MoveOn responds to Pelosi letter

MoveOn responds to the letter Clinton donors sent yesterday to Nancy Pelosi by sending out a letter of their own:

Dear MoveOn member,

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.

It's the worst kind of insider politics — billionaires bullying our elected leaders into ignoring the will of the voters.

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.

Clicking here will add your name to our statement:

http://pol.moveon.org/democracy/

The statement reads: "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."

We're launching it today with our friends at the blog OpenLeft.com. Our goal is to deliver tens of thousands of signatures to Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders later this week.

Full letter after the jump.

Dear MoveOn member,

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.¹

It's the worst kind of insider politics — billionaires bullying our elected leaders into ignoring the will of the voters.

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. Clicking here will add your name to our statement:

http://pol.moveon.org/democracy/

The statement reads: "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."

We're launching it today with our friends at the blog OpenLeft.com. Our goal is to deliver tens of thousands of signatures to Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders later this week.

A few weeks ago, Speaker Pelosi told ABC News, "If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what happened in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic Party."²

She's right, but Clinton's top fundraisers want her to back off. According to the New York Times, their letter "carries an ominous tone, which stops just short of delivering a threat. The donors remind Ms. Pelosi that they are 'strong supporters' of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee."³ Their language was careful, but their implied threat was universally understood. (Roll Call carried this headline: "Clinton donors threaten Pelosi and DCCC."⁴)

They're the old guard, and this is how the Democratic Party used to function — the big donors called the shots. But the small donor revolution has changed that. The 20 people who signed this letter have given Democrats an average of $2.4 million per year over the last 10 years.⁵ Small donations now dwarf that: In February alone, Obama and Clinton raised $47 million in small donations.⁶

Still, old habits die hard. We need to send a strong signal that we, the small donors, will back Democratic leaders who have the courage to stand up and do the right thing. Please sign our statement today.

http://pol.moveon.org/democracy/

Thanks for all you do,

-Noah, Justin, Ilyse, Wes, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Thursday, March 27th, 2008
Sources:

1. "Clinton Donors Warn on Superdelegate Fight," New York Times, March 27, 2008.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/us/politics/27dems.html

2. Ibid.

3. "Clinton donors ask Pelosi to Back Off," New York Times Caucus Blog, March 26, 2008.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3534&id=&t=240

4. "Clinton Donors Threaten Pelosi and DCCC," Roll Call, March 26, 2008.
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/1_1/breakingnews/22683-1.html

5. "Pelosi's hecklers gave $24 million," Politico, March 27, 2008.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3535&id=&t=242

6. "February Fundraising Frenzy for Presidential Candidates," Campaign Finance Institute, March 21, 2008.
http://www.cfinst.org/pr/prRelease.aspx?ReleaseID=187



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