Malcolm, Albright Urge Female Voters To Get Behind Obama
Several of Hillary Clinton's most influential female supporters, urged members of the pro-choice, pro-female candidate group, EMILY'S List to overcome their grief over Clinton's loss and throw their support behind Barack Obama. There were tepid and then more sustained cheers.
Speaking at group's annual luncheon celebrating in Washington D.C., Ellen Malcolm, EMILY's List's founder and director, offered a highly personalized plea for Democratic unity, saying that the possibility of a John McCain presidency outweighed political grudges.
"I have been meandering my way through the various stages of grief: sadness, bargaining, anger, and my personal favorite dessert," she said to a crowd of approximately 900. "And so for the sake of my waistline as much less the sake of the party and country, I will follow Hillary Clinton and say it is time for the party to come together."
The crowd applauded. Later in the event, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, another Clinton supporter, declared that "we are all in one campaign now" and "the reality is that this year the Democratic Party produced not one but two candidates who are qualified to win in November." She was greeted with a more enthusiastic reception.
Throughout the primary, Malcolm had been one of the most outspoken supporters of Clinton's candidacy, often questioning whether female supporters could end up backing Obama. After Clinton bowed out of the primary race, she continued to express a sense of hesitation in supporting the Illinois Democrat before changing her tone in recent days.
"I spoke to Senator Obama on Friday and I told him I would do all I could to defeat John McCain," she told the crowd. "We are here today to begin the final stage of '08. This is the election we have been waiting for. The country is fed up with the policies set by George W. Bush and his allies in Congress. Voters want change. I want change. Do you want change?"
Outside the hall, many attendees said that they had come to grips with Clinton's loss and were willing to back Obama, a development that the Illinois Democrat is banking on to win the White House. But the process was long and difficult, they added, and it would take time for them to get over what they viewed as perceived slights, especially those that came at the hands of the media.
"The large majority of the mainstream media as well as on the blogs have been overwhelmingly sexist to the point of misogyny," said Sharon Gorseld, Executive Director of the DNC's Women's Leadership Forum. "There really needs to be an examination by the media, journalists, and owners of outlets. There needs to be a long term analysis and study of this problem and they can use Senator Clinton's campaign as a starting point."
To the disaffected crowd members, Malcolm commiserated. The event ended as it began, with efforts to rally the EMILY'S List crowd behind the Illinois Democrat.
"This was an extraordinary and somewhat astonishing nominating process," she said at the receptions onset. "I know that in this crowd there are Barack Obama supporters. I respect your choice and I understand the excitement you must feel by his historic victory. But for Emily's list and me personally, the choice was always clear. We wanted Hillary Clinton to be the next president. For those of us who supported Hillary this is a challenging time, one of many emotions. Hillary was a magnificent candidate."
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First Posted: 06-12-08 02:07 PM | Updated: 06-20-08 05:12 AM