's the worst kind of insider politics — billionaires bullying our elected leaders into ignoring the will of the voters,” the group stated. “But when we all pool our resources, together we're stronger than the fat cats. So let's tell Nancy Pelosi that if she keeps standing up for regular Americans, thousands of us will have her back. And we can more than match whatever the CEOs and billionaires refuse to contribute.” MoveOn is encouraging its members to electronically sign the petition, which states: "The Democratic nomination should be decided by the voters — not by superdelegates or party high-rollers. We've given money — and time — to progressive candidates and causes, and we'll support Speaker Pelosi and others who stand up for democracy in the Democratic Party." Representatives of the Clinton campaign said on a conference call Thursday that they were given a “heads-up” by the donors before the letter was delivered, but they said they were unaware of its content. |
