A Letter to the Clintonistas

To Hillary’s Supporters,

As I’m sure you all know, tonight was a historic night.

For the first time in American history, an African-American won the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. Unfortunately, for some of you, this nomination seems rigged. As the last two weeks have unfolded you’ve fallen back on accusations of sexism as the reason for Clinton’s loss. Some even suggested there was some conspiracy behind Clinton’s lack of pledged delegates. This argument has been spurred on by your leader, HRC, and used to drive a wedge between fellow democrats.

Tonight I hoped for something different from Hillary. I hoped she’d offer me some reason to get behind a joint ticket. Unfortunately, the Hillary Clinton I saw tonight was the same Hillary I’ve seen since she started to campaign last year. And I know I’m not alone. The other 18 million American’s who voted for Obama saw the same person.

This is the reason your candidate lost the election. (And remember, this was her election to lose…)

Tonight, on display, was a candidate who, despite her professed advocacy for civil-rights, could not bring herself to concede in the face of history. Instead she chose to stain the moment with her arrogance.

Her South Dakota victory speech became a speech about the creative math that gives her the “popular” vote count. She pushed you, her supporters to her website to show their support and donate to her candidacy. I went to her website and I encountered the second reason she lost.

She fails to understand social media and how politics are changing forever.

My comments on her blog are never filled with profanity. I do not degrade anyone, but I am honest about being an Obama supporter. And my comments do not post. How can your candidate advocate an open dialogue with her constituents and her blog (one of the most open, social forms of connecting with people) is screened like Putin’s Russia.

And so I end with this final request. I’d just finished watching McCain’s speech and thought I’d witnessed the lowest of class. I was wrong. I watched Clinton’s speech. This was the lowest of class.

My request is that you reconsider your pledge to take this to Denver or vote for McCain.

However, if you, as Clinton supporters, really want to vote for McCain come November…I for one do not care. If you, as women, really feel that a white male who’s against women’s right to choose what to do with their health, I do not care. If you appreciate men, who under the stress of a long day, call their wife a “cunt” who wears too much make-up. Again I do not care. (Because it’s my blog I can say the “c” word without being screened)

I say “I don’t care” with complete confidence that there are millions out there who are not like you, millions that are bothered by a McCain presidency, that do not want to look their own sons and daughters in the eye, and say, “I voted for McCain.”

Why We Can Trust Obama on Negotiations with Enemies

“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” — John F Kennedy

Today is likely to mark Obama’s move to finally secure the democratic nomination for President of the United States. This long journey has been marked by gaffes, preacher associations, heated debates, conflicting polls, and passion filled charges. Now it will be marked with the end, a final speech to kickoff the general election. For those that have been following this from the beginning though, the Obama nomination has not always appeared to be so likely.

In June of 2007, after one of the first debates, Hillary threw the first punch, hoping to expunge any Obama “hope” early in the game, by demonstrating that his inexperience on foreign policy was his greatest weakness. Unfortunately for her, she helped him create one of the key differentiators between them, and gave him a foreign policy stump speech.

Now, over the weekend, in reflecting on a conversation Obama had with Clinton, he recalled:

“… she and I have been on this same journey together, and … once the dust settled, I was looking forward to meeting with her at a time and place of her choosing.”

No preconditions.

Hillary can bring her requests for a spot on the ticket, or her plea for aid in repaying her $40 million in debt. Despite suggestions an innuendo that she might be waiting for the worst to happen to Obama, he’s willing to sit down and talk. It can be over tea or whiskey, at the shooting range or bowling alley, in West Virginia, or Kentucky. It’s her choice. And she can lay out the conditions. He will listen. And then they will negotiate.

If Obama can negotiate the mending necessary to bring Clinton and her supporters on board, I have full faith he’ll be able to start a dialogue that secures our borders, starts the path to peace in the middle east by involving Iran and Syria, and convinces Dr. Strangeglove of North Korea that he really doesn’t want those nuke toys western countries harbor so selfishly.