Jun 25 2008
Not ready to make nice
I’m not so sure that I’m quite as ready to forgive and forget as Senator Obama appears to be…
Obama shares fundraisers with Clinton
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is sharing one his most valuable assets - his top fundraisers - with former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton to help her pay off her debt, the latest effort to heal the wounds of a bruising primary campaign.
Obama on Tuesday asked his finance team to help Clinton pay back at least $10 million from her failed presidential campaign, setting the stage for joint appearances by the two former rivals later in the week. In a teleconference with his top fundraisers, Obama asked them to do what they could to help Clinton.
“What I said was to my large donors who are in a position to write large checks, to help Senator Clinton retire her debt, or at least a portion of it. And I think they’re going to be those who are willing to do so,” Obama told reporters at a news conference in Chicago.
A large chunk of Obama’s cash has come from small donors, but he said he was not making the same appeal to them.
“I’m not going to be individually contacting $15 donors, because frankly, it probably wouldn’t be that effective in terms of making a big dent in Senator Clinton’s debt,” Obama said.
Obama’s green light to his money bundlers came before he and Clinton were scheduled to meet in Washington on Thursday with some of her top fundraisers in a show of unity after their bruising contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. On Friday, the two planned to campaign together in New Hampshire.
Obama clinched the nomination earlier this month; Clinton suspended her campaign and endorsed him.
All the talk has been about how we need to treat the Clintonistas with kid gloves so they will come back to the fold. I don’t quite see it that way. They need to do some serious apologizing and ask nicely to be allowed back into the fold. They and their candidate and her family said some pretty nasty things and made lots of not-so-nice accusations during the primaries. I’m not so sure that the Obama folks should be paying off Hillary Clinton’s debts. As John Cole says…
The debt, if you think about it, is from the last few months of the campaign when Clinton went with the kitchen sink strategy. Obama is now subsidizing the “White People Won’t Vote For Him” Appalachian tour, the 3 am ad, and the rest of the bile they chucked his way over the last two months when it was clear Clinton could not win.
I’m not so sure I’m ready to make nice. Yet. Maybe after a few “We’re sorrys,” which I haven’t heard or read. Yet.
A lot of people acted like Republicans (some still are), and for that they need to apologize. I’m still waiting.
4 Responses to “Not ready to make nice”
I know I won’t be giving her any money. My husband and I are barely scraping by with the economy the way it is, but, I’m sure the Clintons have more than enough money. Besides, there’s no way I’m helping pay for the checks her ego wrote. She should have exited the race gracefully.
Yeah…who needs them? Democrats have done well with electing presidents. I’m sure Obama can do it without half the party.
I think the fact that Obama is willing to be a bigger man than I would be under the same circumstances makes me want to vote for him even more. But my inner cynic knows that this is just a stunt to get more votes.
@jay : Good luck getting “half the party” to join your pity party. Somehow, I do not think it’s gonna happen. Meanwhile, the rest of us have a president to elect, so if you’ll kindly excuse us… we really don’t have time to be kissing your asses any longer.