These last two nights, the Clintons have done a fantastic job. With dignity, sincerity, and enthusiasm they declared their commitment to electing Barack Obama the next President of the United States. They were well-reasoned. They explained how Obama's policies were Clinton's policies, Obama's issues were Clinton's issues, and that anyone who supported Hillary for her vision for America would also support Barack Obama.
McCain's people went over Hillary's speech with a fine tooth comb and declared that she had "stopped short of saying he was ready to lead." As if this was her sneaky little revenge.
Then to make matters perfectly clear, Bill Clinton rebounded tonight and in top form declared repeatedly that Obama is ready to lead. He even reminded us (it's about time) that in his own candidacy Bill was criticized for being inexperienced, but that he was able to bring the Democrats to victory and change America for the better.
It is clear that the Clintons were not going to feed the PUMAs. So how do these dozens of enraged voters respond? I put on my gloves and surgical mask and went to their blog to find out.
Here's what they're saying, right at blog.pumapac.org in a post entitled "Thank You Hillary Clinton - We'll take it from here."
PUMAS - stay the course. We expected this. Our mission has not changed. This is no longer about Senator Clinton - this is about all of us who have been told to sit down, shut up and fall in line.
And if the "stay the course" bit wasn't ironic enough how's this at the end of the very same post?
We must remain united.
(emphasis theirs)
And if you think this makes even less sense than it ever did, don't give up! Sit down, shut up and fall in line!
The PUMA "movement" has long since abandoned Hillary's policies and focused on Hillary. But now, behold as their issue makes another perhaps inevitable transformation from Hillary to... something else?
Props to the Clintons for standing up for what they believed in, and shame on the PUMAs and on the media sharks that still attempt to magnify this into the controversy they've been fantasizing about since January 3.
My friend and I made a bet against a teacher at our school who insisted there would be a million outraged Clinton supporters rioting in the streets of Denver. Today, on the first day of school, he conceded. The dude owes us each a smoothie.
n.b. I know it's not cool to take something someone says on a blog and tell your friends that that's what everyone who's affiliated with the blog thinks. As a Kossack, I should know that. But this is the "official website and blog" of the PUMA PAC, and that post has received over a thousand supportive comments (not that I had the stomach to read more than a few).