Finally

(image by Shepard Fairey)


You know, I have to say I do admire Hillary Clinton. Girlfriend worked it, right up until the end. There's something to be said for tenacity, and she certainly has it. At the same time, I am so glad that she's not the nominee. I am currently of two minds on if she should be on the same ticket with Obama -- on one hand, it would be so immense and historic and more importantly, it would unite the party. On the other hand, Hillary and Obama don't exactly see eye to eye on a lot of issues, not to mention all the other qualms I have about Hillary.

Obama continues to impress me with his humility and kindness:

That is particularly true for the candidate who has traveled further on this journey than anyone else. Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she’s a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she’s a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.

We’ve certainly had our differences over the last sixteen months. But as someone who’s shared a stage with her many times, I can tell you that what gets Hillary Clinton up in the morning – even in the face of tough odds – is exactly what sent her and Bill Clinton to sign up for their first campaign in Texas all those years ago; what sent her to work at the Children’s Defense Fund and made her fight for health care as First Lady; what led her to the United States Senate and fueled her barrier-breaking campaign for the presidency – an unyielding desire to improve the lives of ordinary Americans, no matter how difficult the fight may be. And you can rest assured that when we finally win the battle for universal health care in this country, she will be central to that victory. When we transform our energy policy and lift our children out of poverty, it will be because she worked to help make it happen. Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton.

He did not have to say all of that. All he had to do was congratulate Clinton on her victory in South Dakota and thank her for running a fairly clean campaign. (Well...debatable, but you know what I mean) You could argue that him saying all of that was a calculated attempt to sway Clinton supporters or prepare his supporters for the possibility of having Clinton on the ticket. But you know, I believe in him. I believe that he's a decent, stand up guy who specifically chose to say those things because he sincerely means them. He's nice, this Obama guy, and I'm glad he's our party's nominee.

Something else that stuck me was that during Obama's speech when he mentioned Hillary everyone in the audience clapped and cheered for her. And this is something that I've noticed about Obama supporters as opposed to Clinton supporters: Obama supporters don't dislike Clinton -- they like her and they respect her, but they like Barack more; are more inspired by his vision. I mean, as mentioned, I have qualms about her, but come November if it was her as the party's nominee, I would vote for her no problem. Whereas Clinton supporters have a tendency to be more fanatical and one-sided. I've heard several Clinton supporters announce that if she wasn't on the ticket they were voting for McCain. Which is so counter-productive, it drives me nuts.

In just a few short months, the Republican Party will arrive in St. Paul with a very different agenda. They will come here to nominate John McCain, a man who has served this country heroically. I honor that service, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine. My differences with him are not personal; they are with the policies he has proposed in this campaign.

Because while John McCain can legitimately tout moments of independence from his party in the past, such independence has not been the hallmark of his presidential campaign.

It’s not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush ninety-five percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year.

OH, BURN! Prior to Hillary and Barack speaking last night, John McCain made a speech, putting into sharp relief how vastly different the two sides are, how content John McCain is to just totter along in the same path that George W. Bush has forged. I've lost such respect for John McCain in the past 8 years, as he's blithely allowed himself to follow whatever Bush has said.

In our country, I have found that this cooperation happens not because we agree on everything, but because behind all the labels and false divisions and categories that define us; beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again.[...] America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment – this was the time – when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

I AM SO READY, YOU GUYS. LET'S DO IT.