Bullet Point Election News: MoveOn.Org Responds to Threat By Democratic Fundraisers

Saturday, March 29, 2008

CNN reports that "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.

In response MoveOn.org announced its fundraising drive to demonstrate its support for Pelosi's position saying "It's the worst kind of insider politics -- billionaires bullying our elected leaders into ignoring the will of the voters," 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."

MoveOn.Org has also started a petition to "Stop insider politics from deciding this election" on their website.

The Center for Responsive Politics reported Thursday that the 20 Clinton donors who signed the letter to Pelosi had collectively contributed nearly $24 million to Democratic candidates and committees over the last decade, including more than $500,000 to Clinton's senate and presidential campaigns and leadership PAC. They have collectively donated less than a tenth of that amount to Obama.

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