In Bowing Out, Tomorrow, What Hillary Clinton Should Do to Meet the Standards Set by Hilary Rosen (II)

Several days ago, I suggested the 7 key elements of a speech (or in speeches and interviews) that Hillary Clinton should deliver that would have been healing, and catapulted Barack Obama to a double-digit lead nationally over John McCain. ("In Bowing Out, 7 Things Hillary Clinton Must Say to Meet the Standards Set by Hilary Rosen", May 31, 2008). Some took great umbrage over the notion that Hillary should go so far to recognize the position of the nominee and to help.

I do not fault Hillary for not immediately decompressing from a 17 month marathon, and her strong belief that she would make the better President even if she were not, by a small margin, the winning candidate. Kubler-Ross's "On Death and Dying" conveys the natural progression of human emotions to any substantial loss, of which this is an example.

Barack's supporters need to be at least as understanding of how disappointing this is for Hillary Clinton and her supporters as we expect Hillary to be magnanimous in rallying her troops to support the ticket.

Based upon some of the comments to my earlier article, I believe there is a need, in addition to the 7 things suggested, that Hillary Clinton should on Saturday "absolve" Barack Obama himself, as he deserves, from the sexism felt in the campaign, something like this: "yes, we still have a way to go in this country to relegate sexism, as we do for racism, to the ash heap of history, where they both belong. But, I think it is important for all women to recognize that, while others may have engaged in it, Barack Obama has always been gracious, respectful and dignified in this campaign, and did nothing to encourage whatever sexism reared its ugly head. And, for that, as well his personal friendship, I thank him, and so should you".

That is, it is easy for those supporting the person who did not win to associate the winner with whatever negative occurred during the contest. In this case, unless perfection is the standard, there is no reason to associate Barack Obama with sexism.

For his part Barack should acknowledge Hillary Clinton's disappointment, and that of her supporters, not just with a word or a sentence, but with a few well-drawn paragraphs. He also needs to let her completely off the hook publicly for her Tuesday speech, and for her overt VP activities.

Let the campaign to capture the Presidency, restore the country, and create a two-generation progressive movement begin.

Comments

[dawlishgal]

Coming together and moving on is easier said than done when the media voices behind "Team Recalcitrance," the ones who are most visible and vocal in their threats to vote for McCain, turn out to be personal friends of HC (instead of being the ordinary housewives we are told are moved to express their natural outrage) .

[altohone]

Right now, expectations should be lowered... and hope that Hillary can manage to beat those lowered expectations.

We'll see tonight, but my guess is raising the bar will lead to dashed hopes.

If only cynicism wasn't justified.

[kira181]

I think the safest thing for her to do is plead laryngitis and just play videos of past Democratic primary candidates conceding. She can just point and mime, "What they said. And did. And wore. Exactly."

[dawlishgal]

LOL.

[SeriousBlack]

Well, if you think that Hillary will ever explicitly let Obama off the hook with respect to the sexism charges, and actually state the things you said, you're living in a dream world. And despite what Hillary supporters might think, it gives me no joy to have to say that. It is simply reality.

And as to her EVER fulfilling all 7 of your previous items plus this one, good luck with that.

[LizM]

I guess this campaign wasn't really about the American people and moving the country forward, like the candidates said...it was really all about the two historic candidates, all along. Surprise, surprise. Good luck in November.

[ChescoMom]

Um, read the article to the VERY LAST sentence next time. Thanks.

[LizM]

The last sentence? Y'all pretty much gave up on that around about the time that the last caucus was wrapped up in Iowa...as I recall...

[Susanfrom29]

Since she has consistently worked to delegitimize every victory that Barack Obama has achieved, what in the world makes you even dream that she would do something so gracious?

[WarriorLemming]

Paul Abrams Quote:
"Barack's supporters need to be at least as understanding of how disappointing this is for Hillary Clinton and her supporters as we expect Hillary to be magnanimous in rallying her troops to support the ticket."

I gotta see "magnanimous" first else all bets are off. I don't believe Clinton has the grace or refinement for such a lofty goal.

[Johnnn]

Very optimistic article. That one speech by Hillary tomorrow could catapult Obama to a doubledigit national lead...it'll take more than that. And it would be premature for Hillary to actually endorse tomorrow, two and a half months before the convention.

[myskylark]

Obama has to make it very clear that the Clinton's and Harold Ninety percent of the Affrican-American community willingly joined in that series of slanderous insults, and deserted old their old friends and allies in the interest of identity politics.

I don't mind that 92% of African-American voters voted for Obama. I do mind that they felt it necessary to salve their consciences by attacking the Clinton campaign as racially divisive. For God's sake, Harold Ickes was almost murdered by a white mob in Mississippi where he was fighting for African-American civil rights. He was beaten almost to the point of death.

Hillary Clinton won half the votes cast in this Democratic primary season, and she deserves to be acknowledged for that historic achievement..

I'm waiting to hear reaching out to the Clinton's during the campaign and at the convention. Unless I do, I will not vote for Obama. Hillary Clinton was our historic candidate, and there is no denying that she was badly treated by press and party.

I'll be watching.

[Heika]

Please look up the latest Pew report about the candidates' treatment by the media. It does not support this relentless complaint, all facts to the contrary, that Clinton or her campaign were poorly served by the media, or more to the point, that HIllary was treated any worse than Barack. It particularly does not confirm a general pattern of "slanderous insults." This whole "We'll fix you, we'll vote for McCain ( or just won't vote" )is mind boggling in its stupidity, or isn't what the Bush administration has done bad enough for you. You'd prefer four more years perhaps so that the country can move closer to disaster?
What perhaps matters more to your position is that you make your candidate look as if she stirred up long-standing personal resentments to win her campaign and now even she can't tamp them down.

[dawlishgal]

You should have been watching and listening Tuesday night when Obama did exactly what you are demanding that he do.

To bring up the 92% of African Americans who voted for Obama and compare it to the lesser percent of whites who voted for Hillary ignores her character issues and is a racism-based comparison of apples and oranges. African-Americans have been voting primarily for white candidates ever since they got the vote, and they have rarely tried to blame the relative unavailability of black candidates on racism.

The blacks now have a black man they can take pride in voting for. We whites don't have that luxury when it comes to voting for a white...not since Hillary started her destructive and divisive campaign , but we can be proud of voting for a black man who came up the hard way....from the bottom to the top. Obama didn't make it up that Hillary said, 'hardworking Americans, WHITE Americans."

It is right there on the tape, and Obama supporters had nothing to make up regarding her race baiting....it was all there, right out in the open.

[usedtowander]

Obama may not have personally engaged in sexism, but neither did he attempt, at all, to suppress it when his campaign and close surrogates engaged in it full out.

HRC may say it, but if she does nobody will believe it and she'll lose credibility.

[dawlishgal]

"FULL OUT"....you must be kidding. Obama has been nothing if not respectful of Hillary. I didn't him say that a woman would not be an effective leader. EVER. Hillary was the one who proved THAT, with her own behavior, including that of filling the heads of her supporters with paranoid fantasies.

[erykah]

BUll. Obama's camp never engaged in sexism. Funny that none of you acknowledge the racism the Clinton camp indulged in. Please. She is not a victim. And she should have been more gracious than she was on Tuesday. Remember, she i the one with the 35 years of experience She knows the ropes.

[BigBen]

Should she absolve him from the racism that garnered him 99% of black votes?

[AuntSam]

No more than her for the millions of votes she received simply because of her gender.
Do you really think all these 'angry women' based their votes on factual data from her history (both personal and professional)?
It is ludicrous for any to blame sexism for her loss when it is because of her gender that she garnered most of her votes. Unfortunately she didn't share Obama's stance, "If I lose it won't be because of my race, but because I failed to deliver my message." (And I am a middle-aged white woman who didn't cast my vote based on gender or race.)

[SanityClaus]

One credible example, please?

[SeriousBlack]

"his campaign and close surrogates engaged in it full out."

Bull.

"HRC may say it"

Bull. It would mean that she would be contradicting herself (which a Clinton never ever does) and she would be giving up one of the several things that she is blaming her loss on (i.e., other than her just waging a poor campaign and using dirty Republican tactics), therefore not enabling her to play the victim any more.

[happytrails]

My bet is that Clinton will do one of two things tomorrow:

1. She will say that she is happy to have Obama as her running mate.
OR
2. She will ask for a new primary election in all 50 states, plus PR, to prove that she won.

[WarriorLemming]

I go along with you on that, happytrails lol

[BigBen]

Don't you mean 58 states?

[rnb]

It's time to recognize that these remarks only push Hillary (and more likely since she is not reading them, her supporters) into a corner. Obama has sewn up the nomination, and as the backers of the winning candidate, we need to be as gracious as he is, and make it easy for her supporters to want to join us, not give them reason to question what we have in common.

There's really no purpose whatsoever served in harping on her any further.

[dawlishgal]

As long as she has her friends out there appearing in the MSM trying to solicit people to sign petitions that they will vote for McCain, it doesn't matter what kind of conciliatory remarks she makes today. She has to call off her pitbulls (and stop pretending that they are representative of women in general). Until she does that, why should people believe anything she says? She now wants it both ways...to continue to sabotage the Obama campaign any way she can AND to be regarded as presidential, ie. a good sport and a real Democrat (and a decent person).

[generationyes]

I say an emphatic YES to the second demand. But only if her name is not on the ballot(s).

[patmancando]

Typical Obamination comment. This is really the way to win! I have never seen such poor losers!

[SanityClaus]

You appear to be lost.

[SeriousBlack]

Oh foolish us - being suspicious after her not conceding Tuesday night and in fact delivering a speech designed to steal his thunder. As opposed to conceding like anyone else would have done, and like every other nomination candidate that's ever lost when the winner has achieved the required number of delegates.

Yep, excuuuuuuuuuuuse us for being suspicious.