MoveOn is supposed to fight against Repubs, Not tear apart the Dem Party.

[jlake]

They have proven worthless.
They did not accomplish their original goal.
They did not help in 2000.
They did not help in 2004.
They are ineffective against Republicans, and are now dividing the Democratic Party.
.... and their endorsement will only prove to be Toxic in the GE if Obama is the nominee.

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. Makes you wonder ... n/t

[neutron]

38. They knife their Friends in the back

Clinton was the ONLY politician to defend MoveOn
after the senate voted to condemn them over the Patraeus ad.

All the other politicians were wussing out and criticizing them.
Bill Clinton came out forcefully on national television.

Hillary voted against condeming MoveOn.
Obama (guess what) didn't even vote! He wasn't going
to stick his neck out.

Really creepy that MoveOn turned on their real friends.

[Fredda Weinberg]

50. Move On was never a grass roots organization. They were a

mailing list that became a fundraising tool that can't use technology effectively. From the way it was described, this "election" was a joke.

[ProSense]

2. Everybody who endorses Obama sucks!

:sarcasm:

[jlake]

3. Nope. John Kerry rocks. Obama has a stable of wonderful endorsements.

MoveOn is not among them.

[neutron]

43. Turning on people who stuck their neck out for you

when everyone else is trying to do you in, just isn't cool.

[Cleita]

4. Perhaps that's because MoveOn isn't pushing any party's

agenda. Their positions are more in line with the Democrats than Republicans, but they are not part of the Democratic Party.

[jlake]

7. Of course, but I am beginning to think they are a shill for the Republican Party.

[Renew Deal]

5. Tear apart? 70% of their members voted for one candidate

So I don't think there's much to tear apart.

[jlake]

9. Their endorsement is one thing. But they are going to actively campaign against

Hillary. That is just not right.

And, should Obama get the nomination a MoveOn endorsement will NOT be a good thing in the GE.
It is TOXIC to those who are not on the far left.

[Renew Deal]

14. Move on is asking their members to volunteer for Obama.

I haven't seen anything that says they're going to campaign AGAINST Hillary. Rather, they seem to be FOR Obama.

[jlake]

17. It is fine for them to ask. I have heard from reputable sources they will have anti hillary ads.

[Renew Deal]

21. Oh brother

Any links for those sources?

[NoPasaran]

47. Given the history of MoveOn's ads, this could be a boon for Hillary

Obama will end up disavowing MoveOn's support.

Eli Pariser will get a flood of new donations, which he'll use to fund the next embarrassment.

[redqueen]

22. What?!

They're going to campaign against Hillary?!

:wtf:

That is so fucked up... FOR Obama, sure... AGAINST Hillary? Again... :wtf:

:crazy:

[Renew Deal]

35. I'd wait for a verification on that.

I haven't seen that anywhere else. All they're doing right now is asking people to volunteer for Obama.

[Kittycat]

10. We aren't allowed to argue symmantics with the hive.

[jlake]

12. I do not think they should have endorsed anyone. Even Hillary.

It only accomplishes divisiveness within the party.
And the endorsement will be TOXIC baggage in the GE.

[Renew Deal]

19. It's a primary

We beat each other up for a few months and then we come back together. I love Maxine Waters. She endorsed Hillary. I'm disapointed, but it's not the end of the world. Maxine is still one of the best Democratic congresspeople out there. Move On helping Obama doens't diminish Move On.

[suston96]

49. "70% of their members voted for one candidate". I don't think so.

Some 280,000 moveon.org members out of 3.2 million voted in this endorsement question - by e-mail invitation and response. 197,444 Obama to 83,084 Clinton. Less than 6% voted for the endorsement.

Sure would like to see the demographics, age-wise, of the group that voted - by e-mail - by individual invite.

I thought better of moveon.org - the champions of real democracy.

[LostinVA]

6. Yup -- organizations like them and sitting Federal-level elected officials shouldn't endorse

For this reason exactly: it creates a weird, divisive INTERNAL dynamic when everyone should be pulling together -- at least publicly.

MoveOn has disappointed me very much. And yeah, I'd say it if they had endorsed someone else. I've made my opinion of endorsements of certain people and organizations known for quite a while.

[jlake]

13. Yes I agree. It is a no win for the Democratic Party.

[shaniqua6392]

8. Take your name off their mailing list.

That is what I did. They are of no use to me now anyway. They should not endorse any candidate.

[jlake]

11. I took my name off of the mailing list and canceled my membership.

[mohc]

18. Did you take your name off their list...

...when they announced they would be endorsing one of the two, or only after learning who it was they endorsed. If it was the former, then you have a perfectly reasoned argument, although I do not really see this as much different than say a labor union endorsing a candidate ("issue advocacy" groups endorse candidates all time). If its the latter is sounds like so much sour grapes.

[jlake]

25. I took it off when I received the ballot. Before the results were announced.

My stance is about their divisiveness, NOT their endorsing Obama.

[mohc]

28. Fair enough

Just curious, as in my previous post comparing it to an issue advocacy group endorsement, how do you see this as different. Or if not do you take issue with advocacy groups endorsing as well?

[neutron]

42. I didn't even get a ballot -

just a note saying they endorsed Obama, asking for
money.

They will never get another cent out of me.

A million people must be unsubscribing. The unsubscribe
URL was way slow.

[Yael]

15. When they sent me the inviation to vote

I wrote them back and said that I didn't care which candidate they decided to back and declined to vote.

The endorsement process is overblown IMO -- and I don't put much stock in people who rely on endorsements to make up their minds for them.

[K Gardner]

16. Very childish and petty for Democrats to remove their names from mailing lists

and start demonizing anyone or any group who endorses Obama. A few examples:

I'm taking my name off of Kerry's List ! THAT TRAITOR !
I'm taking my name off Ted Kennedy's List! THAT DRUNK!
I'm taking my name off MOVEON list! They're RW HACKS!

I can't wait to see the demonization of Al Gore if he endorses. Pathetic display of juvenile immaturity and pettiness.

[jlake]

20. It is not childish to stop participating in an organization that you no longer agree with.

[K Gardner]

24. And if they'd endorsed YOUR candidate, would you still be acting this way? Of course not.

[jlake]

27. Yes. I cancelled my subscription before they endorsed.

And I have news for you, in the GE their endorsement will be TOXIC.

[Occam Bandage]

23. Sour grapes.

[jlake]

26. And you are proving my point. I do not have sour grapes.

I asked them not to endorse. And Canceled my email subscription BEFORE they endorsed Obama.
But nice try.

[Occam Bandage]

31. It was fairly clear that they were going to be endorsing Obama. The fact that

you anticipated this does not change the point.

[jlake]

33. Oh dear. Do you think that they are helping the Democratic Party?

Don't conflate your candidate with the party.
Seriously - do you?

[Occam Bandage]

36. No, they're helping their chosen candidate. Just like every single endorsement. I understand

that the recent rash of Obama endorsements is upsetting, and feels very divisive. However, primaries are about divisions and decisions--and the divisions in this primary season are entirely superficial. We'll all be back to normal once we settle on a nominee.

[VolcanoJen]

29. Before going forward with the endorsement process...

... MoveOn surveyed 200,000 members to see how they felt about the member-driven organization endorsing a candidate in the Democratic primaries. When a big majority said "yes," MoveOn sent the email ballot to each and every one of their members.

I guess I'm having trouble understanding what you think is wrong with the way it went down.

[jlake]

30. Because it serves no purpose. It divides the Democratic Party & the endorsement

will be used AGAINST the nominee in the GE.
It is counterproductive.

[Occam Bandage]

32. It does serve a purpose. It bolsters Obama's campaign. And frankly, if Hillary wins the nom,

do you think that MoveOn wouldn't align itself with her campaign? That it would just remain neutral?

[jlake]

34. I would hope that she would ask them to NOT take a visible role.

MoveOn is a lightening rod for criticism.

[Occam Bandage]

37. As would I, as I would with Obama's campaign in the GE. MoveOn self-marginalized rapidly.

[VolcanoJen]

39. You know, most of what MoveOn does in campaigns...

... happens on the ground. They do an excellent job with volunteers handing out preference sheets outside polling places, for example. In 2004, one of the official election observers at my polling place was a MoveOn representative.

MoveOn does not represent the Democratic Party, so it's pretty impossible to think that this endorsement of Obama by the members, not the management or leadership of MoveOn, somehow "divides" Democrats.

The GOP will call the eventual Democratic nominee "The Darling of MoveOn" irregardless of who they endorsed.

I think people are getting a little too upset over something that doesn't really matter that much. So, Obama might get a little extra money and some on-the-ground workers (where it really counts). But in no way does this "divide" or give the GOP some kind of leg-up.

[stillcool]

40. sorry you did not like the results.

MoveOn.org vote totals Obama 197,444 (70.4%) Clinton 83,084 (29.6%)

[jlake]

41. I did not like anything about it.

I voted for Obama in their poll and asked them not to endorse.
Their endorsement will be toxic in the GE.

[sharp_stick]

44. Congratulations

you have gone off the frickin' deep end.

[totodeinhere]

45. Making an endorsement is not "tearing apart" the Dem party.

Look, there are two major candidates for the Dem nomination. Are we not supposed to say whom we favor for the nomination? Then how and the heck do you run the campaign if you can't state a preference for who you want to win? That's not tearing the Dem Party apart. That's a campaign. And all the Moveon straw poll was was an opportunity for their members to vote for their favorite nominee. I don't see the harm in that.

[jlake]

46. They are *not* simply making an endorsement.

They are spending $$$ and resources on the Dem primary and asking their members to volunteer for Obama.
They need to work to unite the Dem Party to take on the Repubs in November.

[GoldieAZ49]

48. that is the biggest concern

the money they have come from everyone, and is being used to promote a single candidate during the primary

the GE would be for whoever the party nominated

This was the surprise:

"We congratulate Sens. Clinton, Dodd and Biden, former Senator Edwards, Governor Richardson, Congressman Kucinich and former Senator Gravel on running tremendous campaigns. We thank them for their contributions to the important debate that has gripped our nation and for their ongoing engagement with our members. We're looking forward to working together to bring progressive values to the nation's capitol and to end this disastrous war in Iraq. MoveOn members are committed to putting a Democrat in the White House in 2008 and ushering in a new era of progressive values no matter who wins the nomination."

They just dismissed her

[robbedvoter]

51. True. I quit.