The primary season is finally over and we must move forward and do everything we can to defeat John McCain and put a Democrat back in the White House.
This is where the really hard work begins.
Those of us who argued and fought over who would make the better Democratic candidate were able to argue as family members who know each other too well.
Obama supprters and Clinton supporters remained loyal to their preferred candidate for largely personal reasons that had very little to do with the candidates' policies. We knew these candidates - especially Clinton - and decided we liked them or didn't like them personally. We saw them as symbols, got angry when they competed a little too vigorously or - in our minds - unfairly, and threatened to leave the family if the other one became the favorite. We fought as family members fought - about heirarchy and taking one's turn and being the favorite. We got much more personal than we get with those outside our Party.
That, hopefully, is nearing an end. In time, I hope Clinton's many supporters will decide to stay in the family and realize that no matter how bitter the fight became (and no fights can be more ugly than family fights) this is the family that has always nurtured them and will continue to nurture them.
Now we must adopt a different strategy. We must now turn our attention to John McCain, the real opponent of Senator Obama, and in my opinion, the real opponent of what is best for this country. We must use our influence and powers of persuasion to help Americans see that a McCain presidency would be as much of a disaster as the Bush presidency has been. This will require much more investigation of policy matters, stuff that isn't as easy as simply attacking someone's style or behavior or even identity.
But it is going to require something else as well. This election will require us all to combat the racism that remains in this country, racism that will come in the form of racially coded, dog whistle attacks on Barack Obama by the Republicans. These attacks will include a renewed focus on his former minister and former church, attempts to portray his wife as a scary and aggressive woman, attempts to define him as a foreigner, a Muslim, or not "one of us."
This is one of the reasons why so many of us wanted Senator Clinton to immediately concede on Tuesday night and endorse Obama. Senator Clinton has often said she does not think Obama can be elected, and had hinted that part of the reason she feels this way is because she understands the amount of prejudice that still exists in our nation. However, we Obama supporters don't need Senator Clinton to remind us of this. We are well aware of the racism that remains in certain parts of the country. We don't support Obama because we are naive and think the days of racism are gone. We know the task ahead. We know the odds. We know it will be difficult to overcome the mindset that still exists within too many citizens. We simply think the fight is winnable, and ultimately worth it. We believe the American people can be convinced. We think they can, one by one, overcome their reservations once they a) really get to know Barack Obama and b)remember what John McCain represents - four more years of failed policies.
We also know that the primary campaign, while in many ways a good testing ground for Obama, also wounded him, and Hillary Clinton did some of the wounding. We wanted her to concede, not because we wanted to humiliate her or her supporters, or lord it over her, but because we know how powerful she is, and how crucial her support is to a November victory. We also know there is no time to waste.
Hillary Clinton can do a great deal to help Obama win the election. Her words, if chosen very carefully and delivered sincerely and forcefully, will help her supporters see the importance of letting go of their disappointment and anger. Her actions will be an example for her supporters, who see her as a role model.
It will be a tough fight to elect the nation's first black president. It was tough to elect the first black nominee. He almost lost at the end, partly because of the latent racism that emerged after the Jeremiah Wright controversy. It will take all of us to help him win this campaign.
So it's time to let go of anger and resentment. I am letting go of mine, but know it will be harder for others to let go of theirs. Perhaps it will help to look at what has gone on these past five months as an ugly family feud that now needs to end. I hope Senator Clinton will find the right words to help bring it to an end.
For five months Hillary Clinton has identified herself as a fighter, and she definitely has proven herself to be that. Now she has a different role. Now she must be a healer. Soon, the Party will call on her fighting abilities again, but on Saturday, she needs to put down her sword and her shield and speak the words of reconciliation. With the enormous power she wields, what she does and what she says on Saturday can be as important as anything Barack Obama does or says over the next five months.
I hope her supporters take comfort in the fact that she is now the most powerful woman in the country, even though she is not the nominee for president. And she will remain the most powerful woman in the country, whether or not she becomes the vice presidential nominee. No one can take that away from her.
