so she lost because of a "glass ceiling"???? no, she ran an inferior campaign: sexism has nothing to do with it

You couldn't just update the already ongoing thread Greg? I mean, it's a great line filled with legitimate symbolism, but does it deserve it's very own thread?

Wake me if she says, "FU Cheney!"

A tremendous speech

Let's hope McBush spends lots of what little money they have on Joe Lieberman and other efforts to recruit dems

As someone who has hectored Hillary a lot on this site (seen by many of you as a Hillary disliker but not a "hater" I hope), my hat is truly off to her today. This was a terrific speech. It was beautifully written and well delivered.

Her endorsement of Obama appeared sincere and whole-hearted. He could not have written it better himself.

So I hereby put aside my venom for the indefinite future. Thank you, Hillary.

I wish she had hit on McCain. The whole enemy of my enemy thing would go a long way to pull those remaining holdouts around.

Random reactions.

--Generally gracious, professional and well-played

-- Hers' was a ground-breaking (or ceiling cracking) campaign. No doubt about it. Her sacrifice will benefit a woman who is probably right now climbing the ladder who will one day be president. But it will not, should not, be her. Her flaws disqualify her for this office, but certainly not for another, including Supreme Court.

-- She'll be part of this campaign, one way or another.

Back to the Senate,yes. There is still much work to be done and we need her. As for mending fences with her fellow senators I rather think not.

With few exceptions she owes them nothing, and I suspect that she has a long memory. What goes around usually comes around and pay backs may be a bitch for some of them.

Personally I can't wait.

I don't think there's anything wrong about Hillary talking to her supporters about her campaign, the themes, the milestones, etc. While this was a concession speech, and she said all the right things about supporting Obama without ambiguity, she also needed to put a end-cap on her campaign in a way that leaves her supporters empowered and proud of their accomplishments, even if they didn't reach the final destination.

For example: “We may not have broken the glass ceiling this time around, but it’s got about 18 million cracks in it and the light is shining through.” What a great line, and it has to help those of her supporters for whom a large part of this campaign was about breaking that glass ceiling. They did a damn good job in that effort, and they should be proud - very proud.

Hats off to her. I'm sure it's not easy for a Clinton to concede -- anything! certainly not a lifetime's dream. She did a fine and classy job and it can only help Obama's campaign. --

And unlike some who've posted, I think that to be effective for him she HAD to lean strongly on the women's issues and even imply that bias had a role in her defeat --- because that IS where a lot of her supporters are, right now. That is what they believe, rightly or wrongly. The only way to bring them along is to go there .... and then tell them that EVEN IF that's what happened, the best course of action - for her and for women - is to unify behind Sen. Obama. That's the only way they may be convinced.

I give her full credit -- and thanks -- for a great speech (and feel some considerable sense of relief). And a glimmering hope that she really will use that fighting spirit to - straightforwardly - work for him in the general election.

They say that a door doesn't close without a window opening (or something like that). It is possible this allow her to be freer to think about what *she* wants to do from here on -- no pre-programmed plan shaped by several people but what she herself wants from deep within. The woman who spoke today is far too smart and too grounded to have believed/done some of the things she said/did in past months.

Did you notice the honest, not-always-smiling expressions she had and somehow different, more from-the-gut gestures she employed? She's very effective when she isn't pushing against some improbably reality (either "I'm pre-ordained" or "I haven't lost"). I know some of her supporters or wanted-to-be supporters must be saying "where was this person all those months?"

I had a lot of issues with HRC's tactics during the campaign--and still do--but I've got to give credit. That is an excellent, excellent line from the speech, very nicely done and delivered. It was appropriately inspirational for the next generation of female candidates everywhere.

A shame she couldn't have said that Tuesday night (like I said, still got me some issues).

--
tGhR

I think we are watching a repeat of Reagan 1976.

Reagan endorsed Ford. Did little to help him except a few platitudes. Watched him go down to defeat in November. Held on to his base. Organized another run for 1980.

If Dems lose the White House in November Hillary will be able to say I told you so, orgazine her 18 million base for another run in 2012.

Please get this, Greg:

There is NO SUCH THING as "the popular vote," in the primary season.

Really good post.

The Great and Growing Divide

Many of us watched today as Hillary Clinton said something that physically hurt to hear. She asked us to support Barack Obama. Loyal Democrat that she is, and true to her word, Hillary did the unimaginable. She asked the rest of us to support someone that many of us actually loathe. And that is putting it mildly.

But Hillary did something else today that is already having ramifications throughout the country. Hillary supporters are taking sides. And there are basically two camps. One camp that is sticking with the party and one camp that isn’t
Reforming the party from within is wishful thinking. The only way a party reforms is by humiliating defeat, running off the rails, or egregious abuse in the opposition party.
If BO is elected, they will be in charge of the party…in fact are in charge of the party as we speak. Try to go talk to them about reform. Go talk to them about counting every vote…about changing the caucus system to transparent primaries. Tell them how you feel about it. I think we all know what the attitude will be.
For me…my only recourse is to withhold my support from the current party leadership and the BO party leadership. It’s a drop in the bucket but I don’t feel like I will be complicit in Republican style tactics…even if they worked.

Ronmaven echoed the sentiment and clarified it:
The defeat of Obama would be the best kick in the pants for the DNC we could possibly deliver. You want to CHANGE the party? Vote for McCain. You want the party to only get worse? Vote for O.
To some, NOT supporting Obama is the moral thing to do.

Ccwarrior perhaps says it best:
easy decision for me I will sellout the party that SOLD me out. and I can live with that. I would never dis-respect my daughters, and vote for Obama after the treatment they witnessed from him doing this election …NEVER

But I have saved the best for last. Before I put it out there I want to make one thing very clear. I have nothing but the deepest respect for linfar. She has been a staunch Hillary supporter and she is such an excellent writer. I just happen to totally disagree with her about Obama and unfortunately may have to write things in the future that criticize her positions. It isn’t something I look forward to.

But having said that I think that unfortunately linfar grabbed a mug full of the Cult-Aide today because low and behold, she quotes from none other than the Prince of Darkness himself (Jonathan Singer) to make her point.

from mydd
Singer: Can you speak to the online supporters, the people online who are so strong for Hillary, who don’t want to see her leave, as a strong

Hillary supporter yourself?
Sen. Chuck Schumer: As a strong Hillary support I say, look, I was for Hillary all the way. I was sort of the first Senator to endorse her and I guess I’ll be the last off the bandwagon, which I guess will be tomorrow. But, having said that, I would say to all of the people online, there’s too much at stake to sit this out, to be angry, to be bitter. There is too much at stake. A Supreme Court with more Alitos and Roberts. A continuation of the war in Iraq.

A failure to have a healthcare policy that helps people. A failure to have an energy policy that frees us from foreign oil. All these are such huge things that we have to do what Hillary said there, which is overcome, not look back, even though there are lot’s of disappointments, but look forward.

I expected these bugaboos coming from Schumer. But a little reality never hurt anyone. Except Cultists I’m told. We hear the same nonsense you would expect from otherwise seemingly reasonable people. The trouble is that they think they will be able to bamboozle and scare us with their line of bullshit.

Everything Schumer mentions is something that the Congress controls, not the President. Supreme Court… confirmed by the Senate. Iraq War funding…. controlled by Congress. Health Care policy…. written by Congress. Energy policy… written by Congress.

SO WAKE UP! And stop letting these people get away with lying to you.

The reason Bush has got away with so much and has done as much damage as he has these past 7 years is because of a weak, feckless and complicit Congress. A Congress that has allowed him to do everything he has done. Because a strong Congress acting in the best interests of the American people would never have allowed Bush to do many of the things they are so fond of complaining about.

Where were the Articles of Impeachment? The Speaker of the House said that they would never be introduced.

Why has the Congress continued to fund the war? The Senate Majority leader doesn’t know how to throw a knock out punch.

Why are Americans still being spied upon? WHY?!?
In fact, the Supreme Court that Schumer and others are warning us about has done more to stop Bush than all of the Democrats in Congress combined. So enough of these silly myths. I half expect Obama to come out next and state: “You are either for us or against us.” Wanna guess what my answer will be?

These spats. This falling apart is expected. And it will likely become more vicious and personal as the days wear on. I fully understand those that are toeing the party line. I used to be one of them. Until this year. Until the Democratic party proved to me that it didn’t really stand for anything any more.

You know, she attributed her failure to discrimination (glass ceiling? -- what in the hell?!), she was very calculating in not hitting McCain (see, *he* understands wounded women), her support for Obama was repeated but softly uttered, and she talked all about herself. The intention is to get credit for supporting Obama without much doing it, while reminding women voters what a raw deal they all have and if only disprespected Hillary could save them.

You people with your dewey-eyed celebrations of this are being had. Again.

The difficult thing is that Hillary claim to have 18 million votes is absolutely valid. The fraud of Michigan was not that it artificially increased Hillary's total, but that it artificially deflated everyone else's (except Kucinich).

After reading all of the posts, I see that many all of you are not politicians like Hilary. That's a compliment. She spent an entire campaign being ugly and using Karl Rove tactics. Or agreeing to a process then trying to change the rules AFTER she didn't get her way, Sound familiar? But then after she pouts and has her hissy fit, and someone? gives her an ultimatum, she then READS what was given her to read and you are all ready to believe she is honorable. She is manipulating you. And that is her best ability! She wants something. She was so sure she had it locked up before, that she didn't care if she showed her ass. But now, she needs to be nice to force her way onto the ticket! She is a savage killer shark who is now posing as whatever she figures will work, now! Look at all of her antics. Not just the speech someone else wrote for her to manipulate you all.

Has anybody ele notice that the "she won the popular vote" meme is still being parroted (Diane Feinstein used it this morning on Stephanopoulos' show) and isn't being challanged?

I wonder if she negotiated unrestricted use of it as part of her concession package? Strikes me as the kind of symbolism she'd go for - the chance to make the same claim that Gore did...