Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:02 pm
The effort by Democrats to unify behind presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton hit a fever pitch Thursday as President Barack Obama officially endorsed the former Secretary of State in a video message.
Obama isn’t wasting any time in hitting the trail either. He and Clinton will campaign together next Wednesday in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The president’s support is huge for Clinton in energizing Democrats and kicking her general election campaign into high gear, but it’s only one in a series of stars that aligned today for Clinton.
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Bernie Sanders also gave what sounded a lot like a concession speech on Thursday afternoon.
“I spoke briefly to Secretary Clinton on Tuesday night, and I congratulated her on her very strong campaign,” Sanders said following his meeting with President Obama at the White House. I look forward to meeting with her in the near future to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump.
After Sanders’ huddle with the president, the Vermont senator met with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Chuck Schumer – another sign that this is a concerted effort by Sanders and top Democrats to quickly unify the party.
On MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show Thursday night, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is also expected to throw her support behind Hillary Clinton, a shock to no one as Warren has been lambasting Trump for weeks now. Still, Warren’s endorsement will help Clinton attract voters who supported Sanders during the primary campaign.
It may be surprising just how quickly this is all coming together, but the truth is that it’s quite simple for a party to unify when its presumptive nominee is actually qualified to be president. It’s not so easy, on the other hand, to unify behind a candidate who has no knowledge of the issues and uses bluster and racism to fuel a substance-free campaign.
It’s so difficult, in fact, that many Republicans are refusing to do it.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who had previously endorsed Trump, walked back his support on Wednesday, saying Trump is “not yet the nominee.”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich also said “it’s hard to say” if he’ll ever endorse Trump for president, and hinted that it’s possible he could go to next month’s convention without supporting his party’s nominee.
These are just the two latest GOP figures to express their disappointment with the nominee.
Conservative talk show host Steve Deace even said today, “Delegates from at least eight states have contacted me in the last four days about a revolt in Cleveland.”Â
There couldn’t be a sharper contrast between the two sides and how they are reacting to their respective nominees. Democrats are quickly coming together behind their nominee, while Republicans are falling apart and looking for an exit ramp.
What Democrats have been able to accomplish in 24 hours is what the GOP has failed to do in the span of a month. That’s because one party’s nominee is qualified and the other’s is dangerously unfit.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
