By Damozel | At The Moderate Voice, Joe Gandelman speculates that the wounds might be too profound to heal. I personally doubt it. A month in political time is equal to a year in real time. And as the subsequent post shows, many Democrats were moved by the event and the speeches. I can't see the sour feeling of some of the insiders having much of an effect on the average voter.
Marc Ambinder likewise wonders whether unhappy Clinton donors can be brought into the circle and made to join in the unity boogie. See above.
At The Reaction, Michael Stickings is optimistic that at last we're on our way:
After a long and sometimes bitter campaign, one that drove a wedge into the heart and soul of the Democratic Party, one that was trumped up by the typical media sensationalism that drives the news cycles, it was a welcome display of what I take to be genuine friendship between these two towering figures in the party....
And it is just the beginning.
Hey, fingers crossed!
Hillary supporter Scan at Taylor Marsh gives Hillary the kudos she deserves and praises Obama for the respect he conveyed:
In her speech, Hillary's commitment to the country she loves was obvious. It was the reason she was on that stage and the reason she has held nothing back in endorsing her former opponent. She knows full well what's at stake, and the continued havoc that would occur if another Republican managed to find his way into the Oval Office. It's not about her, its about the cause.
I was struck by Obama's facial expressions and body language while he was watching her speak....His admiration and respect for her was obvious in his speech as well. At one point, inspired by an enthusiastic Hillary supporter in the crowd, he went off-script to say simply that "she rocks"....
My favorite part of the event, which summed things up as perfectly as you could want: Spontaneous chants of "Obama! Obama! Obama!" during her speech, followed immediately by spontaneous chants of "Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!" by the same crowd. And there was Barack sitting behind her, gesturing with an imaginary "Hillary" sign...joining right in.
Beautiful.
Justin Gardner at Donklephant was also struck by how convincing the display was, while not losing sight of the bargains being struck behind the scenes.
First her speech…which was gracious, kind and exactly what Obama needed...
Then his speech…which was deferential, magnanimous and exactly what Hillary needed…
So what now? The negotiations of course!
At The Impolitic, Libby also notes that the two candidates did a brilliant job of expressing their intention to make common cause against the Republicans. Libby was pleased that Hillary came through, since she'd begun to entertain 'serious doubts that Hillary would put her heart into uniting behind Obama. It feels really good to have been so wrong...'
If there is any remaining tension between the two, you couldn't see in Unity, NH....Any remaining bitterness on the part of Obama supporters over Hillary's campaign style should have been put to rest today. She kept her promise. She looked more shining and genuine than she ever has in the last year and a half....
[O]ld dreams die hard but I'm betting in the end, even...recalcitrant Democrats will realize that allowing McCain to win would be a grievous mistake. Certainly, for the many couples interviewed that had split their votes between the two, acceptance has already arrived and most seem to be glad to embrace the message....
At The Trail, Shalaigh Murray characterizes Hillary Clinton as 'now one of Obama's most powerful surrogates.' I hate people talking about 'surrogates.' The whole concept needs to die.
Murray points out that there were a couple of uncomfortable moments.
Some of her supporters weren't quite ready to let go. "We want Hillary!" a handful of Clinton fans shouted during her speech. "It's over!" an Obama voter shot back.
But Obama smoothed over another one quite gracefully.
When it was Obama's turn to pile on the plaudits, another voice in the crowd yelled, "She rocks." Obama answered, "She rocks, she rocks. That's the point I'm trying to make."
The Carpetbagger Report says it was 'a beautiful rally.'
Responding preemptively to chatter she knew was out there, Clinton added, “To anyone who voted for me and is now considering not voting or voting for Senator McCain, I strongly urge you to reconsider,” urging her supporters to join with Obama’s “to create an unstoppable force for change we can all believe in.”...
By all appearances, the event couldn’t have gone much better. The speeches were solid, and both looked comfortable and sincere. There were concessions about the intensity of the primary fight, but it certainly didn’t look like either held any grudges.
Melissa McEwan at Shakesville published some excellent photographs of the event. She also says:
Remember these pictures, of two colleagues with common cause (and ZOMG matching outfits!), next time someone uses a picture like this (via Sully) to say something about either one of them, or how they feel about each other.
Because they will use those pictures to help tell their lies. Oh how they will.
Yes, everyone seems to have loved the matching outfits.
I'm feeling the unity love too, so I am not even going to jeer that Obama got asked for his i.d. when he went to visit a gym and tried to walk past the front desk without submitting his card for scanning. .
Washington Sports Club employee Takehia Wheeler was manning the front desk to scan members’ identification cards Friday morning when the presidential candidate walked in with his entourage. The gym opened a month ago in the Columbia Heights district.
“He came in and walked past me,” Wheeler told In The Know. “I was like, ‘Sir, you need to come back.’”Wheeler said Obama looked familiar, but she didn’t recognize him. So she asked for his ID card.
“I said, ‘What’s your last name?’ He said ‘Obama,’ ” Wheeler explained. “I said, ‘So what’s your first name?”
Anyway, she made up for it. She said, “Sorry, Mr. Future President!” And at least she's got a story to tell her grandchildren.
Because I'm beginning to feel she might be right.
For more blogger reaction on UNITY, look here.
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Pretending there isn't a divide in the democratic party doesn't make it so.
I've seen and lived the hell that was the Obama scorched democrat primary caucus policy and there's no way Obama will win the support of people who have their eyes open. Especially since he can't stay on one side of an issue.
Posted by: Danny | June 28, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Danny
Obama's primary caucus policy was hell? where have you been in the past 8 years? What is primary caucus policy anyway?
We're not pretending there isn't a divide, we're doing something about it. I guess you republicans are not happy that the Unity show was actually convincing.
Posted by: Danni | June 28, 2008 at 12:53 PM