**Top fundraisers for Hillary and Obama have begun private talks aimed at a team merger**

[ballsalicious]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24687292/

Top fundraisers for Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have begun private talks aimed at merging the two candidates' teams, not waiting for the Democratic nominating process to end before they start preparations for a hard-fought fall campaign.

Despite Obama's apparently insurmountable lead in delegates needed to claim the nomination, aides to both candidates are resigned to the idea that the Democratic contest will continue at least through June 3, when Montana and South Dakota will cast the final votes of the primary season.

But in small gatherings around Washington and in planning sessions for party unity events in New York and Boston in coming weeks, fundraisers and surrogates from both camps are discussing how they can put aside the vitriol of the past 18 months and move forward to ensure that the eventual nominee has the resources to defeat Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in November.

Mark Aronchick, a Philadelphia lawyer who has raised more than $1 million for Clinton's bid, said that while her supporters have not given up on their candidate, they recognize the need to start preparing for the general election.

"Only if we do this right, and see this through in the right way, will there be a chance for a full, rapid and largely complete unification of the party," Aronchick said.

Aronchick was one of about 35 Clinton and Obama insiders who attended a dinner last week in Washington aimed at what he characterized as helping the two sides "grope towards unity."

The gathering, held at the Ritz-Carlton residence of Jim Johnson and Maxine Isaacs, was a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at which former Treasury secretary Robert Rubin was honored. But the guests were well aware of the symbolism as they sipped cocktails and admired the views of the Potomac River and the Washington Monument. The event honoring a prominent Clinton supporter was held at the home of an Obama backer and co-hosted by another, former senator Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.).

"The people there had all picked sides," one attendee said. "There was a sense that there is an obligation to lead by example."

While there was little outright talk of how the primary campaign would end, guests confirmed that DNC Chairman Howard Dean set the tone with a speech in which he emphasized that despite the protracted nomination fight, he is already instituting a plan to combat McCain.

The message was clear, according to one attendee, who said, "You don't go anywhere anymore where there isn't a sense that this is over and this is about how people behave over the next month."

Even with the work in top levels of the party to broker a detente between Obama and Clinton donors, both sides acknowledge there is much still to be done.

Top fundraisers have invested not only their time and money but also their emotions in the primary battle. Major financial backers say the tensions have been particularly acute in recent weeks as frustrations have mounted in both camps.

Aronchick said that in his own discussions, he emphasized the need for the senator from Illinois to stop describing Clinton and her backers as representing the politics of the past.

"They need to understand how corrosive that has been among her supporters," Aronchick said. "For this to work, they need to correct any impression that he thinks we represent the old ways of doing things or Washington Beltway ways of doing things."

One top fundraiser for Obama, a veteran of several presidential campaigns who spoke about the private discussions on the condition of anonymity, said there are sensitivities among many of Obama's supporters, as well. The fundraiser said there is a high level of resentment that Clinton has continued to campaign, even though her chances of securing the nomination are remote. Many are unhappy about the idea of having to make room for members of Clinton's finance team, who had "picked the wrong candidate."

"There are people who are thinking, 'Hey, my guy won. Now I have to share the trophy?' " the Obama fundraiser said. "That's something we have to overcome."

more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24687292/

[anigbrowl]

1. There's a degree of hostage holding going here...

'OK, we want to help...but you have to be nice to us or we don't share the big boxes of money...' I understand this on a practical level, but as it's a private meeting, I think leaking the details of those discussions publicly amounts to an attempt to negotiate through the press.

[DerekJ]

3. I'm reading it the same way you're reading it.

:think:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

16. the OP left out this impt paragraph, which says No Hillary as VP

perhaps it wasnt in the MSNBC version:

..."There's gale-force pressure for Obama to choose a Clinton loyalist as a running mate to heal the party but avoid putting her and her formidable baggage on the ticket," said one Obama ally in Washington. "You hear the names Strickland, Bayh, and Wes Clark almost constantly, and it's no secret that Jim Johnson and Tom Daschle are purveyors of that wisdom."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/17/AR2008051702425.html?sid=ST2008051702392

Read the WaPo blog, it may have something the MSNBC didn't.

Also, its not Obama donors/supporters who need Hillary donors, its an effort
to find a way to work together by both groups.

[K Gardner]

22. This is about the fundraising effort, NOT about Clinton as VP. Yet another meme we're seeing pop

up every other thread now that Clinton supporters are becoming more and more desperate. Thanks for posting the rest of the article.

[roseBudd]

24. "her formidable baggage" sums up why she is the weaker candidate

also why she is losing

[anigbrowl]

29. I didn't have the VP Pick in mind especially

I was referring to the morality-play aspect of 'he's got to stop referring to her and her supporters as the politics of the past' etc.. When I see that sort of language used by someone on one side of a discussion or issue I tend to figure they're working real hard to manipulate the views of bystanders.

My favorite manipulative tactic is when someone says 'I didn't like it but it had to be said/done' - pretty much a sure clue that they're lying their ass off. I also ask myself 'yeah? according to who?'.

[mia]

43. ... choose a Clinton loyalist as a running mate to heal the party ...

In that case, it's time for Clark to be on the ticket.

[ruggerson]

2. Sounds like the adults are coming to terms with how to win this fall

meanwhile on DU...

[anonymous171]

4. HILLBOT!

:P

[rodeodance]

13. you are not one of the adults with your school-yard bully like name-calling.

[ruggerson]

15. I think he was being facetious

[anonymous171]

17. Yes I was.

:):hi:

[rodeodance]

21. That smear is always thrown at us. Lose it.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cali]

37. when are you going to stop throwing out "Obamababies"?

[dchill]

5. "coming to terms" = blackmail/ransom

:shrug:

[Forkboy]

8. It always works this way. Nothing new here.

These behind the scene machinations take place in almost every election. It's for the best, especially in this instance.

[dchill]

42. You say so.

;)

[anigbrowl]

11. It's telling that they didn't invite you to their discussion..

What a trail it must be for you to be stuck here with all of us.

[ruggerson]

12. Are you sure they didn't?

[anigbrowl]

27. Yes, very.

[ruggerson]

30. Ah

but the internets can fool you sometimes, my Peggy Noonan loving friend.

[anigbrowl]

31. You're trying way too hard for me to take you seriously as one of 'the adults'.

[Eurobabe]

6. Hey I own a piece of that campaign too and I VETO such merger!

I don't want Clinton on the ticket. :mad: :grr:

[kenny blankenship]

20. Before this spreads further -just because fundraisers of a losing side want to join the winning side

doesn't mean that there will be any "merger" of the candidacies.

Let's remember these Hillary fundraisers have by now bailed on her doomed candidacy. She stopped getting money from them some weeks ago. They need to join Obama and make themselves useful to him to protect their own relevancy. He has a massive fundraising apparatus of his own.

[sandnsea]

25. If these fundraisers want special access

or anything else related to the "politics of old", then they need to be told that they are exactly who Obama is talking about and the exact people who need to be changed.

[Pachamama]

7. The Clinton "team" is thinking that Hillary being another VP like Cheney means the real ruler...

:eyes:

[Swamp Rat]

9. Pachamama!!!!!

:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

[Pachamama]

45. Swamp'r!!!!!!

:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

:hi:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

14. NOT Clinton as VP, but a Clinton loyalist like Strickland, Bayh, Clark, without baggage..

..."There's gale-force pressure for Obama to choose a Clinton loyalist as a running mate to heal the party but avoid putting her and her formidable baggage on the ticket," said one Obama ally in Washington. "You hear the names Strickland, Bayh, and Wes Clark almost constantly, and it's no secret that Jim Johnson and Tom Daschle are purveyors of that wisdom."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/17/AR2008051702425.html?sid=ST2008051702392

[Skwmom]

34. Putting a Clinton loyalist on the ticket would be a HUGE mistake.

1. If something happened to Obama, I'm sure the Clinton supporter would be expected to pick Clinton as VP and we'd be right back where we started from (corporate Democrats controlling the Democratic Party).

2. If you are a non special interest, non corporate Pres why would you want to pick a VP who was? It would be crazy to be the only person standing between special interests and billions of dollar.

3. In the day of You Tube there will be too much anti-Obama rhetoric from any Clinton loyalist.

4. If the ticket doesn't win, the Clintons won't want a strong VP nominee running in 2012. They'd rather have a loyalist who will defer to her the next time she runs (2012 or 2016). In fact running a strong VP would give them incentive to stop with the 2012 strategy.

If the Clintons didn't think Obama could win in Nov, they would not spend so much time trying to negatively define him (e.g., as an elitist who thinks he's better than you).

Daschle is an idiot.

[Eurobabe]

28. Obama's no sockpuppet

Screw that Hillary as hatchetwoman idea now!

[JohnnyLib2]

10. GD:P struggles with political realities.

:popcorn:

[sandnsea]

18. What is it about CHANGE that these fuckers refuse to understand

YES they are part of the politics of the past and neither this country nor the planet can afford them anymore. I hope the Obama people find a way to get it through their heads. If they run another DLC campaign, we're going to lose again.

[ruggerson]

19. I've got some blood to donate to you if that will calm you down

[K Gardner]

23. Settle.. this was the fundraising deal, nothing more. Another fabrication by the OP or the

media wanting to keep the drama going.

[autorank]

26. This is not going to fly ... it IS the politics of the past.

Bill strongly implied Obama didn't love his country.
http://tinyurl.com/239d9b

Hillary strongly implied that Obama was less fit to be president than McCain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou4JnWQsxKw

To "team up", a merger of donors, means Obama is beholden to the Clinton DLC crowd, that's how
some of us would see it right away.

The "team up" would be seen by many in the public as an indication that all of Obama's fight
against the old politics was nothing more than a feud to promote a fight or, worse, an example
of one more political episode equal to professional wrestling (and without Mr. McMahan to write
the script).

He surely could use this money but he doesn't need to negotiate for it. Besides, Kerry raised
huge sums from the public. Obama would do much better and crush that record. 1.2 million donors,
that's $120 million dollars, I'll bet, and that's just for starters. The more McCain speaks, the
better Obama will do.

Hope he nixes this.

[intaglio]

32. Now we know that Hillary has "Top Fundraisers"

But you do kinda wonder about who the "top fundraisers" are in the Obama campaign?

Some candidates might be (I jest)
Marylou Witzcovski (73) a blogger from San Diego better known as "KillerLib" whose Blog "Punish the pResident" has been used by 1.05% of donors to the Obama campaign.

Martin Luther West (17) an independent video producer in Philadelphia. His song and video "'Bama Man Done Got the Goods" was viewed 1.7 million times on YouTube.

..... I'll leave the rest to the imaginations of the DU community

[DU GrovelBot]

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This week is our second quarter 2008 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
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[cyberpj]

36. Is this SOP in primary campaigns?

And does that mean my contribution may go to pay an opponent's debt?
I believe there would be a lot of anger about this if so.

[TexasObserver]

38. This story was planted by Hillary supporters, and the goal is to get Hillary money

They want the Obama campaign to help them retire their debt, by assisting in future fundraising and such. This is yet another example of Hillary and Bill operate. They try to talk it into existence.

I say let them drown in their campaign debt. It will keep them busy and out of the way.

[tekisui]

39. This, IMO, is getting some of the very talented people from Clinton's

team a job with Obama. This is good, and will go towards Unity. Many great a qualified people have work incredibly hard for Hillary, and should be welcomed to Obama's team.

It has nothing to do with paying her debt or putting her on as VP.

[geiger]

40. this attempt at dealmaking will inevitably break down

there is no reason for Obama to make any deal, and they don't belong together on any ticket. They are two different people with diametrically different management and policymaking styles. Their personalities are innately different. It would be disastrous for them, the Party and the Country. We need to get off this topic and move to the more straightforward goal of getting Obama in the WhiteHous.

[Zachstar]

41. More than likely its just planning for the future of finding ways to close Clinton's debt.

Campaigns do this all the time.

[last1standing]

44. Good. We can either be sore winners/losers or we can start fighting the real enemy.

Sadly, there will be many too hung up on hating the other person and their supporters to do that, but I hope the rest of us can begin to focus on the real fight.

[davsand]

46. Dems will have to unify or die. Period. There is no middle ground.

I don't give a crap what "camp" you sit in now or sat in at the outset, the bottom line is that the party has GOT to unify behind the nominee or else we are well and truly screwed. I dunno about you all, but I sure as hell have not been out there mixing it up in this Primary just so I can watch the General get flushed due to lack of focus on our part.

Obama probably doesn't "need" shit from anybody when it comes to fund raising. He seems to be doing just fine on his own.

Hil doesn't need a sympathy VP seat--she seems to be doing just fine on her own.

EVERYBODY is right when they say this stuff.

Everybody is also dead wrong if they think that any Dem is gonna beat McCain without the full support of the DNC and some Independent voters. We need each other right now and even more later if we want to pry the GOP's fingers off the White House. Whatever the campaigns can settle now behind the scenes only helps us all later.


Laura