It was barely tolerable to accept the defeat of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee.
The agonizingly long summer was spent hoping and praying through defeat after defeat, only to have her win once every so often, keeping the race between her and Barack Obama so close. Sheer will alone should have won her the nomination.
Just as the anger of injustice was beginning to dissipate, the thought of the ultimate dream ticket8212;Obama and Clinton8212;slowly began taking hold. Together they would be unbeatable and create history. Then on Aug. 23, Obama did the unthinkable. He chose Sen. Joe Biden for his vice presidential candidate.
Shock came first, prompting the inability to move. Next, anger created the inability to speak. Then total confusion led to the inability to think. Perfect8212;these are all the requirements of being a John McCain supporter, which is exactly what some of Clinton’s devotees are reportedly going to become.
In a study conducted by The Pew Research Center in February, 25 percent of Democrats who support Clinton would vote Republican for Sen. McCain in an election against Obama. They’ve even started the National Association of Hillary Clinton Supporters for John McCain, posting 1,115,274 visitors to their Web site since July 15.
None of this was supposed to happen. Clinton was the Democratic presidential dream. A woman with strength, knowledge, experience, compassion and determination. She offered freedom from the Iraq war, a reformed national health care system, a smart tax policy that wouldn’t cater to the rich and a balanced budget. She inspired women to demand more and protected their right to choose.
Apparently, there are several factors contributing to Obama’s choice of Biden over Clinton for his running mate. Matthew Burbank, chairman of the department of political science, believes an essential element was the personal relationship between the two candidates. He said a difficult dynamic that exists between Clinton and Obama is that both of them cannot be president.
“In terms of policy, there’s not a huge difference (between Clinton and Biden),” Burbank said. “There is some symbolic differences, though. This is already a historical ticket with the first African-American nominee for president. If Hillary Clinton had been chosen as the vice presidential candidate, that would have made it even more historic.”
While conceding to the complete loss of Clinton, one has to wonder just how much she played into the factors responsible for her not being chosen. Dedication to the position might have been the ultimate reason. Having only suspended her campaign might suggest she is waiting with futile optimism for some slipup by Obama so she can acquire his candidacy.
Being forced to face reality, many Democratic Americans don’t know who to vote for now. Extreme change is the primary goal needed for the United States to recover from the devastation of the past eight years. However, saying you can do it and actually achieving it are two separate feats.
Obama made a bad choice. Clinton might have to accept some of the fault, but still, Biden is the wrong man for the job. Oddly enough, McCain, with the support of some Democratic voters, should have had the advantage. All he needed to do was choose the right candidate for his running mate, and Obama would have kissed the presidency goodbye.
A McCain and Mitt Romney ticket would have given Republicans a good shot at the White House in November. Instead, McCain chose the unknown and inexperienced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Talk about a totally missed opportunity to capitalize. Now we are stuck with Obama or McCain8212;the running mates are a non-issue. We need to call for a do-over.
Alicia Williams