Long-time readers will instinctively know how I feel about the whole unity tour going on right now in Unity, NH- it makes me want to barf, as platitudes like this often do. However, for those of you, who, like me, thought that the joint Obama/Clinton appearance today was most likely going to be a kiss on the lips with no tongue, you are in for a rude awakening. Clinton and Obama are both pretty damned fired up, and seem about as united as is humanly possible with clothes on (sorry for the imagery).
At any rate, a couple quick notes:
1.) I simply still do not know how Hillary does it. I really don’t. She is standing there, nodding, clapping, looking like she is actually enjoying herself, and I simply wish I had 1/10th her drive and toughness. Whatever you think about Hillary, and I have had some harsh words, her drive is just amazing.
2.) Obama had a line about women not being held back by anything after Hillary’s campaign, and that women can do it better than men and in high heels. This reminded me of the old quip about Ginger Rogers, who, as the saying goes, did everything Fred Astaire did but did it backwards while in heels. Always love that line.
3.) You will be happy to know there was a DFH sighting on the MSNBC coverage. Standing prominently is a long-haired beareded red-headed guy wearing a tie-dye.
4.) I would hope this would put all the stupid damned stories about the divided camps behind us, but I really doubt it.
zzyzx
Obama took a few weeks quasi-off after winning the primary and I’m really grateful for that. He should have a lot more energy for the homestretch as a result.
The one thing about the primary is that that was such a difficult task in terms of constantly traveling and giving 3 speeches a day that the general might feel like a vacation.
Mr Furious
DFH?
OriGuy
This is probably going to trigger some manufactured outrage about “plagarism”, once the punditry figure out who’s been plagarized.
Wilfred
“For 2300 me love you long time”
Just Some Fuckhead
I thought it was a nice rally. HRC, by all accounts, is a personably warm and gracious ally. It’s when she isn’t your ally that you need to cup yer nutz. I need to find that one quote she made about supporting Obama and defeating Republicans as a ready-made response for the Clinton dead-enders. It won’t change their mind but it will cause them to back off in revulsion, whispering “my precious, my precious..”
protected static
Mr. Furious: DFH = Dirty Fucking Hippy
Chuck Butcher
Hillary is a pro, think on her career, lawyer, First Lady, Senator, author. I’d bet that if she found it to her advantage she could stand next to the devil and make nice. That’s not a criticism.
Properly used she should be a heck of an asset. WJC also, but more care required.
rob!
MSNBC had a two strategists on to talk about the event, one Dem, and, in some sad attempt to seem fair, one Republican.
the Republican of course went on and on about the PUMAs, Obama “weakness as a general election candidate” (which means McCain is what, since Obama is wiping the floor with him), blah blah blah.
my father was/is a lifelong Republican, but he hated Bush so much he voted for Kerry in 2004, and has an Obama magnet on his car. he has come around to being a lot closer to me, politically (thanks, Dubya!).
somehow, though, my (half)brother missed the train, and he’s a die-hard, Bush-lovin’ Republican.
the guy on MSNBC reminded me of him–giant fat head, staring off in the middle distance, flop sweat starting to show as he realizes he bet on the wrong horse.
Neal
More care, an occasional muzzle, and a little valium.
jnfr
Well it was a great rally, but you’re right that the talking heads switched back immediately to the whole PUMA phenomenon and how the Dems are fractured and in trouble already. Plus: Reagan Democrats love McCain so Obama will lose.
Really they’re so predictable.
MobiusKlein
Hey, Tie-Dyes rock!
The world needs more tie-dye shirts, socks, skirts, and all.
But I’m just a DFH in SF
Random Asshole
Want to put the “divided” stories behind us? Get Glenn and Keith to stop bickering like children. That’d be a good start.
Genine
If he really did mention high heels, I can see some crying “misogyny” (he was condescending or dismissive or women
Mwangangi
I want her smiling coach. It looks so unforced and natural. She is definitely a pro.
qwerty42
Yeah, I think they are both doing what they need to do and (frankly) what each would do if the roles were reversed. They do not have substantial policy differences and I certainly felt either one was more than up to the job. I feel each would quite genuinely (and unreservedly) support the other. I’d certainly prefer Hillz not be on the ticket, but if BHO wants her on, well, hell, it’s his call. Anything to get rid of what has been described thusly:
“The Republican Party is a dead rotting carcass with a few decrepit old leaders stumbling around like zombies in a horror version of Weekend With Bernie, handcuffed to a corpse.”
Novak, quoting Larry Hunter, yesterday.
Joshua Norton
Speaking of “unity”. David (send me a hooker) Vitter and Larry (hey dude, your stall or mine?) Craig are teaming up to write a new “Defense of Marriage” amendment to the Constitution. This is not an article from the “Onion”.
Words fail…..
Loquacious Mute
Great speeches by both. I can imgaine it irked the hell out of McCreepy & his band of merry Neorepublicons.
Loved the line that ‘Bush and McCreepy are the same side of the coin and together that does not make much change.’
I just muted the sound when the so-called Repug strategist started speaking, because what if anything new have they brought to the debate. Their TP are as boring and tired as their candidate. Have you noticed lately that some of the dem strategists seems a bit weak also? Is that because they are trying to balance out how weak the other side’s are and worry that it will look too lopsided.
Neal
OMFG.
That’s all I got.
joe
I’m with zzyzx. Obama just looked tired by the end of the primary campaign. He was definitely not as sharp as he should have been at that last debate.
And I second John: Hillary is a Terminator. Nobody gets back up after the beating she took in February and March. Nobody except her.
I want THAT going toe to toe with McConnell and Cornyn.
Asinistra
“I simply wish I had 1/10th her drive and toughness. Whatever you think about Hillary, and I have had some harsh words, her drive is just amazing.”
Amen, brother.
Xanthippas
Why? That’s totally hot.
zzyzx
And then the corner weighs in:
She’s right. She is crazy.
kate r
Bill in talks with McCain? On which planet?
Of course this is a world in which Vitter and Craig are out are trying to Save Our Straight Marriages, so anything is possible.
smiley
That was what Rush was on about today also and that’s the right-wing meme we’ll be hearing over the next few days.
zzyzx
Mind you, this is the same person who thought that Santorum would win, even when he was polling 20 points down on election day.
Zuzu's Petals
Not unless they want to describe Ann Richards – who originally said it – condescending or dismissive.
As to HRC, good for her. She is smart, talented, and competent and will make a first-rate campaigner. I’m hoping she puts a LOT of focus on energizing her supporters for the Obama campign now.
Zuzu's Petals
Yeah, ’cause they said the same thing about McCain campaigning for GWB in 2000. Oh, they didn’t?
DRD 1812
An apt analogy. Here is an earlier take on it.
cleek
the fucking idiots at h44 are calling it “Hillary Held Hostage”.
Dennis - SGMM
It was heartening to see Hillary so poised and to see her going after McCain. The “two sides of the same coin” shot was very good. If she goes after McCain as enthusiastically as I think she will, Obama will not have to use his VP in the usual attack dog role. Brilliant.
Tom65
The Bitters over at Agent Flowbee’s place are convinced that the birth certificate and Rezko “scandals” will put HRC on the ballot before the convention.
I love that place.
Alaskan Pete
I’m with you Tom65, it’s pretty entertaining over there…in a train wreck sort of way. So much collective hatred and ignorance, basically freeperville for Hillary supporters.
ThymeZone
I think we have some unity, but we also have some complete idiocy. Just today on the XM POTUS channel was a story about a Yahoo tracking poll, and the moderator of the thing said that several respondents had basically said, when asked about Obama ….
“There is no way I am voting for an Arab for president.”
I am not making this up. The respondents were apparently HRC supporters who were being asked why they were not ready to get behind the presumptive nominee.
There is a lot of stupid out there. A lot. I say again, the remedy is to OUTNUMBER THEM at the polls. Please keep that in mind as we go forward.
Ted
After those 8 years with Bill, and they STILL haven’t figured out just how much the guy hates Republicans?
ThymeZone
That’s right, Hillary’s sniper war story was the very essence of sharpitude. The woman is just incredible, she can lie like a rug in high heels. Amazing. Ready on Day One! Experienced! Obliterate Iran! Sharp!
Give me a fucking break. The fact that she wouldn’t quit doesn’t make her admirable per se. It just made her look obsessed. I really don’t need another obsessed president, thanks anyway.
Dreggas
I have to say, watching the rally, (have today off) it was damn good and both looked relaxed with no tension. It was needed and was a good step in the right direction. The pundits were annoying but what was amusing was how they were saying that Bill was more miffed and Hill was over it. So while Bill is being childish Hill is showing some of the resolve and character (which appeared genuine today) that even reminds me that she has some real good qualities and will be a big help to O.
As for the tye-dye, those are deadheads for obama t-shirts. They have the steal-your-face with the Obama logo in the top of it, pretty freakin cool.
Zifnab
Me too. Of course, it would be nice to know she’s not on their team half the time.
Tom65
Oh no – he’s squeezing her hand!!
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/POLITICS/06/27/clinton.obama/t1home.dem.unity.ap.jpg
See? That proves he’s some kind of secret Muslim wife-beater!
MBunge
“She is standing there, nodding, clapping, looking like she is actually enjoying herself, and I simply wish I had 1/10th her drive and toughness. Whatever you think about Hillary, and I have had some harsh words, her drive is just amazing.”
The problem is that Hillary’s toughness and drive are just as much the product of what’s wrong with her as they are admirable qualities. It’s not that hard to keep going in the face of adversity when you are totally unwilling or incapable of self-awareness or self-reflection.
Mike
Wilfred
This is pathetic dreck. I don’t need anything from the Clintons except a forwarding address I can throw in the garbage. Obama is becoming a bit of a joke.
Genine
Oh, I know who said it. I was trying to be droll. And, hopefully, no one would say it was sexist or whatever. But I have heard some stupid, idiotic, crack-induced claims of sexism and misogyny over the last few months (the “periodically” business being the least of it), so I am a bit cynical. But I need to recover and put such idiots behind me.
I do admire Hillary’s class in all this. Its kind of sad in a way. If she had shown a bit more of what we’re seeing now, I might have been inclined to support her. I WAS inclined to support her and then her post Super-Tuesday campaign happened.
Anyway, great going, Hillary! :)
DRD 1812
.
Obama is trying to get elected president. Let me know what you have to say and do next time you do the same.
naked lunch
Give me a fucking break. The fact that she wouldn’t quit doesn’t make her admirable per se. It just made her look obsessed. I really don’t need another obsessed president, thanks anyway.
Ahh, you poor baby!
b-psycho
Does Hillary even wear high heels?
I know Michelle does. And skirts too. I thank her for that.
At first as part of my philosophy of deriving little more than entertainment value from mainstream politics, I wanted Obama to get the nomination so he could pick Bill Richardson for veep & make Dave Chappelle look like a prophet. Now I want him to win so I can see in my lifetime a first lady about whom me and a lot of other guys could conceivably say “yeah, I’d hit that”.
mapaghimagsik
Senator Clinton fought hard — longer than seemed rational to be sure, and her fighting hard caused me a few headaches.
But, I’ll take that over the capitulations of the Dems in congress any day.
And, having said that, I look forward to seeing when and if Senator Clinton *will* fight that hard in the Senate for legislation that needs it.
But only Feingold seems to be fighting that “irrationally hard” in the Senate.
ThymeZone
Just when you think you seen the limits of teh stupid around here.
Hillary IS a “Dem in congress.” WTF?
Better spoof, please.
D-Chance.
“Racist!”
“Neanderthal!”
“Bigot!”
“Misogynist!”
“Klansman!”
“Knuckle-dragger!”
“Love me?”
“Take off those clothes, you black stallion!”
/orgy in Unity…
And they say pro-wrestling is all fakery. John Cena and HHH, meet Hillary and Obama. H&O, meet the WWE.
But, hey, it was a good show; and the
marksrubes bought it, so WIN.Jess
They both looked great. Especially Hillary. I like how the mike picked up them joking around after Hillary’s speech–she said she’d sit on the stool Obama had just vacated, and he said “don’t fall over backwards now!” and they both cracked up. They were friendly before the primaries, and it seems they’ve gotten back to that, which is nice for all of us. Well, not for the GOP, I guess…
mrmobi
Well, I watched the beginning of the Magical Unity Tour, and it sure looked genuine to me.
I think that Democrats forget that, for all his flaws, Bill Clinton is the only two term Democratic President in a long time. Especially during these trying economic times, I feel nostalgic about having a leader who could, among other things, form a thought and advocate for a policy that wasn’t strictly based on thoroughly fucking the Constitution and the American People. I wasn’t very happy with some of the things Hillary did during the campaign, but I must say I’m also less than pleased with Obama’s performance in the past two weeks. It’s good to see them pulling this together.
Love her or hate her, I agree with John, Hillary is pretty amazing, and I mean that in the best way.
I heard Chuck Hagel on XM-POTUS yesterday talking about foreign policy. He sounded like a Democratic Secretary of State. I know he’s quite the right-winger, but I like him. He helps me to remember that there are some decent Republicans.
Not many, but a few.
Brachiator
The sad thing is that Hillary is showing far more class than some of her supporters, and possibly more class than her husband.
Discussions on the Rachel Maddow show suggest that in the pre-Unity Meet-n-Greet, some Clinton supporters refused to bring their checkbook, but were deliriously happy when Obama wrote a $2300 check to the Clinton campaign. I kept thinking that these Angry Clintonites are taking food out of the mouths of the Obama kids to satisfy their desire to see Obama make a symbolic gesture to help a woman who is worth in the neighborhood of $109 million.
The off-the-record discussions are that the most stubbornly angry Clinton maenads are upset that Obama did not interrupt his own campaigning to formally object to the way that the sexist media were dissing Her Divine Ms Inevitable. They are also angry at Pelosi and Dean.
What bothers me about this is that the Clintonistas admit that Obama himself was not sexist, but insist that he had some special obligation to help Hillary with all his heart and all his might even as he campaigned against her. What also bothers me is the implication that Hillary is She Who is Without Sin, because apparently her campaign never, never, ever, said or did anything that could ever be seen as being disrespectful of Obama, and that Obama was wrong, wrong, wrong (as were his supporters) to ever interpret anything that came from the Clinton campaign as negative, racist or a diss of any kind. Hence, Obama is responsible for all the sexism that has ever existed, while Hillary is as pure as the driven snow.
Worst of all, there is no hint that there is anything that Obama could do to prove his worth to these Clinton loyalists, short of giving up the nomination.
There are also suggestions that Bill Clinton is insisting that Obama pay off the entirety of the Clinton campaign debt as a condition for the former president’s support. This may also the the payment required for Obama to be able to select someone other than Hillary as his VP.
Unity does not come cheap. And the self-important delusions of the most noxious Clinton supporters is beginning to wear on my nerves.
EL
John, I wish you’d put up a “unity” type donation link for Hillary. I think it would help with unity among some of her supporters to see money to retire her debt coming from Obama supporters. If you put it up, I promise to donate. (and yes, I’ll max out to Obama as well.)
ThymeZone
What kind of fucking comment is that?
Nobody cares, actually, but just remember that I can do anything you can do, do it better, and do it in heels.
Notorious P.A.T.
I look forward to the New England Patriots signing a few women offensive tackles to block for Tom Brady.
Notorious P.A.T.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_war
Notorious P.A.T.
Yeah! That’d be like Bill going on the Rush Limbaugh show!
Broadway Carl
4.) I would hope this would put all the stupid damned stories about the divided camps behind us, but I really doubt it.
They’ll drag this story on and on. Hell, they still recycle the Hillary VP story every few days.
HRA
I watched the Unity appearance today. They looked comfortable with each other and it was good to see. I have to admit Hillary amazes me now and I do admire her personality and grit.
Re: Bill and McCain – I would not be surprised.
I believe it was Howard Feineman who reported about the Clinton and Obama donor’s meeting in DC last night. Some Clinton donors want her delegates to be seated and heard at the convention. The Obama campaign said no. IOW it seems that they are still trying for a brokered convention.
Those Clinton supporters who will not support Obama or will support McCain makes me think they were not true Hillary (Dems) supporters at all. I still believe they were other party members. MSNBC had one of them on before or after the Unity event and it was too trying to watch her so I left the room. I do think it’s not about voting for a woman with some of these women. I think it’s a race issue with them.
Genine
That’s on-the-record at a number of blogs. I am so sick of hearing about how Obama didn’t speak out against the sexism directed at Hillary. Yes, it would have been nice and I might be inclined empathize with their anger if Hillary spoke out against the racism. Hell, she even went on to say that racism didn’t play a factor in the campaign and that sexism is worse than racism. I hate Oppression Olympic games.
If you’re going to be mad at one for doing one, its only fair to be mad at the other for doing the same damn thing. Otherwise, its all bullshit.
wobbly
And a couple of weeks ago you were all over her pant suits and fat ass…
The salient point here is “YOU don’t know how she does it.”
You don’t. I do.
I’ve done it for years and years. A female has to be twice as good to get half as far and she has has to look great while she does it…
Yeah, I’ve done it myself, at a far lower level.
It does work.
Michael57
According to local media, only about 5 PUMA types were protesting at Unity. That’s a pretty small turnout out of 18 million or whatever (chuckle).
dasher
What wobbly said.
I’ve had three different careers, each in a male-dominated field. Many, many times I have been the only female in the room, fighting to be taken seriously and praying I won’t be asked to take the notes.
I know how she does it and just what it takes.
I also have a long memory.
Ming
How does Hillary do it? The answer is simple. There is nothing else in her life. She wants the Vice Presidency. Period. When you have no life, it’s easy to look “tenacious”.
Ming
Obama is self-confident, and this self-confidence is thoroughly well-earned. He is a great person and a fine politician. I am concerned, nevertheless, that he may be overconfident when it comes to dealing with the Clintons. I am afraid that in dealing with the Clintons, Obama is leaving the realm of politics, and entering the realm of abnormal psychology. He may be in over his head. Bill Clinton has not aged well, and Hillary was never that bright to begin with. Obama is dealing with two people who may yet surprise even him. Be careful out there!