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.