[tomder55]

Here it is :

Dear ___________,

The stakes in this election are so high: with two wars abroad, our economy in crisis here at home, and so many families struggling across America, the need for new leadership has never been greater.

At this point, we do not yet have a nominee – and when the last votes are cast on June 3, neither Senator Obama nor I will have secured the nomination. It will be up to automatic delegates like you to help choose our party’s nominee, and I would like to tell you why I believe I am the stronger candidate against Senator McCain and would be the best President and Commander in Chief.

Voters in every state have made it clear that they want to be heard and counted as part of this historic race. And as we reach the end of the primary season, more than 17 million people have supported me in my effort to become the Democratic nominee – more people than have ever voted for a potential nominee in the history of our party. In the past two weeks alone, record numbers of voters participated in the West Virginia and Kentucky primaries. And with 40 and 35 point margins of victory, it is clear that even when voters are repeatedly told this race is over, they’re not giving up on me – and I am not giving up on them either.

After seven years of feeling invisible to the Bush administration, Americans are seeking a President who is strong, experienced, and ready to take on our toughest challenges, from serving as Commander in Chief and ending the war in Iraq to turning our economy around. They want a President who shares their core beliefs about our country and its future and “gets” what they go through every day to care for their families, pay the bills and try to put something away for the future.

We simply cannot afford another four – or eight – years in the wilderness. That is why, everywhere I go, people come up to me, grip my hand or arm, and urge me to keep on running. That is why I continue in this race: because I believe I am best prepared to lead this country as President – and best prepared to put together a broad coalition of voters to break the lock Republicans have had on the electoral map and beat Senator McCain in November.

Recent polls and election results show a clear trend: I am ahead in states that have been critical to victory in the past two elections. From Ohio, to Pennsylvania, to West Virginia and beyond, the results of recent primaries in battleground states show that I have strong support from the regions and demographics Democrats need to take back the White House. I am also currently ahead of Senator McCain in Gallup national tracking polls, while Senator Obama is behind him. And nearly all independent analyses show that I am in a stronger position to win the Electoral College, primarily because I lead Senator McCain in Florida and Ohio. I’ve enclosed a detailed analysis of recent electoral and polling information, and I hope you will take some time to review it carefully.

In addition, when the primaries are finished, I expect to lead in the popular vote and in delegates earned through primaries. Ultimately, the point of our primary process is to pick our strongest nominee – the one who would be the best President and Commander in Chief, who has the greatest support from members of our party, and who is most likely to win in November. So I hope you will consider not just the strength of the coalition backing me, but also that more people will have cast their votes for me.

I am in this race for them — for all the men and women I meet who wake up every day and work hard to make a difference for their families. People who deserve a shot at the American dream – the chance to save for college, a home and retirement; to afford quality health care for their families; to fill the gas tank and buy the groceries with a little left over each month.

I am in this race for all the women in their nineties who’ve told me they were born before women could vote, and they want to live to see a woman in the White House. For all the women who are energized for the first time, and voting for the first time. For the little girls – and little boys – whose parents lift them onto their shoulders at our rallies, and whisper in their ears, “See, you can be anything you want to be.” As the first woman ever to be in this position, I believe I have a responsibility to them.

Finally, I am in this race because I believe staying in this race will help unite the Democratic Party. I believe that if Senator Obama and I both make our case – and all Democrats have the chance to make their voices heard – everyone will be more likely to rally around the nominee.

In the end, I am committed to unifying this party. What Senator Obama and I share is so much greater than our differences; and no matter who wins this nomination, I will do everything I can to bring us together and move us forward.

But at this point, neither of us has crossed the finish line. I hope that in the time remaining, you will think hard about which candidate has the best chance to lead our party to victory in November. I hope you will consider the results of the recent primaries and what they tell us about the mindset of voters in the key battleground states. I hope you will think about the broad and winning coalition of voters I have built. And most important, I hope you will think about who is ready to stand on that stage with Senator McCain, fight for the deepest principles of our party, and lead our country forward into this new century.

The Page - by Mark Halperin - TIME

[George_1950]

Liberal/fascist and sickening. A candidate for president of the U.S. and not one word about individual freedom or rights. Totally disqualified, in my view.

[tomder55]

[George_1950]

Good cartoon and indirect representation of the crowd she's appealing to: who within those Dem special interest groups gives a rat's breath about individual rights and/or responsibilities?

[BABRAM]

If I were a super-delegate, I'd take that self-aggrandizing piece of propaganda and wad it up so tight that Tiger Woods would mistaken it for a new Titleist golf ball.

[tomder55]

Yeah but that's you . This Democrat race is running it's course to it's logical conclusion. You have 2 interest groups who are competing with themselves to make claim to their entitlement . They have entrenched during this campaign into intractable defenses both making their own version of a legitimate claim to the throne.
Healing the wounds of Democrats' sexism - The Boston Globe


I can't wait for tomorrow's showdown at the meeting of the rules and by-laws committee. Damn! I have to say this campaign has given me more fun than I dared hope for. Will the preordained Queen be sent to the Bastille ? Will the upstart Messiah reign after he has overturned the tables in the Temple ?

[speechlesstx]

Finally, I am in this race because I believe staying in this race will help unite the Democratic Party.

That's some of that strange political wisdom at work there, they spend 2 years pitting this group against that group while running on promises of "uniting" us and expecting us all to come together on the day after the election. Geraldine is obviously pi$$ed, and rightfully so.

It's been funny watching all the standards the Democrats - and the media - "live by" being thrown out the window while they battle for power. The stories keep coming about how racism and sexism are factors in the election but they're dodging the relevant point - Democratic women are pi$$ed and 9 out of 10 blacks are voting for Obama. Instead of pointing out all of the racism and sexism is being played out in their fold they imply a bigger problem that people won't vote for a woman or a black overall. Some won't, but I have news for you media types - this is 2008 - most of us don't care about race or gender. In fact, we're sick of it being thrown in our faces. As Dennis Miller said the other night, he doesn't think about Obama's skin color, he "just knows it's thin."

By the way, I saw this cartoon today and couldn't help but think about your Obama rules. There used to be Evita Rules, you couldn't make fun of her looks or her laugh, etc. I guess it's OK to make fun of her big butt...

[tomder55]

Steve rumor has it that the meeting this weekend will be the nail in the coffin for her campaign. She is desperately trying to seat all of the Fla and Michigan delegations while probably the best she can hope for is seating 1/2 them (I think she should hold out for a 3/5 compromise.. that would be symbolic !) .

If she takes it to the convention floor ;Madame Mimi ;who is chairing the convention ,will not recognize the motion.



Bluto(to Hillary ) : My advice to you is to start drinking heavily.

[BABRAM]

yeah but that's you . This Democrat racve is running it's course to it's logical conclusion. You have 2 interest groups who are competing with themselves to make claim to their entitlement . They have entrenched during this campaign into intractable defenses both making their own version of a legitimate claim to the throne.
Healing the wounds of Democrats' sexism - The Boston Globe


I can't wait for tomorrow's showdown at the meeting of the rules and by-laws committee. Damn! I have to say this campaign has given me more fun than I dared hope for. Will the preordained Queen be sent to the Bastille ? Will the upstart Messiah reign after he has overturned the tables in the Temple ?

There's reality and justice (fair to the process)... and then there's the Clinton's. Their whole campaign, I conclude, as nothing more than carnival games being pushed with the bravado of a door-to-door vacuum salesman. This reminds me of the lyrics in a John Lennon song, "strange days indeed."