In observing the myriad articles, blogs, interviews, and commentaries on Clinton's concession-endorsement speech yesterday, it strikes me that she could have stood on her head while pledging her undying love for Obama, and the reactions still would have been the same. I could have written this piece the night before. Nothing changed yesterday except that Clinton kept her word and made the concession and endorsement that she had promised.
Pundits, analysts, politicos, and ordinary Americans watched Clinton's speech and then read into it what they already believed about Clinton, what they expected from Clinton. In short, Clinton's speech was a Rorschach test.
Take the jump... you know you want to (and there's a nice action to take at the bottom of the diary).
Both sides have lingering anger, mistrust, and resentment. Both those who were inclined to see the best in Clinton and those who were inclined to see the worst in Clinton are now citing passages of her speech, her tone of voice, and her body language as proof of what they posited.
Some pundits timed the minutes until she spoke Obama's name. Others tabulated the total number of times she said his name (according to MSNBC, she said his name 14 times). Others lamented that she had not spent more time giving her supporters concrete reasons why they should support Obama, not McCain. At the same time, others lauded the litany of issues that Clinton cited as reason to support Obama over McCain.
Some pored over her words, looking for hints that Clinton might betray Obama at the convention in Denver. A few lamented her choice to suspend her campaign rather than releasing her delegates. Others called it an audition for the vice presidency. The headline on CNN.com ominously asked, "What Will Clinton Do Next?"
Reporters and commentators even interpreted the audience reactions differently. Fox News reported, "Clinton was met with ear-splitting cheers when she began her address, but the crowd response became progressively more tepid as she spoke about driving Obama to victory in November." At CNN, pundits noted that the crowd responded tepidly to Clinton's first mention of Obama but responded more enthusiastically to successive mentions of Obama as the speech continued (I think I read a similar analysis by a commenter here as well).
The Clinton camp and the Obama camp have become the Hatfields and McCoys of politics, each side garnering supporters who have become entrenched in a dangerous family feud. Today, both Clinton and Obama are taking the first steps toward reconciliation.
Clinton is asking her supporters on her website (the infamous www.HillaryClinton.com) to sign up to support Obama:
Support Senator Obama today. Sign up now and together we can write the next chapter in America's story.
Obama is also asking his supporters on his website to send positive messages of support:
Senator Clinton made history over the past 16 months -- not just because she has broken barriers, but because she has inspired millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to causes like universal health care that make a difference in the lives of hardworking Americans. Take a minute to thank her for her hard work and for supporting this campaign.
Sure, there is some lingering anger and mistrust between Obama supporters and Clinton supporters, but today we can begin the journey toward unity.
ACTION REQUEST
If you are an Obama supporter, I hope you will send a positive comment to Clinton thanking her for supporting Obama.
If you are a Clinton supporter, I hope you will sign up on Clinton's website to support Obama.
A NOTE ABOUT MY PERSONAL FEELINGS
I understand why many are angry. My personal feelings are mixed and changing moment by moment. I agree with those of you who say we should not forgive democrats who race bait and lie and endorse the enemy over our presumptive nominee, and I disagree with you, both, at the same time, on the same issues and topics. I'm angry at Clinton, I resent her, I hate the divisiveness that she has embraced -- that she sowed for years. Then, I think, we need her, she is the only one who can reunite us with her supporters. Then, I think, she is only in it now with the hopes of 2012 on her mind. But in the end, my resentment, my feelings of suspicion are irrelevant. We must join together because we cannot move forward apart.
We don't have to agree with the way things were handled in the primary. We do not have to forgive each other. We just need to work together. This election is too important to lose.
If people living in countries torn by civil war can live together in harmony, form a cohesive government, letting peace and the good of the country override the desire to hold grudges, then we can certainly come together and work together to ensure that for the next four years the important issues are addressed like ending poverty, stopping torture, becoming less oil dependent, fixing the environment, taking care of our veterans, and so much more.
United we stand. Divided we fall. We are one nation.
Cross-posted at Huffington Post.