I supported Obama for the nomination. Confronted now with angry Clinton supporters online saying they'll vote for McCain, my instinct is to argue back. I have a million reasons why it doesn't make sense for Clinton supporters to back McCain and the GOP sleaze machine (which would have been ten times as nasty to Clinton as Obama's campaign was). But I think that bringing these reasons forward just prolongs the anger.

Anger was a big part of the Clinton movement, especially in the last phase, as this sympathetic article from a Clinton supporter at Salon explains. Either it will fade over time, or it will smolder on the internet. What it doesn't need is any more tinder.

It's hard not to argue back, because I think this election will be as important as Gore versus Bush. McCain is worse than Bush in some ways, and he also seems disengaged and likely to listen to bad advice. And we're in much worse trouble now than we were in 2000. But I just don't think it's going to do any good.

Of course I will still defend Obama from attacks and try to show why McCain would continue the Bush train-wreck. But I'll try to resolve not to dwell on the past, or get involved in these arguments with Clinton supporters saying they'll vote Republican, and I'll hope the anger fades of its own accord.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

I'm inclined to agree with Mujokan. The usual suspects in the Fray are best ignored. They are not here to discuss anything. They are only here to... umm... well, I have no idea why they are here.

Obama/Clinton 08!

I do think you are right.The more you argue the more it sounds like ungracious winners.

I can see it all over the boards.I am not happy with anyone running,but think Hillary got a dirty deal by the MSN.

If Obama names Hillary,I may change my mind,if he does not I will not vote. She could help him win a landslide, alone he will have rough going.

He won't be alone. He'll probably pull in at least 75% of the Clinton supporters and significantly cut into the RNC step children (moderates, independents and hispanics) because:

1) They are true democrats.

2) The issues he supports are the same as the ones Hillary supports.

3) They acknowledge the fact that we cannot let John "Bush Jr." McCain have another awful 4 year term.

4) The DNC will get the machine rolling; northern leaders wooing northern dems, southern leaders wooing southern dems.....Hillary wooing female voters!

5) Hopefully, the VP they do select will be able to cut into some of the moderate, independent, hispanic and left leaning republican vote.

Obama 08

Perhaps you're right. There really isn't anything that can be said to appeal to the hardcore Hillary supporters on forums like this. They are sore losers who are immune to rational discussion. You can point out that the too candidates are nearly identical on the issues and that McCain is going to be a third disastrous term for Bush's neocon masters. But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that, to them, the "wrong" historic candidate was choosen.

I will be voteing dem. because ,hes the only choicewe have.

I supported sen.clinton all the way,but the dem.party made our choice for us so i will vote for sen obama but with resevations.

heaven help us if he turns out bad.

Heaven help us more if McCain wins.

heaven help us if he turns out bad.

True enough...but really, honestly..how in the heck could he manage to be worse than the disaster we have for President now?

He'd have to what..start eating live baby chicks at press conferences?

Gee wiz, lets see; how could Obama do a worse job that Bush?

(1) He could invite Osama Bin Laden and his merry band to dinner at the White House followed by a personally guided tour of the Pentagon.

(2) He could simple raise our taxes, giving the Democratically controlled Congress more money to waste and do nothing that really fixes the economy of our country.

(3) He could surrender to the Radical Muslims in exchange for being allowed to play POTUS under their guidance.

Seriously I do not believe that # 1 or # 3 would happen, but I am firm believer that # 2 will, without a doubt happen with Obama as our POTUS. Do I think McCain will be a lot better? NO! As we have discussed in the past, we have no good choices in November, just the devil you know or the devil you don't know. You may think you know Obama, but had you ever heard his name prior to this year? Unless you are a resident of the State of Illinois, I seriously doubt it. All of the sudden he appears from relatively no where and is in the running for POTUS? This is enough to raise some serious red flags for me.

nyecop:

(1) He could invite Osama Bin Laden and his merry band to dinner at the White House followed by a personally guided tour of the Pentagon.

Well, that would still be closer than Bush has ever gotten to "smokin' him out".

I have to say that Obama's LACK of time in National politics is a real bonus for me.

I firmly believe that the longer you play Washington games..the more compromised you become.

Too many people that you owe favors to, or who know where the evidence can be found. Too much political expediency under the bridge, as it were.

Right now everyone is calling McCain a flip-flopper, because of his multiple positions on various issues.

And sure, that's an easy gotcha for a guy who's been in the Senate 26 years. He has had legislation that was important to him. And in the course of Washington business as usual he's had to vote for legislation HE didn't like, didn't believe in, or may have actually thought was a terrible idea.

He's had to do that in order to secure the votes for his pet legislation to pass, or for the project he wanted for his state to get appended to someone else's bill.

That is how Washington politics get done most of the time..and I'm sure it's not only our country that ends up being run that way either.

But I think Obama has a real advantage on this one.

He was NOT the establishment's candidate. HRC was considered, if not by herself, certainly by almost everyone else, to be all but inevitable.

Obama almost literally came out of left field and blind-sided everyone. I mean, seriously, do you think Dodd and Biden, much less Edwards, even considered him a real challenge?

But that means he doesn't owe nearly as many favors, nor does he have nearly as many secrets to hide. It does make him, in my opinion, a much stiffer broom when it comes to sweeping out a lot of those "political appointees" of Bush's that run nearly everything in our country, and make sure to keep what the government is doing a secret from us.

And yes, he'll end up appointing his own. But with fewer favors owed Obama might be able to actually pick most of them based on actual competence, rather than just as pay-backs.

It's like a dream or a vision....I see it shining on a hill...a FEMA director that KNOWS WHERE LOUISIANA IS!