First thoughts on Senator Clinton's speech

Just a few quick thoughts on her speech, which I listening to on the radio.

• Senator Clinton offered a good speech.  She's not the dynamic speaker that either President Clinton or Senator Obama are - or, at least, she doesn't have their speechwriters - but her enthusiasm and passion were clear in today's speech.
• In the opening minutes of her speech she made two strong references to gay rights.  Isn't that two more than she made over the past 16 months?
• She painted a great picture of the advancement of women's rights and opportunity for all people in our country.  It's a great storyline that continues with Senator Obama's nomination and eventual election.
• She made a great deal about her gender in the campaign and in today's speech, and she has done so much to advance to the cause of women in the public sphere.  But she also spoke about Senator Obama's race and his unique place in history as the first black candidate for president of the United States - yet that is something that he has rarely done himself.  If he is not making his own race an issue, why should she?  Admittedly, she did not make much of the race issue, but it still bothers me a little bit.
• The selective use of anecdotal stories of voters - only of voters from states she won - was a bit much.  Are there not single moms or uninsured grandmothers in Iowa, Virginia, Illinois, North Carolina or the majority of states that Senator Obama won?
• She continued to flex her muscle and promote herself - mention of the "17,000,000 cracks in the glass ceiling" was rhetorically effective in the discussion about the advancement of women's rights, but it also served to promote the silly argument that she won the popular vote.
• I was extremely disappointed at the small number of supporters who booed at every reference to Senator Obama.  At the sound of those boos Senator Clinton should have departed from her manuscript and called them out, in the same way that Bill Clinton has often called out hecklers and protesters at his appearances.

Overall, a good speech.  She made a first huge step toward unifying the party and electing Barack Obama for President of the United States.  Now it is time for her supporters to stop whining, follow Senator Clinton's lead, and work to defeat McCain in November.

Comments

[Kelly]

Chris - I've gotta tell you, I've got a very different perspective on Hillary's speech, her campaign, and what it's all meant. And I think you're being way too hard on her. Again.

From my perspective, there was no way "we" were going to lose this primary campaign. Either way, "we" were going to win. Democrats were going to win. America was going to win. The world was going to win. And that is pretty cool.

Obama's got the nomination. I am hoping that he (and his supporters) will be good winners and gracious.

Cindy Crowley's blog reported immediately after Hillary's speech today that Obama was spotted heading out to the golf course as her speech was beginning. Crowley has taken that down so I don't know if it was true or not. But this kind of thing makes me feel angry. So do accusations that Hillary's supporters are whiners. Not fair. Not helpful. Maybe it's hard for you to understand why being ignored by a guy on his way out to the golf course - or being accused of childish behavior (i.e., whining) within the context of a culture that still groups "women and children" together - is so hurtful.

But it is.

Even to me.

And my skin is pretty damn thick.

This was no ordinary campaign. This was - and is - a historic moment for millions of us. That ought to be honored.

Our dreams and hopes ought to be honored.

We ought to be honored.

I thought Hillary's speech did that. I hope Barack will figure out how to do it, too.

I've blogged about Hillary's speech at http://ReclaimingTheFWord.com today. It might give you a different view.

[Kelly Fryer]

True enough, Chris. You have taken Obama out for his missteps during this campaign. Both candidates have made their fair share of them. So much so that I found myself growing increasingly disappointed in one and disgusted with the other. "Barack ain't no Bobby Kennedy," I found myself thinking, for example. What has finally occurred to me is that Barack may in fact be another Bobby - the problem is: This ain't no 1968. For all the rhetoric about hope and change, our culture is drowning in cynicism. Even Bobby wouldn't be Bobby today. Mostly, I've chosen not to add my voice to chorus of critics - on both sides. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," as my mom would opine. You've taken a different approach these past months. I've appreciated your perspective and, for the most part,even agreed. Today it just happened to touch a raw nerve.

[Diane]

Actually, I am not sure that the "golf course" statement was true. Obama did not want to come to her speech because he perceived this as "her moment." My newspaper noted that "he watched the speech while spending time with his family in Chicago." (minneapolis star tribune). So do you think there might be media investment in a continuing feud?