This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: August 26, 2008 - DENVER - Voters may never know a President Hillary R. Clinton, but they now know the kind of inspiring and uplifting message she might have delivered had she won her party’s nomination for president. On her night to shine at the Democratic Convention, Clinton delivered a speech that brought delegates to their feet and perhaps gave them hope for leaving the convention with a unified mission of winning back the White House in November.
"Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose," she said. "We are on the same team, and none of us can afford to sit on the sidelines."
Though she lost the chance to carry the Democratic banner for president in this election, her remarks were phrased in a way to make sure Democrats do not leave behind people and causes that she has championed during her entire political career – among them, programs to help children grow up healthy and happy, health insurance for all Americans, and policies that inspire women to scale barriers and become whatever they want to be in life.
She said neither she nor other Democrats wanted to see their hard work for these causes squandered in a Republican victory. "No way. No how. No McCain," she said to waves of applause.
Clinton finished her talk to the thundering sound of clapping hands and a sea of white placards bearing the name “Hillary” in blue inside the convention at the Pepsi Center.
It’s unclear how a majority of diehard Clinton supporters will view her address. But if comments by Rep. Rachel Storch, D-University City, are an indication, many of these women will be willing to put behind them whatever disappointment they may have about her not winning the nomination and work to elect Barack Obama to the White House. He and Clinton fought neck and neck during a bitter primary season, but she conceded defeat late in the campaign and eventually endorsed him.
“It was a masterful speech,” said a jubilant Storch.“There was a lot of disappointment (over her not winning the nomination), but Mrs. Clinton pointed out that we have to put that behind us and work to elect a Democrat in November. I assume that’s what people will do.”
Clinton's speech Tuesday night was an unequivocal message that the focus for Democrats must now be on working for Obama's victory in November.
Unclear is whether she is leaving open the door for another run for the presidential nomination. She gave no hint of her plans and chose instead to pay tribute to Obama and to those who have inspired her, from people on the campaign trail to women in history.
She said she owed her position as a senator to women who fought for the right to vote. She said she was inspired further by women like Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad leader. In one especially moving comment, she evoked the advice that Tubman gave the enslaved as they faced danger – “keep going” to reach freedom. Like a modern-day Tubman, Clinton thundered to the crowd, “We’ve got to keep going to elect Barack Obama. We don’t have a moment to lose.”
She also made clear to her supporters that her campaign wasn’t so much about her but about people she met and the promises she made to the downtrodden she encountered on the campaign trail. These ranged from people suffering catastrophic illnesses and lacking health insurance to those who have lost their jobs.
“I want you to think about your children and grandchildren on election day,” she said.
She offered a litany of anecdotes about people she met on the campaign trail. Then, in a challenge to her supporters who are considering a vote for McCain, she said, "I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?"
She was surprisingly soft in her criticism of the GOP presidential hopeful John McCain, saying he had provided great service to the country but wasn’t the kind of person who should be president. In a quip that drew big applause, she said it was appropriate that McCain and President George Bush would be appearing in the Twin Cities because it was hard to tell them apart.
Immediately after Clinton's speech, McCain's spokesman, Tucker Bounds, issued a statement that said: "Sen. Clinton ran her presidential campaign making clear that Barack Obama is not prepared to lead as commander in chief. Nowhere tonight did she alter that assessment. Nowhere tonight did she say that Barack Obama is ready to lead. Millions of Hillary Clinton supporters and millions of Americans remain concerned about whether Barack Obama is ready to be President."
