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Deal gives Clinton roll call vote at convention

BY JANIE LORBER AND CRAIG GORDON | janie.lorber@newsday.com; craig.gordon@newsday.com

August 15, 2008

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton's die-hard supporters yesterday got their wish - her name will be placed in nomination at the party convention this month, a move Barack Obama hopes will win over her 18 million voters.

But plans for a roll-call vote and Clinton's prime-time speaking role are not appeasing some of Clinton's most vocal and impassioned supporters, who still vow to take their dissatisfaction to Denver with marches and other pro-Hillary activities.

After weeks of negotiations with Clinton's team, Obama said he encouraged Clinton to allow her name to be placed in nomination - a move that pre-empted a group of Clinton delegates trying to force a roll-call vote.

"I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong, united fashion," Obama said.

Added Clinton, "With every voice heard and the party strongly united, we will elect Senator Obama president of the United States."

Some Clinton delegates say they are satisfied, because the state-by-state roll-call vote will give them a chance to vote for Clinton one more time - even though Clinton plans to release her delegates and the nomination indeed will go to Obama. "This is the way to achieve true party unity," said Rosina Rubin, of New City in Rockland County.

Obama's move heads off a potentially awkward fight on the convention floor and - he hopes - amounts to a gesture of goodwill that will make Clinton supporters warm to his candidacy. It also guarantees a healthy dose of Hillary and Bill, as the former president speaks Wednesday night.

But it did little to quell other pro-Clinton activities in the works by a group of Clinton supporters still angry over her treatment during the primaries. They blame the Democratic National Committee for divvying up Michigan and Florida delegates in favor of Obama, and say Clinton fell victim to sexism by the party and the media. Democratic leaders insist that Clinton was treated fairly.

"The DNC was massively arrogant to pretend that they could whitewash party unity over this," said Darragh Murphy, of Carlisle, Mass., the head of PUMA PAC, People United Means Action. "We are trying to change the Democratic Party so that it never does this again."

In Denver, a New York group called 18 Million Voices is planning a march on Aug. 26, the day Clinton speaks.

And Diane Mantouvalos, a Miami activist who established the coalition Web site JustSayNoDeal.com, is renting a 5,000-square-foot loft in Denver for its bloggers and plans to show up with two documentaries in tow questioning the nominating process.

Other Democrats say the groups represent a small but vocal minority who will get a lot of TV airtime - but don't represent the views of the vast majority of Democrats. "If these people continue to grouse about a primary election, they are going to hand the White House back to the Republicans," said Suffolk Democratic chairman Richard Schaffer.

Still, a new poll out this week from the Pew Research Center also highlighted Obama's problem - he's made no significant headway in picking up Clinton supporters since she dropped out in June. His numbers today are comparable to his numbers from June - he's won over 72 percent of Clinton's supporters, but 18 percent say they're likely to vote for John McCain and 10 percent are undecided.

"It's accurate to say we're not in a unified state, and this convention is beginning with very strong passionate feelings for the different candidates," said Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National committeeman from Great Neck. "But this announcement is an important step toward building party unity and party enthusiasm for Barack Obama because it reflects respect for almost half the delegates and the issues that brought them to the convention."