Clinton-Obama/Obama-Clinton: We Need Them Both to Win
The Democratic race is too close to call. It is entirely possible that the losing candidate will be supported by 49% of the voters and the delegates. It is also possible that one candidate could win the popular vote but lose the delegate contest. Amidst all this uncertainty, one thing is clear: the candidate who wins will win by a nose.
Some believe that the fight between Clinton and Obama has hurt Democrats. They are dead wrong. This is the best thing to happen to the Democratic Party in a long time.
Voter turnout and engagement is up virtually everywhere. People who have never been politically involved before -- especially the many women and African Americans who feel a strong sense of connection to the candidates -- are excited.
It has been too many years since Democrats have been wildly passionate about whom they want to win the nomination. We have a good thing going, and we need to keep it going through November. We need to keep it going all the way to the White House.
By including both amazing candidates, we will have a ticket that won 100% of the vote -- not one who received less than half. A Dream Team ticket will recognize the hopes of the millions of primary voters who have expressed themselves over the past fifteen months.
As the race gets more intense and the candidates get closer to that invisible finish line, their supporters will raise their voices in frustration. Gallup has been reporting that 18% of Obama supporters and 28% of Clinton supporters will vote Republican if their candidate is not on the ticket.
I hear this every day. Democrats cannot afford to lose these voters, and I want to do something about it.
As the nation geared up for the 2004 election, I saw Hillary's potential and wanted her to run in the worst way. I founded the Draft Hillary for President Committee in 2003 and launched an Internet campaign in support of her candidacy. One hundred thousand voters signed a petition.
We saw what she could do for our country. We thought it was her time. I tried everything I could to convince her to run then, but she kept her promise to New Yorkers and filled out her first term in the Senate. I still believe if she had run, she would have won.
That's one reason I went to work for Hillary in 2004. My experience working with her showed me how driven she is to work for the change we so desperately need. I saw Hillary invest her time, considerable experience, and the resources of her only she can bring to bear help others. And so I invested several years of my life to help her help others. We have seen millions of her supporters share my assessment. We have been waiting for her to run for a long time.
Barack Obama is a remarkably talented leader, a dramatic newcomer to the national scene and the kind of candidate who gives us faith that our better angels can prevail. He has instilled in his supporters an evangelistic zeal that has propelled him from Senate newcomer to political powerhouse ready for prime time.
This is why I launched VoteBoth.com a few weeks ago. Originally my goal was to have a place for Clinton-Obama supporters (in that order) to organize. But over the last few weeks, even as I have watched Hillary win most of the recent contests, I have talked with Obama supporters who talk about a Obama-Clinton ticket. And they're right, too.
So, I decided to re-launch the website. Last Friday I re-filed with the FEC and created a new site so that there is a place for all voters who support a Democratic unity ticket to come together, to voice their opinions, and be heard by party leaders and pundits. Some vocal voters and party leaders continue to declare their support for a joint ticket, only to be dismissed by the chattering classes. While the Time magazine cover loudly declares, "There Can Only Be One," we know it has to be both.
VoteBoth does not aim to pick who leads the ticket. The popular vote, the delegates and the leaders of our party do that. When the top of the ticket has been selected, however, it will be up to us to support the candidate who lost the nomination by less than one percent of the vote.
My friends believe in Barack as strongly as I and others believe in Hillary, so as a matter of fairness, practicality, experience, and hope, I invite you to join the thousands of supporters of a unity ticket here at VoteBoth.com.
Together, we will energize our Party and bring two of our great leaders together to take back the White House for all of America.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
SHe's better off becoming the next-gen Teddy Kennedy in the senate!
BTW, it's not at all obvious that VoteBoth is a Clinton organization. Nothing wrong with that just PLEASE don;t think we are so stupid.
I'm late to the party like you are Adam. Checked your bio and my, my. Lots of Clinton boosting going on there.
She needs to run as a Republican. That's the kind of campaign she's been putting on. It sure wasn't a Democratic one. No thanks about them running together. I can't balance in my head having a liar and fraud on a ticket with a decent human being.
Personally, even half a world away, i only need to see the occasional images of Hillary i've seen to know in my heart that, if i were Obama, there is no way i would that woman as my running mate. I mean just look at the gaping eyes and mouth she flashes in almost ever photo op: http://ima
Count Michigan and Florida, and then see who is ahead. Forida was an absolutely fair election that the Republicans moved forward, not the Democrats. And in Michigan, Mr. Obama took his own name off the ballot, which it had been on, so it should also be considered a fair election. Neither the voters nor the candidates did anything against the party rules, and neither should be held hostage by others' stupidity.
Florida was not a fair election by any means. Many people stayed home. If you were told that your vote was not going to count, would you rush to the voting booth. I think not.
Fair is a revote, which is just what the Clintons don't want.
You are making it up as you go. The Clintons agreed before the primaries that the votes would not count, so quit whining.
Adam writes: We Need Them Both to Win
===
No, we don't.
I couldn't agree more. This truly would be a dream ticket. And thanks for being one of the few people left on Huffington Post to not slam Hillary. Half the country supports her.
Half the country supports her? Uhm, not really. A huge number of her votes are Limbaugh votes. And most of the rest are Bill votes. A very small number are true Hillary votes. And no Republican (the other half of the country) supports her.
She can't be on the ticket because she chose not to be when she said things she couldn't take back (like saying John McCain is a better candidate than Barack). She can't be on the ticket because she chose to disallow it.
And she is the polar opposite of the fresh image he is trying to project. The Bush/Clinton regime is done, and the presence of her name on the ticket would be toxic.
Democrats aren't Republicans; there isn't the blind-faith "take one for the team" mentality. People aren't voting "democrat-
If he puts her on the ticket, I WILL NOT vote for him... I WILL NOT! This is not about OBAMA, this is about a movement. TRUTH and INTEGRITY are important. To allow her on the ticket sells out the message and means that it was all politics as usual. I cannot and will not support that.
Sen. Obama, select a VP we can all trust.
This article presupposes that Hillary would take the #2 slot. Mr. Parkhomenko, you know as well as anyone that Hillary aint' nobody's Vice President. She's already been president. Moreover, she can't do much for Obama with white blue-collared voters. Sam Nunn would be a much wiser pick on that front. Choosing a running mate is tricky business. Foisting two rivals onto each other is a bad idea. We do not want to have two lead singers vying for center stage and playing tug-of-war with the microphone. Time heals all. Be patient folks.
The dream ticket would be the stupidest thing the Democrats could do. So I wouldn't rule it out. After doing EVERYTHING wrong since the mid-terms, this would be the icing on the cake.
Not. Gonna. Happen. Besides, the race is NOT too close to call. Obama has an insurmountable lead and he will have all the delegates necessary within the coming few weeks. It does nothing but hurt the Democratic party to keep perpetuating the myth that the race is to close to call, it's still a horse race, Clinton could still win, etc. ad nauseum. The race was over after Pennsylvania, when Hillary failed to get the 60% plus voter backing she needs in EVERY contest to show viability. With every passing contest, Hillary needs a higher and higher percentage to catch up to, much less surpass Obama, and since it hasn't happened through 44+ contests so far, it isn't going to happen now. Face it. Most voters don't want her in the office.
HuffPost's Pick
People need to accept reality here. As much as you may be an Obama supporter you need to accept that Hillary is so close in the popular vote and the delegate count that the vast majority of Voters want to see her on the ticket.
First thing that needs to be done is to stop demanding that Hillary drop out unless she looses both NC and IN.
The way I see it is when August comes around, if Obama is the nominee and i think thats about 96% likely, he can say to all the nay sayers. "look at what I just went through. You don't think i'm strong? My opponent tried every possible tactic to beat me to this nomination and I still came out on top."
The more Obama endures and has to overcome to reach the nomination the stronger a candidate he will be.
Second. Assuming Obama wins the nomination, for all of Hillary's faults and whatever you may think of her, I believe 100% that she will be Obama's second biggest cheer leader come this fall (I'm giving Michelle the top spot)
Hillary is not wrecking the party by staying in the race, she is making Obama a stronger candidate.
pick or not... I don't believe any of this... thanks anyhow for trying to spin.
Hillary and Bill - putting the "nasty" in Dynasty since 1992
i have often had a gut feeling that this is what's going on.
She is baiting him to make him stronger..
As expected the dream ticket conversation resurfaces. This discussion is already going on behind the scenes. Obviously the Clintons want a Clinton/Obama ticket (they know she will have absolutely no chance without him.) But she is willing to settle for the second spot and she isn’t going to go away quietly without it. Dream ticket? Yeah if you are a republican!
Clinton has lost and needs to accept it and explain it to her supporters. Obama would be a fool to put her on the ticket. Stop this nightmare now.
From Bio:
"From 2003-2008 Adam Parkhomenko worked for Senator Clinton’s campaign committees: Friends of Hillary, HILLPAC and Hillary Clinton for President. Previously he founded the Draft Hillary Clinton for President Committee in 2003 which gathered over 100,000 signatures to urge Senator Clinton to run for President.
Hey Fan-Boy,
Your so-called "Dream" ticket makes me want to hurl. Senator McSame hasn't announced a running mate yet. With all the love Hillary's been getting from the GOP of late, why not switch teams? I know I'm not the only one tired of her BS.
OBAMA / NOT-HILLARY 08
Ditto. After every nasty thing she has said, after spending weeks race-baiting and calling Obama supporters stupid and, in the last ten days, suggesting Obama has no balls, Clinton supporters have a lot of gall even suggesting this. What a joke.
Sorry Hill, you should have been nicer when you had the chance.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
