EPIC Fail: HuffPo Reporter Misses Secret PUMA Meeting

by: campskunk

Tue Aug 12, 2008 at 19:44:33 PM EDT

Well, I guess that's why they call it HUFF Po - she sure is huffy. We're "diehards" and cryptoRepublicans (based on an out-of-context two month old quote). Plus, we won't invite her to our parties. Poor baby ;-)

Sorry, Nancy Diane. We'll let you know the next time we're auditioning for PUMAs. Don't quit your day job ;-)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- More than 250 diehard Hillary supporters were scheduled to meet this weekend at the Marriott Wardman Hotel here to plan their convention strategy. The group's online spokesperson said that the meeting, "PUMA Conference 2008," was "closed to media of any kind."

PUMA stands for "Party Unity, My Ass" -- a coalition of voters who believe the Democratic Party primary process is deeply flawed and that Democratic Party leaders have underestimated the seriousness of opposition to Obama. The group rallies around the conviction that Hillary Clinton was forced out of the race by party insiders and unfair news coverage, and members look to the day when a national watchdog of some sort would point out and combat sexist reporting in the media. (Take note, NBC and Maureen Dowd.)

It's clear PUMA is looking for Hillary Clinton's name to be placed into nomination at the National Convention, but which convention -- Democratic or Republican? PUMA founder and spokesperson Will Bower told the Huffington Post in June that even though he has been a lifelong Democrat, if Hillary's destiny is to become vice-president, then he would prefer a McCain/Hillary ticket.

Is PUMA really prepared to be part of a McCain victory?

Seeking the answer to that question, I roamed the halls of the Marriott Wardman Hotel Saturday looking for the PUMA Conference, doing my best Michael Moore "Roger and Me" impersonation. "No PUMA conference is registered here," they told me at the front desk. They allegedly told a Hearst reporter the same thing a day earlier. There are no reports yet on what PUMA may be cooking up for the conventions.

Today I received this email from Bower: "The conference was moved to a new location. We made an agreement with all our participants that we would treat the proceedings as confidential. There was a great deal of information that was generated that our members want to disseminate to their colleagues in their own way."