Walter Shapiro's column today mentions that previous "presidential dreamers" were not demonized for taking their election fight all the way to their respective conventions, the way Clinton has. While I agree that Clinton has engendered more vitriol than she probably deserves (although not entirely undeserved), those dreamers' quixotic efforts should be a lesson: each one ended up weakening their party's general election campaign and resulted in sweeping defeat in the fall (Reagan's undermining of Pres. Ford suppressed conservative support against Carter's "I'm not Nixon" campaign; Kennedy's attack on the weak Carter presidency suppressed liberals support against Reagan's "Morning in America" pablum; Hart's campaign, while probably the longest shot of the three mentioned, probably had the least destructive effect, given the general incompentcy of the Mondale campaign). It also should be noted that each of the "insurgents" represented a distinct and important part of their party that felt underserved by the presumptive nominee (Reagan with the Far Right, Kennedy with the Far Left, and Hart with "young people"). With one exception, Hillary Clinton basically speaks for and to the same voters as Obama: people who want to be rid of the Bush Administration's incompetence with and indifference to foreign policy, the domestic economy, healthcare, education, science and the environment (the exception being that she appears to have courted and won over the uneducated, ignorant, and racist element of the Democratic Party; even if they are a sizable minority of the party base, I don't think it benefits America to promote their positions). Sen. Clinton's continued defiance of reality can only be seen as self-serving and the longer she allows the story to be about her efforts, the more damage she inflicts upon the Democratic Party's efforts.

Just for starters, Obama needs to convince his campaign managers to stop saying that they aren't going to bother reaching out to Clinton's voters because her supporter's are going to get over their "hurt feelings" and vote for him automatically. Nobody likes to be taken for granted.

Thanks for responding.

Is this what his campaign managers are saying?

State senators are not exactlty as powerful and do not have as much responsibility as governor's. Clinton won 3 elections in a Republican state and ran that state for 12 years. Obama won 2 elections in Chicago and 1 for the Senate. He had a total of 2 years in the Senate when he decided to run for President, and has done little since. There is a reason that most recent Presidents have been selected from governor's, not Senators, and certainly not junior state senators.

"Unifying" behind Obama is to accept the following:

- New Liberal Fascist brownshirts on the internet and in the MSM telling what remains of the old democrats what to do and what to think, no questions or protestations allowed. If you don't do what they say they will spread all manner of lies to destroy you, as they did to the Clintons.

- The Democratic Party becomes hostage to the Black Vote. 98% bloc voting for Black candidates. Not just in this primary, but in all elections, local, state and national. A gun pointed at the head of all Democratic officials at all levels.

- The death of the Clinton Center. A surge to the Hard Left by what remains of this political party, in the manner of MoveOn.org, Michael Moore, Rev. Wright, et al. This is not your parents' Democratic Party anymore. That political party is dead. You know I'm right. You feel it in your bones. It is a sad day for all of us.

The only way to prevent this from happening is for Obama to lose the general in November. It's your choice. It's your vote. Don't be railroaded. McCain will have at most a single term and the House and Senate will be dominated by Democrats.

The country will survive. But don't give the Democratic Party away to these radicals. It will die.

"Read Bill Clinton's bio. He had served 12 years as governor of Arkansas."

"which is, oddly enough, the same number of years that Obama has held elected office."

That's not a serious comparison, right? A low level state senator job and half a term as Senator (half of which he's been running for POTUS) vs 12 years as govenor? Okay.....

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/10827.html

General attitude: They'll get over it and we want to reach out to Republicans and Independents anyway, so who cares?

I just read the post. Only clinton propogandists, i mean supporters, can lose the electio nlast night and still make it about her. hahahahah

she lost. it's over. you want respect? Did your mothers ever teach you the golden rule? TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU WISH TO BE TREATED. Obama supporters treated all candidates supporters with respect. Only after clinton went off the deep and and into the arms of the gop did we start to combat here.

you people are like children. She will get no respect from me until she starts giving it. I know she gives rush fox and the gop respect. Obama? did she last night? Obama supproters, does she respect us? does she respect democratic voters when she puts her own political future above the parties it's candidate and the future of the nation?

you want resepct clinton backers, gop? When you start giving respect, if ever, you will then get some. enough whining. only the gop cares. And they don't care because they want to help you. they care because they want to destroy you.

Plus William Jennings Bryan wound up a certified delusional schizophrenic who thought that God was talking to him in person. And he was a nutcase creationist.

Wilson? Let's just leave off that virulent old south racism.

You're assuming that Obama cares about women and will work for women's causes. He has given no indication that he will. Just because somebody calls himself a Democrat, it is not safe to assume that he will be an actual Progressive. Obama has been ambivalent on abortion rights and calls female reporters "Sweetheart" and offers to kiss women in exchange for votes. That's not particularly indicative of general respect toward women. And his desire to reach out to Republicans and Independents, effectively throwing the left wing of the Democratic Party under the bus, is ... well, not promising.