Clinton Donors Warn Pelosi on Superdelegates

Wealthy pro-Clinton Democrats escalated their efforts to keep the nomination battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton open through the remainder of the primaries and to encourage uncommitted superdelegates not to be guided solely by the pledged delegate count in casting their votes at the convention.

A group of major contributors to the Democratic Party sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today calling on her to back away from previous comments and reaffirm that superdelegates should be free to back whichever candidate they believe would be the party's best nominee.

The contributors said Pelosi has laid out an "untenable position that runs counter to the party's intent in establishing superdelegates in 1984" by suggesting on ABC's "This Week" recently that supedelegates should support whichever candidate has the lead in pledged delegates. "If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what happened in the elections it would be harmful to the Democratic Party," she said.

The contributors, who include some of Clinton's biggest bundlers, said that, with 10 contests remaining and millions of Democrats yet to be heard from, any effort to short-circuit the process should be curtailed, and they suggested that Pelosi's declaration that superdelegates follow the pledged delegate count fell into that category.

Obama leads among pledged delegates and is not likely to relinquish that lead by the time the primaries end in June. Clinton hopes to narrow the gap and to finish the primaries ahead or very close to Obama in the popular vote.

"We have been strong supporters of the DCCC [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]," the contributors 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 letter was signed by nearly two dozen people, including Susie Tompkins Buell, Robert L. Johnson, Bernard Schwartz, Maureen White and Steven Rattner.

Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television and one of the organizers of the letter, said the objective was to "to make sure this thing isn't over till it's over" and to "send a message to those who want to cut off debate, that that's not in the best interests of the Democratic Party."
Clinton Donors Warn Pelosi on Superdelegates | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

Is there anything that Pelosi can get involved in without a controversy? Oh well, more infighting is great by me!:thumbsup:

Have a good one!:s4: