There has been so much anger, venom and rancor between Clinton and Obama's supporters in the past few months that it's hard to believe that we're all part of the same political party. I've said my fair share of angry and hastily thought out words, but we all need to take a deep breath and calm down.

These were two history making campaigns and while I supported Clinton, I can accept Obama as my candidate. What is troubling me and makes me very worried about the future of our party is lingering resentment on both sides. We need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

To Obama's supporters, however much disdain you might feel towards Clinton and her supporters through this primary process, you have to accept the fact that nearly half of the party had her picked as their first choice. These are millions of voters that Obama will need in November if he has any chance of winning. Please stop hobbling his chances by insisting that we are not needed or should not consider ourselves Democrats – this is the sure path to defeat by all but pushing the more centrist voters into McCain’s lap. I understand that a lot of you are angry that Clinton stayed in the race as long as she did and that the tone of the campaign became heated on both sides more often than some of you are comfortable with, but politics is not a lightweight game. Whatever you feel Clinton may have done that you consider underhanded pales in comparison to what the Republican machine has planned for Obama. He needs to be tough in order to withstand the attacks that are certain to come in the coming months. YOU need to be tough in order to withstand those attacks.

Please stop trying to tear down the Clinton administration’s legacy within the Democratic party in your rush to anoint Obama as the new standard-bearer. Look back at our recent history (the past 50 years) and what you’ll quickly see that Clinton was without question the most successful Democratic president we’ve had. Kennedy’s reign was abruptly ended before he had a chance to do as much as he could have, so we cannot rightly judge his legacy. LBJ was destroyed by the deepening war in Vietnam and the growing social division from the war and the civil rights fight and did not run for a second term. Carter lasted only one term before being defeated in a landslide election against Regan due to the OPEC oil embargo and the Iranian hostage crisis. We then had to deal with twelve years of Republican mismanagement before another Democrat won the White House.

Unlike Nixon, who’s scandals threatened the very basis of our political system, Clinton’s faults were mainly personal ones (even if you really want to go into the shady business dealings where no real evidence of any wrongdoing was discovered despite Ken Star’s investigations) and his administration was for the most part highly successful. He was able to bring back the voters who had been lured to Regan and still fought for the policies that progressives crave. Unfortunately after him, we have not been able to retake the White House – Al Gore had the election stolen from him and had to go outside of the elected political process to push for the causes nearest to his heart. John Kerry was hamstrung by those who managed to turn the advantage of his military record into a detriment.

Right now, Obama is a very exciting and interesting “maybe” as far as being the new voice of the Democratic party. He’s taken a huge first step by winning the nomination, but in order to cement his influence in the party, he must win the general election. He must have a chance to put his ideas into real action in order for us to see if they actually work and if he can effect the change in politics that he has been talking about. After this point, it’s his actions more than his words that are going to matter.

One thing that all of us must remember, whether you supported Obama or Clinton is that we are NOT the same as the Republicans. Not in any way, shape or form. And while there are many things that we can compromise on, there are some things that we must be willing to go to the mat for, even if we lose the fight. Changing politics so that there is less rancor is a wonderful ideal, but it has to be paired with being willing to push for the things that you know cannot be given up. That is probably the single hardest lesson for anyone who has been involved with politics for any amount of time to learn. There are time when we can, as Democrats and Republicans, come together and join hands. But there are times when we have to be willing to fight tooth and nail when agreement or compromise just isn’t possible.

We need to stop with the childish nonsense that will split our party. There has been plenty of mud flung by both sides, both by the candidates and their subordinates and supporters and we need to remember what is really important – keeping McCain out of the White House. There is no need for Obama’s supporters to fume that because Clinton didn’t immediately concede on Tuesday night, she was being disrespectful of Obama and there’s no need for Clinton’s supporters to stew over her loss. This race has inspired a lot of passion on both sides and it’s time to put that spirit in the right place. We’re on the same side, people. Let’s keep that in mind because the last time people lost the distinction between the two parties, we got stuck with having Shurb’s portrait hanging in the Presidential Gallery.