Tomorrow night, or on Wednesday, Barack Obama will successfully obtain the required number of delegates to become the nominee of the Democratic party for President of the United States. After this, we must begin, or continue, to unite the Democratic party around Barack Obama.
Of course, Senator Clinton has said many things that a great number of us in the Obama campaign, along with many around the country, have found to be disgraceful, or unsettling. However, we must evaluate her based on her past accomplishments and the base which she has been able to galvanize around her campaign.
By evaluating these two factors, only then can one distance him or herself far enough from the primary fight, and begin to focus on the prospects of the general election. By assessing these aspects of Hillary Clinton and her political and governmental skill, we may need to put our "politics" difference behind us, and focus on her governmental accomplishments and her ability to win over people who we need to win over.
Here's why...
Let me preface this by stating that I am a Barack Obama supporter, and have been since January 30, 2008. I have never been a Hillary supporter, I was a John Edwards supporter.
Like most of you, I have been very offended at times with how Hillary Clinton and her campaign have acted and with the type of rhetoric they have presented during the primary season. It even, at times, felt pretty personal. However, I believe, it is of the utmost importance that we look past these damaging and offensive comments in the name of winning and having the ability to govern in an effective, progressive manner. These comments, while hurtful, are nothing compared to the possibility of John McCain becoming president in November. Political words are one thing, but believe me, a John McCain presidency would hurt much more.
Now, we must look at Senator Clinton's platform and her progressive record. As an Obama supporter, I have been hesitant to go to the constantly mentioned "hillaryclinton.com;" however, one can find out about her record and biography as a First Lady and a Senator. She definitely has a list of significant accomplishments, and has fought hard against Republicans to achieve these victories. Given this, she is definitely accomplished enough and qualified to be Vice President.
Another problem many bring up is the Bill Clinton factor. We've all heard the talk about how Bill Clinton would takeover the campaign and try to run the White House if (when) Barack Obam wins. Well, I believe that Bill Clinton could be an asset to the campaign in several ways. When he keeps his temper, he pretty affective as we all saw in 1992 and 1996. Also, Clinton was affective in small towns and was able to pitch Hillary Clinton's case to many people; if he is able to keep quiet and do the same thing for Obama, this would definitely help. As for governing, Barack Obama is plenty strong and has enough skill to run an affective organization, if he didn't how could one possibly explain his successful campaign against the candidate who was perceived to be the inevitable nominee for the Democratic party. Also, if we believed that he could not successfully keep Bill Clinton in line, then how could we believe Obama would be a successful, affective president.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Hillary Clinton's voting base is huge. Like is or not, her vote totals are very close to Obama's and there are many Hillary Clinton supporters around the country. Now, of course, throughout history we know that people vote for the name at the top of the ticket, but as many things in 2008, nothing is as usual. So, although we cannot expect that just because her name is on the ticket, all of her supporters will line up behind such a ticket, but her name an support will undoubtedly help. We must work hard to make sure we win over all of those voters, but she can help us win. Her type of voters make up a good portion of this country and if this helps us gain votes, from such blocs (rust belt working class voters, small town voters, older women, etc). While some parts of these blocs may be unsavory at times, most Clinton supporters are good people who feel safe with her, and we must make them feel secure with Barack Obama. It is my estimation that Hillary Clinton can help us to achieve this goal.
Now, I am not claiming that Barack Obama should pick Hillary Clinton to be his Vice Presidential nominee, I am simply saying that it would not be the worst situation; the worst situation would be John McCain being sworn in as president on January 20, 2009. We must win in November, and if this helps us, we must recognize it and stop referencing the possible pairing as the end of the innocence. Let's take a breath, reassess our situation, and realize that Hillary Clinton may bring a lot to this historic campaign.
** I would like to make it clear that I do not believe this would or should be the ticket. I am much more prone to supporting people such as John Edwards, Sam Nunn, Joe Biden, or RFK Jr. (would be interesting). I am just trying to separate the vitriol of the campaign from the person. I understand it is a difficult process, but it is important moving forward.