REACHING ACROSS THE ABYSS--Uniting Obamaniacs and Clintonistas
Regular readers of this blog (if any) may have wondered at the absence of regular commentary on the Democratic Presidential Race of late. As a matter of fact I have not posted a detailed article on the contest since “The Tonya Harding Option-Will Clinton Take it?” way back on March 26th and touched on it tangentially in only three or four other posts.
This is not because the campaign has not been heated-it has raged at blast furnace intensity-or because it is uninteresting-it has had all of the high drama, intricate plot twists, a cast of vivid characters of the most sizzling blockbuster. Nor has it been because my candidate, Barack Obama has taken some lumps and ridden out some rough patches as the Hillary Clinton, channeling the Bozo Bop Bag has kept on popping back up. I stand by Obama and I have a grudging admiration for Clinton’s amazing resilience.
While I have not posted here, I have added comments here and there across the blog-o-sphere. What those comments have consistently said is basically this: “Look, like it or not Barack Obama is the likely nominee of the party. Great form me. Painful for Clinton’s staunch and adoring supporters. But no matter what happens-even if deus ex machina Hillary is magically delivered the nomination-the stakes are far too high for the people of this nation and the peace and security of the world for Democrats to fail to rally enthusiasitycally around our candidate. I personally pledge to do so if Hillary becomes the nominee. Nothing is more worisome to me than polling data that indicates that very significant numbers of each candidates supporters will vote for John McCain or sit on their hands in Novemeber if their favorite looses the nomination. We must recognize that beyond personal bitterness, far more unites us a Democrats and Americans than divides us. Pick your favorite hobby horse issues-the war, the ecconomy, the envirornment, women’s rights, civil liberties, health care, education-and either Democrat outshines the tarnished and disgraced re-tread of the Bush maladministration offered by the Republicans.”
One of the big reasons I have not posted here is to keep from falling into the temptation of joining the tit-for-tat bashing, name calling, and whining that has for the last several weeks been the hallmark of the struggle, at least as it is played out with passion in pundit columns, cable trash talk, and endless blogs. I choose not to help bitterness fester. As for me, I may take issue with Clinton and her campaign about how and what they have done since realizing that the pre-ordained nomination was slipping from their her hands. But I love and admire those who love her. I would hope in the reverse circumstances they would love and admire me. We need each other. Honestly. We have to go beyond mouthing vague platitudes to each other all the while muttering under our breaths. We must not now make empty gestures of reconciliation based on convenience, but must reconcile out of principle and respect.