Over a year and a half ago, I made a bold prediction to some political friends of mine: Hillary Clinton would not be our nominee for President. Mind you, I didn't know WHO would be at that point, but I knew that someone was going to capture something in a bottle to overtake her. Could be Obama, Edwards, or Richardson, I mused. But Clinton was not going to be our nominee.
Part of it was a gut feeling, and part of it was seeing how her campaign was run. The aura of inevitability is never a good theme to run a campaign on in a multifaceted race. I remember the DNC national meeting in Washington in February 2007, when staffers were passing out buttons of Sen. Clinton with the phrase "I'M IN IT TO WIN!" emblazoned on it. The picture of Clinton was hideous. She was giving a big thumbs up, and had a smile that was actually an overbite. The lighting on the photo made her look pasty and showed off every wrinkle. It was a damn unfortunate button for her, and yet...some staffer had approved that message.
At that moment, I knew for sure she wouldn't win.
Frankly, whoever on her staff that approved that button should have been fired. But no matter. As this campaign dragged on, I also knew that PA wasn't the endgame. May 6th was, because I knew, due to my prior campaign experience in Indiana, that the primary there was going to be a lot closer than people thought. Again, looks as though I was correct.
But in reality, many of us said the truth for months, and didn't panic: this thing ended in February, when Obama won 10 primaries in a row. Indeed, a Clinton staffer told the Washington Post this morning: "We lost this thing in February." Indeed, some truth finally leaks out of the Clinton camp.
So it will become apparent in the media, among activists, and among the party elite, that now is the time to unify. We will need to go forward with our nominee, Barack Obama, to retake the White House. But as we do, let's remember a few things along the way, and not go overboard in helping the Clintons save face, as it were.
Some of the suggestions from the talking heads are, frankly, a little silly. This morning, Tim-meh Russert suggested that one of the things on the table would be to help Clinton retire her campaign debt with help from Obama. I'm sorry, but no. As a contributor to Obama's campaign, I don't want one cent going to pay the bill that Clinton ran up with Mark Penn. There is no need, either, to help Hillary pay back the $5 million she loaned herself from a $110 million fortune. Not when that money was used to extend a campaign season in further attempts to tarnish the presumptive nominee of our party, and to collude with Republicans to push the Rev. Wright story.
Same goes for this talk about a "unity ticket." It doesn't help Obama or his supporters, nor does it help Clinton and her supporters, and frankly, it does little for the party when all is said and done. Despite the fact that the differences on the issues seem miniscule between the two candidates, the differences in theme are vast. Obama has run a campaign on changing Washington, and that theme is not furthered with putting the ultimate insider on your ticket. Remember, one of the things that makes McCain look like an absolute fool is how well he gets along with Dubya after the smear campaign that was run against him in 2000. Personally, if I were McCain, I wouldn't be adopting the Bush talking points. I'd repudiate him personally.
Finally, no matter how much they want to help, top Clinton advisers need to stay that hell away from the Obama campaign. I'm talking about you, Terry McAuliffe, Mark Penn, and Howard Wolfson. No matter how much you may want to help the party (for a fee), you are poison to the Obama campaign, and what it stands for. You did your job for Sen. Clinton, and that's where your job should end.
Barring all that, the Obamas and Clintons should get in a room together with a sense of professionalism and figure out the next steps. Certainly, as Democrats, we all need to come together, and the fervent supporters of each candidate will need to get along.
Graciousness counts, but let's remember that Obama is the winner here, and with that grace in hand, he also needs to know what is acceptable and what is not going forward.
Unity, yes. Capitulation, no. The next few weeks will give us great insight on Obama intends to govern, and how he will help bring us the change we all seek.