Clinton Endorses Obama

[Dr Ron]

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/?p=3377

Quote of the Day: Clinton Endorses Obama

June 7th, 2008 by Ron Chusid

The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.

Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.

And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.

I have served in the Senate with him for four years. I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months. I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates. I’ve had a front-row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.

In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream, as a community organizer, in the State Senate, as a United States senator. He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized. And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.

Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.

–Hillary Clinton

It is dangerous to go by memory but this most likely ranks as the strongest speech I have seen by a losing candidate both conceding defeat and urging their supporters to support the winner. Let’s hope she campaigns as strongly for Obama between now and November as she spoke today. Perhaps even Bill can redeem himself when his political talents are not influenced by the emotions of campaigning for a spouse.

Hopefully her appeals for her supporters to back Obama will carry some weight with her more fanatic supporters. Several pro-Clinton blogs continue to talk of voting for McCain or staying home. This is aggravated by their continued discussion of the false claims that Clinton won the popular vote, that Obama somehow stole the nomination, or that Clinton lost because of sexism originating from the Obama campaign. We realistically cannot expect Clinton to admit the untruth of many things claimed by her campaign but hopefully over time she can say more to reduce the harm done during the last several months. At very least, the reminders given by Clinton today of the importance of a Democrat winning will encourage her supporters to take her advice and look forward instead of continuing to look back.