There is still a long road ahead

June 5, 2008 on 9:43 pm | In Uncategorized |

I have been holding off posting anything recently and just trying to focus on the things that I could do to help Senator Obama secure the nomination.

After Tuesday night’s speech and the reality that Senator Obama had secured the nomination, I just wanted to have one or two days to enjoy it.

As I watched Senator Obama speaking I actually felt myself get a little misty-eyed. (I’m not ashamed to admit it, I’m a man of the 21st century.)

Now that I have had my two days of celebratory time, it’s time to get into General Election mode. And, sadly, the most terrifying obstacle we face has to do with gaining the support of the die-hard Hillary Clinton fans. Recently I took some time to browse through a few of the blogs on the Hillary Clinton website and the comments I was seeing were…disappointing.

I say disappointing because the words I want to use wouldn’t be in keeping with the spirit of this campaign.

They are talking about voting for John McCain, they are talking about hoping Senator Clinton runs as an Independent, they are talking about abandoning the Democratic party and staying home in November.

Disappointing is the only word I can come up with that I will type.

So I just wanted to take a moment to address those Clinton supporters specifically.

I can understand your disappointment that your candidate did not secure the Democratic nomination. It was something that all Obama supporters considered facing at some point or another during this long primary season. Falling short of a goal is never easy, especially for people that have been so involved in a particular campaign.

Now here are the cold, hard facts.

If you are a supporter of Senator Clinton, one would assume that her political policies would have something to do with the support you lent to her. Her, personally, was also a factor no doubt. You admire her - her strength, her intelligence, her tenacity and her willingness to get a job done. Hillary Clinton has fought long and hard for the things she believes in.

So, for any Hillary Clinton supporter to say they would rather vote for John McCain than Senator Obama demonstrates that this individual was never truly a Hillary Clinton supporter at all. How could you consider yourself a supporter of a woman who championed for women’s rights, for health care, for better education, for an end to the war in Iraq and then turn around and vote for a man who is opposed to all of those things?

How could you knowingly cast a vote that would lend the power to a man like John McCain. Your vote would, effectively, be condemning more US soldiers, our brave men and women in uniform, to death in a further drawn out war in Iraq.

Your vote would, effectively, be giving John McCain the power to appoint one or two new Justices to the US Supreme Court, strictly conservative judges who would have the power to affect decisions on a woman’s right to choose.

Your vote would, effectively, be giving John McCain the power to continue the Bush administration’s policies of tax cuts for the richest Americans while neglecting those of us who are struggling with $4.00 a gallon gas at the pumps.

Your vote would, effectively, be giving John McCain the power to continue with the Bush policy of “cowboy diplomacy”, of the “shoot first, ask questions later” diplomacy that led us into Iraq. He would have the power to start yet another war, this time in Iran.

Your vote would, effectively, be giving John McCain the power to continue destroying America’s image around the world. Our country cannot afford 4-years or 8-years of a John McCain Presidency.

So, if you are a Hillary Clinton supporter you must remember that John McCain has NOTHING in common with Senator Clinton.

Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are friends. They have worked on creating bills together, their policies are from the same, Democratic book of beliefs.

So not voting for Senator Obama, or even taking the time to learn about where he stands on the issues, is by all rights an insult to the very things that Senator Clinton has worked her entire public life to accomplish.

If you truly support, admire and respect Hillary Clinton and the work she’s done, then voting for John McCain would be the worst possible insult to her you could ever come up with.

Just a few things to consider.