There are three types of Democratic Party regulars at the convention: Clinton supporters, Obama supporters, and former Clinton supporters who have moved on.
The latter two, it appeared Tuesday night, far outnumber the first group.
The storyline is shifting.
On Sunday and early Monday – until Michelle Obama's speech Monday evening – there was a very real question about how Hillary Clinton, her supporters, and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, might affect the convention. By the time Hillary Clinton spoke Tuesday night, although the atmosphere inside Denver's Pepsi Center was heightened, a certain fatigue had set in. Only a few hundred supporters rallied earlier in the day, less than expected. On a day that, more than any other in the convention, was to be about her – a day also marked the 80th anniversary of women's suffrage – it seemed like most already had moved on.
Her speech itself drew mostly rave reviews in the national press, such as this New York Times article. But it's questionable as to whether it changed the dynamics of the equation – minds already were made up.
Before her speech, El Paso delegate Aaron Paz, who earlier in the convention had talked about circulating a petition to draft her as a vice presidential nominee, said "Hillary will say all the right things – that's why we love her. But the delegates are smarter than that."
He said that what really hurt was Obama's not considering her as a vice presidential candidate. Still, he said, "I don't want you to think I'm not going to vote for him." Paz said he will remain a loyal Democrat. But he will not go the extra mile, phone banking, field organizing, contributing, generally helping with the campaign.
"He thinks he can do it on his own. Good luck to him. I wish he had united us," Paz said.
But it might not matter. Paz was speaking from the Texas delegation, one of the most split in the nation, but one of the least relevant. In the hierarchy of the convention, where the swing states, and the home states of the candidates, are favored with floor spots, Texas was not quite out of sight on the edge of the stage like, say, South Dakota, but it wasn't front and center, either.
And, as described in detail in this American Prospect article, Obama quietly has taken control of much of the party machinery. Essentially, it is his organization now, and while the Clintons are relevant as major players, it clearly is Obama's game.
There is one last hurdle, however, the nominating process. As of this morning, the details still were being worked out, in hopes of avoiding a fight on the floor that might embarrass the party and put the lie to the idea that anything changed last night.
***
Clinton's speech, which can be read here, had moments of genuine connection with the audience, such as when she said she would always be grateful to "everyone from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the territories … who joined our campaign on behalf of all those people left out and left behind by the Bush administration. To my supporters, to my champions, to my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits." The crowd, which filled every seat in the stadium and greeted her with a three-minute ovation, laughed, and cheered.
But a moment later, when she finished the sentence with a reference to her campaign – "thank you, because you never gave in and you never gave up" – some Obama supporters flinched.
She pulled the crowd together with attacks on U.S. Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee. She ended a call-and-response with this line: "John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn’t think 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatize Social Security. And in 2008, he still thinks it’s OK when women don’t earn equal pay for equal work.
"Now, with an agenda like that, it makes perfect sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities, because these days they’re awfully hard to tell apart."
Her attacks on McCain were important, because he has used her own attacks on Obama in ads he started running this week, as described in this National Post article. A group of McCain operatives in Denver is trying to lure disaffected Clinton supporters, and the Website notready08 is being used to hammer home the theme raised by Hillary Clinton during the primary.
She did not specifically refute those attacks or her past words, but she did open the speech by identifying herself as a proud American and "a proud supporter of Barack Obama."
During the speech, she referred to the challenges ahead, saying "We have a lot of work ahead of us: jobs lost; houses gone; falling wages; rising prices; the Supreme Court in a right-wing headlock; and our government in partisan gridlock; the biggest deficit in our nation’s history; money borrowed from the Chinese to buy oil from the Saudis; Putin and Georgia; Iran and Iraq."
She left no doubt that as a Democrat she supports Obama, even as she made reference to former President Clinton's legacy.
"When Barack Obama is in the White House, he’ll revitalize our economy, defend the working people of America, and meet the global challenges of our times.
"Democrats know how to do this. As I recall, we did it before with President Clinton and the Democrats.
"And if we do our part, we’ll do it again with President Obama and the Democrats."
***
The question of legacy is an important one. As much as Clinton was perceived to hold a strong hand, given her fight to the finish and her strong supporters, she now is in an almost no-win situation. If Obama does not win, she will be partly blamed. In this politico.com article, Roger Simon writes that "if Barack Obama loses this fall, the Democrats will be devastated, and if Hillary Clinton is viewed has having contributed to that loss by encouraging and maintaining a rift within the party, she will be severely damaged. Tuesday night she said some of the right words. But between now and November, Hillary Clinton can go out and work to heal the wounds or sit back and keep them open."
Many of her supporters have moved on.
Texas state Sen. Carlos Uresti, whose district mostly is San Antonio but represents about 35,000 people in East El Paso, was with the Clintons in El Paso.
He said that "obviously Barack Obama will be the nominee. I'm here to show support."
With some major downticket races statewide and in El Paso, Uresti said that bringing the Hispanic population over to Obama and the Democrats is vital.
In fact, Obama announced a $20 million program to strengthen that connection, the El Paso Times reported. The paper quoted Eliseo Roques, vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee's Hispanic Caucus, as saying that "Certainly Hispanics hold the key to winning the White House, so we are very committed to that."
He spoke after the Latino Leaders Network lunch Tuesday.
El Paso state Rep. Norma Chavez was at the lunch, which honored former Denver mayor and U.S. Energy Secretary Federico Pena. Other figures spoke, such as N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
She called it a signal of achievement, to go from an era 30 years ago when civil rights and political activists were organizing Latinos to an event where some of the original leaders – such as Dolores Huerta of the United Farmworkers – rub elbows with high-powered politicians.
The Clintons hearken back to that era as well, and, particularly in South Texas and parts of California, still are remembered as grassroots activists; for example, for efforts in Texas to organize voters for the 1972 McGovern campaign.
State Rep.-elect Carol Alvarado of Houston said "people forget there is a strong bond between Texas and Hillary Clinton."
Before Clinton's speech, Alvarado said she expected to hear a clear distinction between McCain and Obama, something that did happen.
Becky Costilla, a delegate from Brownsville, said that her delegation was split on the Clinton-Obama issue. "It's hard," she said, "but we'll come together." In their case, state Sen. Eddie Lucio is a Clinton delegate, and his son, state Rep. Eddie Lucio, is an Obama delegate.
***
Right before Clinton spoke, the ushers or floor whips or pages passed out white signs emblazoned with the name Hillary, and red signs that read, "McCain, more of the same."
But something interesting happened as Clinton began to speak.
The ushers or floor whips or pages started passing out a different placard, a narrow vertical blue sign on a long stick. On one side, the sign had the word "Unity," and on the other, either "Obama" or "Clinton."
It was Hillary Clinton's night, but it was clear it's Barack Obama's convention.















sfl
August 27, 2008
Wrong, wrong, wrong. What Hillary's speech did was show who should have been the nominee, the more "presidential" of the two. The one more seasoned, the one who knows the issues and the one who inspires the masses (without the benefit of having JFK's old speech writer.)
If anything, her speech made her supporters again wonder how Obama got the nomination in the first place, and wonder why he didn't pick her as a running mate. Instead he picks someone who has the exact same voting record as Hillary (especially on the "going to war" issue) and is considered the "same old story."
If anything, Obama has split the party by not choosing Hillary as his running mate.
If Obama is to "win" in November, he has got to convince Hillary supporters what exactly he will do to right the economy, go green and bring our Soldiers home. He's got to "sell" them that he is right and ready to go. And that may be very hard. He's had all these months to do so. Instead, he's voted along the lines of a republican, not the "change" candidate he proposes to be.
I think voters should voice their dissention at election time by writing in Hillary's name on the ballot. That should send a message to the Obama campaign that the first major gaff of his career was in "not choosing the right running mate," and listening to the voters in the Democratic party.
Already I wonder what other "decisions" he will make that aren't in the country's best interest.
It's an unfortunate day in American history.
Joe Olvera
August 27, 2008
The Hitlerites - I'm sorry, I mean the Hillary-ites - are really pushing the button for this election. Paul Moreno, Blanche Darley, Ramona de la Paz Torres, et al, are no longer Yellow Dog Democrats judging by the way they have reacted to Obama's championing the Democratic cause. Paul Moreno? Not voting for Obama? Will wonders never cease. Anyway, a Yellow Dog Democrat is someone who would rather vote for a Yellow Dog than for a Republican. Not this year, however. Thanks to basic racist attitudes against Obama - yes, Hillary was formidable, but she lost - Obama must now contend with the no longer Yellow Dog Democrats. In fact, some Demos are so upset that Hillary lost that they would rather vote for McCain. And, you tell me that's not racist? I say it is, because many Hispamnics (Chicanos, especially) don't like African Americans. Some say blacks have usurped the Chicano Movement, there is a lot of jealousy between Chicanos and blacks. Also, some resent the fact that a Chicano, such as Bill Richardson, didn't get thenomination. But, really, it's kind of ridiculous. A good friend of mine who is always bemoaning the lack of Chicano leaders, not Hispanic, Chicano, wondered where our Chicano leaders are. "Well," I asked him, "are you going to vote for Bill Richardson? No, he said, I'm supporting Hillary. Oh, my goodness, I said, how in the hell are we going to create Chicano leaders when we have a perfect candidate in Richardson, yet, you're not supporting him? What a farce. So, come on, Hillary-ites, strap on your Yellow Dog personas and vote for Obama. We've got to take risks in this world, but, Obama is a safe risk. He will see us through the morass in which we find ourselves. He will, indubitably give Hillary a high seat in his administration. What more can she want? I mean, besides the Presidency. But, sorry, not this time.
Sin Fin
Marty
August 27, 2008
Brocky Bama............
........... Brocky Bama
will not win this election.
Besides the fact that the Clinton's have "already been there- done that", Hillary and hubby could be trusted to keep a level head and they both know what can and cannot be done in Washington.
Brocky Bama is a rock star and has no business in the race.
If stardom is what counts, then the Beatles could have won the year that they came into the scene.
I know, I know, they are foreign born... bla bla bla.
So, the Dems didnt do the right thing and have themselves a rock star, so now we will have 4 years of McCain and they can blame everything on him as they do George.
I guess you can blame the Democrats for not coming up with a proper candidate to oppose George Bush 8 years ago, so it is
all their fault.
Now, another improper candidate ... Brocky Bama.
So, we can blame everything on the Dems AGAIN for not really
participating correctly in this election.
Dems: Take off work and Go vote during the day,
then ...... GO BACK at 7 pm to the caucusas to be counted.
DUH !
OH Please !
It's like the Dems are from some other planet now.
It didnt used to be this difficult to select presidents.
(I have voted both ways in the past and I just look for the BEST PERSON during an election.)
Marty
August 27, 2008
What if something "happens" to Brocky Bama between now and election day?
Will all the deligates go to Hillary and she will run?
Will she automaticly take Brocky Bama's place or will Biden take his place?
I think Brocky Bama is in WAY over his head and he didnt really think he'd get this far. I think that the Dem's have pushed Brocky Bama into this and he is not ready. Maybe Hillary can still be on the ticket when Brocky Bama drops out.
albert r
August 27, 2008
The passive-aggressive couching of your views in phrases like "supporters who have moved on" and "may not matter so much" or "almost in a no-win situation" will only exaserbate the rift among Democrats, especially in El Paso. If your intent is to see Obama go down in November, then that's the way to do it, keep goading the Hillary Democrats.
Democrats must unite, but this cannot be done by TELLING people to unite, even less by that type of sublimated gloating and finger pointing. I suggest that Obama supporters not use phrases like those above and especially like the now über-cliched "get over it," or any variants there of.
Hillary's intent was not to have an "affect" at the convention. She is too smart and too loyal to the Democratic party for that. She does not want to be blamed in anyway if the Democrats lose in November, and she proved last night it would not be by her hand if they do. That Clinton had some alterior motive at the DNC last night is only the delusion of those who relish conflict and gossip, of the "reality show" generation.
Neither did she have to "refute" her past comments on Obama. Just because you recognize a candidate's shortcomings doesn't mean you will not support him. Where people should move on is from being hung up on the fact that many Clinton supporters are unhappy with Obama. Doesn't mean they will not vote like true yellow dog Democrats against McCain, but keep prodding them and maybe they won't. That is a very real possibility that much of the media is commenting on, that many democrats are more optimistic about Clinton in 2012 that Obama in 2008.
Let's deal with the reality of party unity issues for a Democratic victory in November, and leave the smug satisfaction behind.
Doctor Z
August 27, 2008
Yea, what happens if "Brocky Bama" can make it to the finish line:
Election Day?
Maybe tonight, "Brocky Bama" will give all of HIS deligates to Hillary, and it will be the surprize of the century. Well, not counting the result in the OJ murder case.
But, I guess that OJ committed HIS murders in the last century. OK.
albert r
August 27, 2008
p.s.
You're not helping, Joe Olvera, you're definitely not helping. Maybe you WANT Obama to go down in November. Is that it?
Point your finger somewhere else. Be a uniter, not a divider.