Blue Spot

Some Hillary Clinton delegates remain displeased over 'unity' push | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

Diana Madoshi, a Clinton delegate from Rocklin, Calif., said: “It was sort of phony. We had to show all this unity. Well, if you’re pressing people to get on the same train and they’re not ready, that’s not true unity. The roll call vote should have been genuine. I don’t think it served us by it not being genuine.’’

Raymond Penko, a Clinton delegate from San Diego who campaigned door-to-door for her, said it was difficult to get Clinton signs onto the floor of Denver's Pepsi Center. Some of the New York senator's supporters wound up using roll-up signs that could be tucked away and smuggled into the arena, he said.

There was even discussion of using body paint to transmit pro-Clinton messages.

Added Penko: “There was pressure all around to conform to what I would call the old boys club. There was pressure to conform to the unity ticket. As soon as Obama delegates heard that one was a Hillary supporter, they would shun you, tell you to get over it, say ‘Stop being a cry baby. What’s your problem? Don’t you want to win in November?’ ’’

Both Penko and Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred (shown above) circulated a petition for a full roll call vote. They couldn’t round up enough signatures.

Allred, a Clinton delegate well-known in Southern California for her public-relations flair, grew frustrated last week with what she saw as efforts to muzzle her and, as The Ticket noted, showed up at a delegation breakfast one morning with a gag made up of restaurant napkins.

She's still not happy with what transpired at the Democratic gathering.

“This was a scripted convention,’’ she said earlier this week. “There really was no room for dissent for Hillary supporters. Not even room for discussion.’’ -- Peter Nicholas

Labels: Democratic Convention 2008, Hillary, Obama supporters