With the announcement Sunday night that Hillary Clinton will be the headline speaker for the second night of the 2008 Democratic convention, perhaps the few disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters will stop whining about the lack of respect they have been getting from the Obama campaign.
Kansas Governor and convention co-chair Kathleen Sebelius talked about the theme of the convention, which is Americans coming together for change, “The 2008 Convention will highlight Americans coming together to change the course of this nation. We are at a critical moment in our nation’s history. The politics and policies that have divided us will not allow us to achieve the change we need. Barack Obama is a leader to move America in a new direction and bring us together to turn moments of great challenge into moments of great opportunity. This year’s Democratic Convention is the story of people from across the country who believes it is time for change.”
A primetime speech at the convention was the best thing that Clinton could have hoped for. Unless Obama selects Joe Biden as his running mate, she will be the only other 2008 Democratic presidential candidate to speak in primetime. Also, her speech will occur on the 88th anniversary of the women’s right to vote. I think that this should be enough of a tip of the hat to Mrs. Clinton and her own equally historic presidential campaign.
Let’s face it, the Obama camp gave Clinton this slot because they are trying to project the image of a unified party, while smoothing over any hard feelings that remain from the primary campaign. What I don’t understand is this obsession with respect that some Clinton supporters have. Traditionally, those who finish second in the primaries aren’t entitled to anything. Second place means nothing in a presidential primary campaign.
I don’t get what some Clinton supporters want respected. Is it that Clinton’s campaign was so poorly run that she blew what looked like a sure nomination? Is it that the Clinton took for granted that the race would be over by Super Tuesday, and budgeted without even thinking beyond that date? Is it that she stayed in the race long after it was clear that she had no chance of winning the nomination?
Hillary Clinton’s campaign was historic, but it also lost. Losing diminishes the amount of respect a campaign gets. All of this talk about respect sounds like the grumblings of a bunch of older establishment Democrats who feel like their nomination was stolen from them. Hillary Clinton deserves to speak at the convention. She also deserves to speak in primetime, but if her supporters aren’t happy with this, then there really is nothing that Barack Obama can do to win them over. Clinton’s slot at the convention is ultimate sign of respect, and anyone who can’t understand this is just going to have to get over it.
Democratic Convention Primetime Speaker Lineup
Its a shamed that Hillary didnt go all they way. I think she would have been a better pick than the two current picks we have. towell head Obama and McBush!
JT
http://www.Ultimate-Anonymity.com
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I think it is fine to say that it is a shame that Hillary didn’t win, but to call Obama a Muslim that is the problem here. The race is over. Clinton lost. Now it is time to move on. I think she will be a huge asset to Obama’s campaign, but her few remaining zealots need to let it go.
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Well, I do think Clinton would have been a better candidate–but using ethnic slurs against Obama disgusts me. What disgusts me more, however, is that the Muslim faith is thrown around as an insult at all. Shame.
As for the respect issue. Well, frankly, it has to do with many factors. Mainly, we feel she deserves respect now because she was so often disrespected during the primary. Now, exact examples of this have been covered ad nauseam, and I won’t go into it here–if you’re not aware of them, you’ve been living under a rock. I personally found it insulting to have people tell me that I was supporting the “establishment candidate” and people telling me incessantly that she “voted for the war” (a criticism that JOHN EDWARDS somehow seemed to dodge). I seriously never thought I’d see the day when the first viable female candidate for the presidency–a woman who vocally supports women’s rights, nationalized healthcare, and the employee free choice act–would be considered “establishment.” I also think that there was a constant expectation for her to defer to Obama early and often, exemplified by the criticism she drew for not conceding the primary immediately after he earned the requisite number of delegates. As was pointed out on “Real Time with Bill Mahr” by Gloria Steinem: the average time it usually takes a presidential candidate to officially concede and endorse usually measures to months–she was criticized for doing it in four days.
I think, more than anything, that Obama’s VP pick will be crucial to winning over Hillary’s core. For example, if he chooses Tim Kaine, he can kiss those votes goodbye.
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The nomination WAS stolen from Hillary. Obama supporters choose to turn a blind eye to the facts. It is a disgrace that she was mistreated not only by the press but by Obama himself. You are so right – there really is nothing Obama can do to win over a true Hillary supporter – they know the truth about why she didn’t win. Yes it WAS! It WAS stolen from her and it’s a shame and disgraceful that you are blinded to this fact. Respect? Yes she does! She does deserve the respect of everyone for the strength and perserverence she had to undergo to stay in the running no matter the criticism and discrimination she had to face just for being a woman. Did anyone ask Obama to iron their shirt or bake something for them? Of course not…that would have been considered disrespectful. No – being black is no longer a barrier to running for this office – the American people have long since gotten past that obstacle but – being a woman is. Hillary supporters will never stop supporting Hillary. She deserves respect from each and every one of us – including you. She would have made a better President of the United States than either of the two men nominated.
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Hillary Clinton started out with almost every part of the Democratic establishment behind her. I don’t consider her vote on the war what labeled her establishment. It was the fact that she had overwhelming support from elected officials and the Democratic big donors early on. Due to a strategy that was inept and misguided to a level that we haven’t seen in a long time, Clinton opened the door for Obama, who didn’t steal anything from her. She gave the nomination to him, by running an anti-change campaign in a change year. If the Clinton campaign would not have run as if they had the nomination locked up, then the door would not have been opened for Obama and the backlash against her that followed.
Obama gained ground by by listening to what many younger Democrats wanted which was no more Al Gore and John Kerry type dull uninspired campaigns. Clinton’s campaign until Pennsylvania lacked any sort of consistent message, except for the rejected and misguided experience mantra. This was the epic blunder that likely cost her the nomination, more than anything else. Oh and Edwards didn’t escape criticism on Iraq, he apologized for his vote, which Clinton refused to do.
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Actually, I hear Hillary repeatedly express that her vote was wrong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdWh8qOUAzk
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