The DNC: Hillary's Big Moment... Unity?

It had been hyped like crazy, predicted, wondered about, and in some corners, feared, but tonight Hillary outdid even herself, saying what needed to be said to unify this fired up but fractured party.  You've seen the TV coverage, but let me give you a little backstage color.

The blue signs you see in this picture were handed out just as Senator Clinton started speaking.  The "whips" for each state come through the aisles Santa Claus style doling signage out to eager delegates. I was no exception.  You may not realize that the states nearest the speaker, on the flat part of the convention "floor," are the swing states, and those that are solidly blue or red are relegated to lesser seats. With Obama comfortably ahead in California, we are relegated to the background. But we're the biggest and often the loudest. We make our presence known, and I'm leading the way.

So pity the poor guy who came up to our whip to wrestle California's bag of treats away. He had a good argument -- for the sake of TV more signs were needed in the swing state area -- and he did get away with it once.  But when he came back a second time he was verbally stoned by Californians defending their turf.  The impostor deterred, our whips started to dole out our signs, three and four at a time, to a hungry crowd.

And then it got complicated.

You see, the signs said "unity" on one side and either "hillary" or "obama" on the other. Can you see where this is going? Sure, we believe in unity but we were fighting for the signs!  Hillary people wanted the Hillary signs. Obama people wanted Obama signs.  As if that wasn't bad enough, an Obama delegate next to me passed over a Hillary sign, greatly angering a Clinton delegate two rows back (wearing a gas mask -- part of the "silencing" protest crowd), who said, "You don't want a Hillary sign?  Fine, I'll take it."  So I tried to quell things by taking a Hillary sign.  But soon after taking it I unrolled a sheet of Obama stickers from my bag, and stuck them to the Hillary sign.  A show of true unity, I thought.  And I started urging people around me that the way to show unity was to to take the sign of the person we had not initially supported.  Sadly, that great wisdom did not catch on.

So we remained polarized in our unity, but unity is was, nevertheless.  I heard two Hillary delegates exchange a "she's come so far" whisper between themselves.  I nodded, and reached out to the one I did not know, and squeezed her hand.  She wiped away tears throughout the speech, and I felt great compassion toward her.  The shoe could so easily have been on the other foot, and it would have been me adoring my fallen hero instead of anticipating Thursday's great speech.  It is not hard for me to envision "us" as "them."

The pundits are saying she pulled it off, and the Hillary folk I've bumped into in the street since then have said the same.  Perhaps tonight was exactly what they needed. 

I sure hope so. 

Comments

[NObama]

I don't think it got it done by a long shot, really. I still can't see supporting Barack. Hillary is making nice for the cameras, but everyone knows she's furious. She has a right to be. This campaign was supposed to be hers, and Obama - the media darling - stole it away. I'm still not clear why should was pressured to concede. Lots of back room politics seems afoot.

[Jo-Ann]

I have a feeling this fire is being fanned.

[Nina]

Great post Julie...and good for you for trying to encourage unity out there on the floor.

Nobama, I don't get it. I can totally get why she would be furious; she put so much into this campaign and disappointment probably doesn't even begin to describe what she's gone through. I do think it's unfair TO HER to assume outright that her speeches are insincere. But "The campaign was supposed to be hers and Obama stole it away"...???

Is Obama supposed to be apologetic for winning? Or is it just for running in the first place? I have all the respect in the world for Hillary, but the idea that somehow the election BELONGED to her is ludicrous, at best. Talk about entitlement.

Anyway, I think Hillary was just awesome last night. Her speech had me on my feet (you know, in front of my TV and everything) and just because I'm shallow like that, I loved~ her pantsuit (and the quote about traveling pantsuits!!) She rocked the house. She was on fire. I don't know what else to say about it.

I wish Obama had picked her for VP. I totally think, at the very least, she set the stage for her future - whatever that may be. As far as bringing over Hillary supporters, I think there will obviously be those who can't bring themselves to vote for Obama, for whatever reason. That's their right. Obviously, no matter how furious or disappointed Hillary is, she got enough maturity and perspective to do the right thing by the party, the country and herself. I think she did her job last night, as best as it could have been done.

[Gina]

I was so relieved after her speech. I have been a Hillary fan since I watched the Democratic convention the first time Bill was running and I always will be. But the thought of having John McCain be our president is too much. She really put the last bit of doubt out of my mind about whether I should vote for Obama. The primaries are over, and I am a Democrat first, Hillary supporter second. I sincerely hope people will stop being stubborn and face the reality of where we are. There are now two choices, and, sadly, Hillary is not one of them. I am also hoping that all this media hype about Hillary supporters staying home in November is exaggerated. What are they thinking?

[Nobama]

It was supposed to hers because she got more votes in the states Democrats need to win - Obama only won states that the Democrats will never lose. She also was ahead at many times in total votes and total delegates when the press continued to report that Obama was ahead, and she was the only one of the two who seemed to get real pressure to get out of the race. The press played everything up for him and down for her. It's not an entitlement issue to think that something fishy was going on - clearly Hillary had just as strong a support group as Obama. I also don't like that he backed out on numerous promises he made once he got the nomination. It's going to hurt him badly in the end. It's hard to accept anything he says as truthful. It sounds so scripted, like someone picked him to be their candidate for a platform and he's a willing actor in a grand play.