Kevin Drum makes a note about the candidate who almost was standing on stage tonight, making history. Not John McCain, but Hillary Clinton, who, ultimately, pushed Obama much harder than McCain did:
[Hillary Clinton] ran in one of the toughest Democratic primaries ever, against one of the party’s most talented politicians in recent memory, and she took a lot of abuse during that primary — some of it deserved, most of it not. But in the end, despite what must have been a bitter and searing loss, she campaigned tirelessly and wholeheartedly for the man who beat her. This is something that a lot of people doubted she’d do, and frankly, we all owe her some recognition and gratitude for her role in tonight’s victory. Hillary has always been unambiguously dedicated to the Democratic Party and the cause of liberalism, and I think she proved that in the most concrete way possible over the past two months.
Hear, hear. Hillary Clinton did everything that one could have asked her to do in support of Obama, traveling the country as a surrogate for him. In the dark days of the primary, there were people throwing around the idea that Clinton secretly wanted to tank Obama, so McCain could win. But that was never remotely true; Clinton is a Democrat, one who believes in exactly the platform she ran on as a candidate for president. And once defeated in the primary, she threw herself into ensuring that her agenda would stand its best chance of being enacted — by ensuring that her primary rival was elected to the presidency.
It was a selfless act for a candidate who had been derided unfairly as selfish. And while Obama rightly gets plaudits for the race he ran, Clinton deserves plaudits for putting her country and her party first. As I’ve said before, I’m glad Clinton remains a powerful voice in the Senate. And I have no doubt that she’ll continue to lead in the coming years.
Hear, hear!
It’s funny to think that in May, angry Obama partisans were snarling that Clinton, by not conceding, was helping John McCain.
It’s now obvious that the opposite was true; by fighting to the end, Clinton forced Obama to improve himself as a candidate, and forced him to build a huge ground game in almost every state. This may have been essential to Obama’s victory. (In contrast, McCain coasted to an easy and early primary victory — and look where that got him.)
I dunno. Maybe I just chose the wrong times to check in on the primaries, or the wrong outlets, but I really didn’t like what I saw out of either Clinton towards the end there. Congratulate her on fighting like a tiger. That’s fine. And you’re right: it kept Obama fit for the main fight. But Clinton’s campaign frequently hummed with indignant prepossession and cynical opportunism (not to mention cheap shots).
I didn’t think this election result would happen, so when I’m wrong, I’m wrong big time, but I think the refutation in the primaries of “Clintonian” populism and the old school Democratic machine–with its palpable sycophancy to any and all, adherence to “six of one, half a dozen of the other” polling data, rubber values, and all that callous insincerity–was as important an achievement for Obama as the election itself.
Whether or not he lives up to it, and I really doubt he will or could, is another story…
Not sure I agree with you, Jeff, on the idea that Clinton did everything she could possibly do. I respected her once and would have voted for her 2 years ago, but I lost that respect over the course of a campaign in which she seemed determined to poison the well for anyone but her. It’s true that she helped Obama in the end — many of McCain’s potential avenues of attack (e.g., Jeremiah Wright) weren’t available or effective because Clinton had already used them. I’m not sure that’s something to feel good about — that a Democratic candidate used the tactics of a Republican so well that the Republican candidate couldn’t top ’em.
She needed to do a lot to make up for that after the primary, in my book, and I don’t think she did.
I’m also still feeling very bitter towards those second-wave feminists — many on the payroll of her campaign — who tried to appeal to gender in order to trump race. For me, a black woman, that poisoned the well of feminism itself. I have not yet seen Clinton do anything to heal the breach she caused here.
Seeing her appearances in FL and elsewhere…i was impressed. I think she showed real guts and character.
I still wish the primary had gone better in many regards…i think Clinton took a lot of unfair flack, even if she wasn’t my candidate. I think it serves as a very powerful reminder that even if the candidate doesn’t say something, they do need to address what their supporters are saying. It sets a tone…
I bet last night was bittersweet for her, but I look forward to seeing what she does next.