Dispatch: Manhattan Clubs Vote for Hillary, Edwards (Sort of) and Nobody

Manhattan activist and judicial delegate candidate Alan Flacks is a writer of countless emails about local political happenings (sort of a pre-blog blogger) and a permanent fixture in the local Manhattan political scene (updated).

Usefully, he's kept tabs on the presidential-endorsement votes of three Manhattan political clubs which, perhaps typically of Manhattan political clubs, showed signs of tension among the members between straight party loyalty amd reformist idealism.

 

According to Flacks, the Broadway Democrats endorsed Hillary Clinton after two rounds of voting. (Barack Obama didn’t make it past the first round). The Three Parks Democratic Club didn‘t have enough members for a vote, but among the ones who did vote, John Edwards came out on top with 25 percent. He was followed closely by “no endorsement,” Al Gore and Bill Richardson. And the Community Free Democrats decided not to endorse anyone.

UPDATE: A reader on the East Side emails: "The Lex Club endorsed Hillary on 10/25. She got 69% of the vote."

Here' s Flacks' full write-up:

B’way Dems Endorsement Vote (18 Oct. ‘07)

The Broadway Democrats may have held "the first-in-the-County" Presidential endorsement vote, which went to a second ballot, on October 18th; videlicet,
First place votes (50% plus 1 needed for endorsement):

Clinton 22 (47%)
Edwards 15 (32%)
Richardson 3 (6%)
Obama 2 (4%)
Kucinich 2 (4%)
Biden 1 (2%)
Gore 1 (2%)
No Endorsement 1 (2%)

Final results (after Gore, Biden, Kucinich, Obama, and Richardson were successively eliminated and second and third choices allocated):

Clinton 25 (53%) [Endorsed]
Edwards 17 (36%)
No Endorsement 5 (11%)

On another note, this club continues its control-freak, anti-political and anti-democratic attitude that candidates' political literature may not be distributed to people sitting down, or to those walking in, or even placed on chairs well before the start of its meetings. Sad.

Three Parks Dems. Preference Vote (10 Oct. ‘07)

The Three Parks Ind. Democrats, Inc., held an insignificant (since 60% of those in attendance left before the poll was held) straw-poll vote at their Ten-Ten Day meeting. The few remaining people, members and non-members alike, "skewed" as follows. Edwards: 25%
No Endorsement: 18.8%
Gore: 16.6%
Richardson: 14.6%
Clinton: 12.5%
Obama: 10.4%
Kucinich: 2%
Biden: 0%
Dodd: 0%
Gravel: 0%

C.F.D. non-Endorsement Vote (25 Oct. 07)
Community Free Democrats, Inc., chose not to endorse a candidate for President at this time at their October 25th, 2007, endorsement meeting.

 

If anyone has any more information about what the clubs are doing about 2008, please let me know.