Clinton: Obama Is My Candidate

John Fout

Up until last night many Democrats had been on edge, waiting to see what Sen. Hillary Clinton (D., N.Y.) would say and how she would say it in her address at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night in Denver. Would she unify the party or would the 18 million cracks she made in the glass ceiling come crashing down?

Clinton laid all doubts to rest as she rocked the receptive crowd in Denver. She acknowledged Sen. Barack Obama (D., Ill.) as "my candidate" and urged her supporters:

"And you haven't worked so hard over the last 18 months, or endured the last eight years, to suffer through more failed leadership. No way. No how. No McCain."

Clinton was introduced by her biggest fan: her daughter Chelsea. The two had often traveled together on the campaign trail during primary season, a demonstration of the bond between the generations of women.

But the importance of the election took precedent Tuesday night. Clinton reminded her supporters that the presidential election is not about one person or even about breaking the glass ceiling that separates women from such positions of power. She said to her supporters:

"I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?"

She has often taken heat from media pundits for her perceived power-hungry quest for the White House. But Clinton, in her stump speech during the campaign and in her address Tuesday night, has consistently offered compassionate and real solutions for the problems of those who are invisible in America.

In fact, Clinton pointed out what she stood for in this election and what Obama would stand for as president. She's eager to see legislation for universal health care passed, saying: "And I can't wait to watch Barack Obama sign a health care plan into law that covers every single American."

Clinton also campaigned for a renewed America, advocating for the middle class:

"I ran for president to renew the promise of America. To rebuild the middle class and sustain the American dream, to provide the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford the gas and groceries and still have a little left over each month."

She sees alternative energy and green industry as a way to rebuild America, create high-paying jobs and secure our future. Not only were these the reasons she ran for president, she said, but they are also the reasons why she wants her supporters to now rally behind and vote for Obama.

Surprisingly, Clinton failed to address women's reproductive rights -- an issue she has cared deeply about her entire career. Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) has said many times in the campaign: "I'm pro-life." According to a poll by NARAL Pro-Choice, McCain tends to lose support among women who find out he's against reproductive choice.

McCain's campaign has been very careful not to correct some of the offhanded remarks made by some supporters that seem to offer the impression McCain supports choice. Carly Fiorina, former CEO of H-P (HPQ), commented on the inequity of health insurance companies that cover the cost of Viagra but not contraception. McCain has ignored the issue when questioned by reporters.

His campaign has also run a new ad with a former Clinton supporter, Debra Bartoshevich. Speaking at a press conference, Bartoshevich repeated a McCain comment from 1999 saying it would not make sense to overturn Roe v. Wade. However, his campaign Web site states Roe v. Wade must be overturned.

In her speech, Clinton lavished high praise on Michelle Obama: "Anyone who saw Michelle's speech last night knows she will be a great first lady for America." Clinton also commented on Obama's vice-presidential pick, calling Sen. Joe Biden (D., Del.) a "strong leader and a good man."

Clinton really ramped toward the end of her speech when she evoked the message of another New Yorker, antislavery activist and African-American Harriet Tubman. Clinton quoted Tubman: "If you want a taste of freedom, keep going." Certainly, Clinton kept going in the primary season.

But Clinton knows her time, for now, is over and it's Obama's time. She closed:

"We are Americans. We're not big on quitting. But remember, before we can keep going, we have to get going by electing Barack Obama president."

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