These strong women are coming out in support of Barack Obama, such as Madeleine Albright, and Ellen Malcolm of EMILY's LIST. They acknowledged their grief over Senator Clinton's loss, and stated their determination to prevent the dangers of a McCain administration, which would roll back years of hard-fought women's rights.
Madeleine Albright and Ellen Malcolm Come Out In Strong Support Of Obama
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."
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"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.
"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."
Yes, many Clinton supporters are still in pain over their candidate's loss. They fought hard for Hillary as we Obama supporters did for Obama. They phonebanked, canvassed, and donated. They spent hundreds of hours volunteering for Senator Clinton, like Ellen Malcolm of EMILY's List, and Madeleine Albright who went on the stump for Senator Clinton.
They listened to Senator Clinton in the end when she asked them to ensure that her progressive ideals continue on in a Barack Obama administration, not a John McCain administration.
I grieved for three weeks when Howard Dean lost the nomination. I'd spent hours volunteering for Howard Dean in New Hampshire, working in any capacity I could to beat back the smears being peddled about him by the Kerry, Edwards, and Gephardt campaigns. I donated money I didn't have as a college student for Howard Dean. When he lost, I cried so hard that I felt like I had my dreams dashed. All that hard work gone for nothing. The thoughts of a Dean administration was gone.
It took me a full month to say that I'd vote for John Kerry. and it took me until the SwiftBoat smears came into play to actively volunteer for Kerry. I knew the dangers of another Bush administration, so I worked hard again, bucked my spirit up, and helped people get to the polls to vote.
I've faced many electoral disappointments. Al Gore. Howard Dean. John Kerry. Ned Lamont. Paul Wellstone, and many others. Yet, I still keeping on because there's always bound to be a single win, and as long as I have breath and heart left in my body, I'll work hard to make sure that Obama, not McCain, walks through the doors of the Oval Office in January 2009. I'll help Clinton campaign for Obama. I've already donated money to her campaign to help pay her debt down. We need her as much as we need her supporters. They matter to me.
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