One of Hillary's Most Ardent Supporters Changes her Mind; Will Support Obama

While writing Clinton in Exile: A President Out of the White House on Bill Clinton's post presidency, I interviewed 167 people. None of them seemed as passionately committed--in love with, really--Hillary Clinton as Susie Tompkins Buell, the ultra-wealthy San Franciscan who cofounded Esprit with her ex-husband. She has since remarried and, with her current husband, Mark Buell, became the closest of friends with the Clintons. (I have written about the Buells in my book and often on the Huffington Post.) Hillary threw Susie an engagement party in the White House, they overnighted in the Lincoln Bedroom; Mark is a golfing buddy of Bill's; they are really best friends--or as best friends as one can be with the Clintons--individually and as couples.

In numerous conversations and emails with Susie she has expressed extreme distaste for the Obama phenomenon. She would not commit to voting for Obama in November. She seemed to flirt with John McCain's surrogate Carly Fiorina.

She emailed me yesterday from Denver:

"It is very sorrowful here but H will move us forward. It will be very emotional tonight. So many thousands of grieving people but seems ... some resolve coming. The reality has set in. It will be up to O to heal the party."

She emailed me this morning shortly after eleven, Denver time, referring to Hillary's speech last night:

"Tears everywhere in the center. I think it opened healing wounds. Reminded people of why they voted for her in 1st place. She was beautiful, gracious and above herself. So presidential. [emphasis added] It is now up to O to bring us home on Thursday..."

Okay, I thought, she is not quite there; still dreaming of Hillary taking the oath of office this January 20.

I just received the defining email from Susie Buell, sent precisely 31 minutes later:

"Hillary has convinced me and I will follow. She has unified the party. I am with Hillary and I support Obama. We must defeat McCain...".

For more Huffington Post coverage of the Democratic National Convention, visit our Politics @ the DNC page, our Democratic Convention Big News Page, and our HuffPost bloggers' Twitter feed, live from Denver.

Comments

[saltysea]

YEA!!!! Thank you so much, and if it doesn't sound too cloying, a big warm welcome, too.

[jeanrenoir]

This is great news. I hope the other Hillary diehards will join the fight to change America and save the country from four more disastrously incompetent years under the Republicans.

[Bronxcutie]

This was an emotional election. If Sen. Obama was not the nominee, I would have been very sad, but I would have supported Hillary wholeheartedly. There is too much at stake! We HAVE to unite! The Republicans have no message and are going to try to swift boat again. NOT THIS TIME!

[serena1313]

Good! Iam glad that Ms Buell will be voting for Obama.

We must get our nation back on course and repair the damage done. Otherwise we may not have a country left to repair.

Like Bill Clinton said tonight: "But on the two great questions of this election, how to rebuild the American Dream and how to restore America's leadership in the world, he [John McCain] still embraces the extreme philosophy which has defined his party for more than 25 years, a philosophy we never had a real chance to see in action until 2001, when the Republicans finally gained control of both the White House and Congress. Then we saw what would happen to America if the policies they had talked about for decades were implemented."

And unfortunately it will take decades to repair the damage done in a short 8-years by the Bush administration !

[Frenchy9]

My apologizes again to the Clintons: Hilary was great yesterday, and today Bill did the same, in splendor!
I doubted it these last few weeks.
But, now, there can be no doubt!

Thanks, great thanks to them to overcome their sadness to have lost the primary they were so sure -like many people- to win and that they almost won, and join now the unexpected winner, and help him to finish the road to the White House.
I loved Bill and defended him all the time when eh was in the impeachment procedures. I understood he had to get a bit nasty in the present campaign. I am absolutely sure that he will recover the friendship and respect of Black America very soon, most probably just after tomorrow, where in the Stadium, someone will pay tribute to Bill's contribution to the minority rights struggle.

We will se the polls going up soon, and a big thank you will have to be given to Bill and Hill.

[wizened]

its about time. how a true democrat could seriously consider voting for McCain after the legacy of the last eight years is beyond my comprehension. Nice job Carol explicating this phenomenom for us over the past several weeks. I hope Ms. Buell's decision is reflective of the mood of the PUMAs generally.

[qwr]

The sense of entitlement is absolutely disgusting.

[QueenTiye]

Welcome home, Susie Tompkins Buell. You, and all the other Clinton supporters, were and are, always welcome.

QT

[Yola]

That's right! We need to united and kick some (McCAin) a$$!

[johnwinner]

We are coming out of Denver a unified front. No wonder the MSM is working so hard to divide us! But it won't work. Democrats are now united, and Obama is our next president.

[lennix]

we have to this thanks ms buell

[jhamm1]

OK. That's one down....

[fyi08]

Yahoo! Please tell her we are all so thrilled. We all have to work as hard as we can to get the country on the right path again.

[Sloane7]

I'm sure it's not easy, everyone invested emotion in their candidate. I knew from the beginning I would vote Democrat regardless and I hope everyone else will too.

For serious PUMAs, we need to just let them vote as they will. There are easier votes to get that are positive and enthusiastic for the future of the country.

[qwr]

I agree. It's their right to vote for McCain. PUMAs are like rural southern white males: unreachable and a waste of resources.

[BMS]

Excuse me. I live in North Carolina, and I know a lot of "rural southern white males" who are staunch supporters of Senator Obama, as am I. Your language is dismissive and divisive and uncalled for. I suppose you are only for party "unity" with people who look exactly like you? People only from your own geographic area?

Grow up.

Southern Woman for Obama from the beginning

[tel8034]

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