Move on just sent out an email asking people who they support. If more than 2/3 of the responses are for one candidate or the other, they will endorse that candidate. I'm curious as to what impact this will have. It seems that that people involved in MoveOn are probably already committed (being those more closely following the race). What do you think?
The original email follows.
Dear MoveOn Member,
We have a big decision to make. Yesterday, John Edwards left the race for
president, leaving just two major Democratic candidates. And next Tuesday,
over half of MoveOn's members will go to the polls in the biggest primary
day in American history.
Right now, we have an opportunity to influence who our next president
is--3.2 million MoveOn members together. When we surveyed over 200,000
MoveOn members yesterday to see if we should go forward with an
endorsement process, a big majority said "yes."
So it's time to ask the question: Who should MoveOn endorse in the
Democratic primary? If two-thirds of MoveOn members support one candidate,
we'll campaign for that candidate together. Here's your ballot--vote
today:
http://pol.moveon.org/...
The above link is your personal presidential endorsement ballot for the
Democratic nomination--it can be used only by you. It's important to vote
immediately. Voting lasts until 11 a.m. Eastern tomorrow--Friday, February
1st. Then the ballots are counted, and we'll announce whether anyone met
the 2/3 threshold.
If we can agree on a candidate by tomorrow, our endorsement will give that
candidate a significant boost going into Super Tuesday, just a few days
away. In addition to mobilizing MoveOn members to vote, our endorsement
would mean that we campaign actively, as a unified movement, to elect a
candidate who will represent us.
Each week over the past year, randomly selected MoveOn members filled out
a survey about which candidate they supported. For months, MoveOn members
were divided among many candidates--and many of us were waiting to see who
would take bold progressive positions on the issues. But with Edwards
dropping out, it's down to just two major candidates. And especially with
Super Tuesday right around the corner, many progressives are making up
their minds. Now's the time we can band together to make a difference.
Here's how MoveOn's endorsement process works:
* Everyone who is a MoveOn member as of noon Eastern on Wednesday,
January 30th, and will be at least 18 years old by November 4th, 2008
gets one vote.
* Voting lasts now through 11:00 a.m. Eastern tomorrow--Friday, February
1st. This will allow MoveOn to make an endorsement in time to make a
difference on Super Tuesday.
* MoveOn will only endorse a candidate if more than 2/3 of our members
select that candidate. These are the same rules MoveOn has applied in
contested Democratic congressional primaries. If MoveOn endorses a
candidate, we will immediately start campaigning for that candidate.
* If no candidate receives more than 2/3 of the votes cast, MoveOn will
encourage members to vote and play an active role in the primary
process, but will not endorse at this time.
* We are taking extra security measures to protect the integrity of the
vote. A random sampling of voters will get verification phone calls
after voting. We've also ensured that each ballot is unique to one
MoveOn member--so forwarding links will not allow more people to vote.
Click here to vote:
2008 will be an exciting year. Together, we have an opportunity to make a
big difference.
Thanks for all you do,
--Eli, Wes, Joan, Justin, Adam G., Adam R., Ilyse, Karin, Nita, Noah,
Marika, Laura, Peter, Anna, Matt, Daniel, Carrie, Tanya, and the
MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
P.S. If you want more information about the candidates before voting, one
good source is the Democratic debate on CNN tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is
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Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.