WASHINGTON (CNN) - MoveOn.org, a grassroots powerhouse that supports Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, launched a fundraising drive Thursday to counter Sen. Hillary Clinton's wealthy supporters.
Her supporters have recently argued with their checkbooks that superdelegates should vote their conscience at the Democratic National Convention in August.
MoveOn's drive sets up a face-off that illustrates the widening gap in the Democratic Party between some of its traditional financial backers, many of whom support Clinton, and a Netroots donor base that leans toward Obama.
Twenty of Clinton's major donors sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Wednesday that suggested they might rethink their support for the party's congressional efforts this cycle if Pelosi did not alter her publicly stated view that superdelegates should support the party's pledged delegate leader - a position that would be fatal to Clinton's presidential bid.
"We have been strong supporters of the DCCC," they wrote. "We therefore urge you to clarify your position on superdelegates 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."
The DCCC - Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee - assists the party's House candidates.
A day later, MoveOn.org announced its fundraising drive to demonstrate its support for Pelosi's position
"It's the worst kind of insider politics - billionaires bullying our elected leaders into ignoring the will of the voters," wrote organizers in an e-mail to the group's members. "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."
Senior advisers to Clinton's campaign denied Thursday the campaign had anything to do with the donors' message to Pelosi.
From CNN Politics
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Keep Move on .com off the nomination quagmire.They move on .com will probably find a better person to support in Nader & Co.
This is big, people – the Clintons do not want a populist base for the party. They want to revive the politics of the 90s, which effectively killed the Democratic party. As Bill Clinton's presidency resulted in losing the House, another Clinton presidency will result in ignoring a populist policy in favor of moneyed interests, those represented in the now infamous Hillary Petition.
Thank you.... MoveOn...........Keep doing it !!!
Obama/Edwards08 Si Se Puede
I'm in!!!
This election is truly revealing some unattractive political tactics that usually go unoticed. Great reporting! Not this time! Obama 08
Once again, this is the work of Hillary lies.
MoveOn.org.is a far left organization that has been hurting the Democratic party for a long time.
All of the candidates they endorse have not done very well in elections,eg John Kerry.
Obama will not benefit from this left wing organizations support.
I believe it was a mistake for MoveOn.org to endorse in the primary so I've opted out of helping them with their Obama-centric projects, but their stance against lobbyist money is a good one.
Here come the liberals!
Of course, Hillary..............you had NO KNOWLEDGE of these fat-cats trying to blackmail Pelosi. We believe you......SURRRRRE we do.
How stupid do you think we are???? Just take your old-style, back-room politics back to Little Rock (or whatever other rock you and your liar-in-chief spouse crawled out from under) and just GO AWAY!!!!
I find it VERY hard to believe that the Clinton camp had nothing to do with this letter. Do they think we are that stupid?
I can't believe those people were basically threatening Pelosi and other democrats...which in turn is them threatening citizens. What jerks.
Before you start bashing the idea of Superdelegates, do some research and find out WHY we have them in the first place.
Again Hillary, we do not want you. Move On who has been anti-Bush this whole time is now Anti-Hillary, that ought to tell HIllarys' supporters something.
Quit Now Hillary !
I applaud MoveOn.org's response to Hillary's "fat cats". Remember, it is we the people, not we the rich and few.
Can you prove that the Clinton campaign is using money to buy superdelagates as you state in the second paragraph of this report?
I find it very hard to believe that Mrs. Clinton didn't know beforehand about the letter that was sent to Ms. Pelosi. I think it very poor of the Clinton campaign to attempt intimidating Ms. Pelosi, one of the most repected and powerful members of the Democratic party, into thinking and speaking they way they want her to. I guess, if you can't win fairly, it is okay to threaten and intimidate those who don't agree with you.
Is the letter posted anywhere for view?
Does anyone know the identities of the "20 millionaires" that want to buy the election/nomination and use their money to force Hillary down our throats?
I for one want to know who these people are so I can ask them who the hell they think they are.
Moveon.org needs to just move on.
OBAMA IS COPYING EVERYTHING FROM HILLARY NOW AND MOVE ON ORG IS WASTING THEIR MONEY......................
Sure, it had nothing to do with the Clinton campaign, it just happened that they were all Clinton supporters with a large financial stake in her campaign... coming together and jointly sending letters at the same time to a single individual.
It was all just one big coincidence, right?
MoveOn is totally right and I totally support them!
Go MoveOn and I hope we can stop this Hillary demand to be president!
I don't understand you Hillary people...you bash Obama for speaking about HOPE and then you turn around and encourage Clinton to stay in the race HOPEING she'll get enough....what exactly????? She CANNOT gain enough votes to catch Obama....what part of that do you guys not understand...it seems as though you are hoping against hope that somehow, someway the numbers will reverse....THEY WON'T...it's mathematically impossible given the number of Democratic voters left, the system in place for allocating delegates and the science of probability....But I gotta tell you...it's fun watching all of you HOPE Hillary's chances change....
I have also left Move On because they endorsed a candidate before the general election. What got me was they held the vote on who they should support the day before the California debate where many may have changed their minds to either candidate based on that debate. At that point Obama had momentum and they were already in for Obama but tried to pretend they were nuetral. Anyone who saw that debate new Hillary won hands down. Most of us Hillary supporters saw through that and left Move On.
The leftists who are NOT members of the democratic party now want to make the decision of who the party nominee is.
Won't work.
The democrats want Hillary.
You independents should not have been allowed to vote in the democratic party primaries.
I have NO money and I support Hillary.
The DNC actions have been corrupt.
Open primaries screwed the democratic party.
Only registered party members should have a say and a vote in who the party nominee is.
Everyone is free to register with one party or the other.