Hear, hear.

Now, I do think Clinton will continue - but it's not going to be pretty. I also think she's going to stow the attack ads.

It's time to put our party back together.

A dignified and graceful post. I, for one, certainly hope you'll remain an active member of the TPM community - we've got a general election to follow, which should be at least as fascinating as the primary.

Gracious and intelligent comment. Highly recommended.

I am excited to see Hillary's most passionate (and loquacious) defenders join the Obama effort as the primary season winds down. All of us working together can defeat McCain in the fall.

Then we have a chance at delivering on the soaring rhetoric that Hillary's folks couldn't seem to buy during the primary season - but only if we can use this newfound passion to force Congress and Obama to actually deliver. I have no problem holding everyone accountable to this new American Dream, Obama most of all.

No leader gets a free ride in America anymore - from the boardroom to the cloakroom.

If we can cement this governing majority that is coalescing around Barack, I truly believe we can change this country in some very fundamental ways and use the web to multiply our effects a thousand fold.

We live in exciting times!

What a very gracious post.

Thank you for that. I think this will pass - the bitterness - I hope. I do feel badly for those women who thought this was their last chance - I don't think it is - we'll have a woman now. Hillary brought us that much closer to it and I know we will.

I hope I live to see it - I have a enough administrations left in me that I think I'll see it and we all will.

Thanks again for such a really lovely and grown up post.

Very nice.

Now, we can take down that flip-flopping war monger Pat Robertson-Hagee-pandering vampire McSame. The guy's a volcano ready to explode like he did when asked about his consideration of joining Kerry's ticket in 2004 by the NYT. He is bound to flip out in public during this race and show what a freak he really is. He can't keep his cool that long. He just can't.

With 24% voting against him in NC just like he voted against George W. Bush in 2000, I'm betting more R's will flip and vote D much to the chagrin of that fat idiot Rush Limbaugh.

Bill Maher made a great point when he talked about what an amazing contrast it will be the first time McCain and Obama are on the same stage: he's going to look his age and will be outgunned.

Once more I'd like to direct anyone who hasn't read Frank Rich's take on how the Republicans really have no answer to Barack Obama: "Who's Afraid of Barack Obama," December 2, 2007:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/opinion/02rich.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/7/15359/49127/131/510397

I'm with you one_wilson. I've been a strong supporter as well, but last night was the end.

Congrats to Sen. Obama and his supporters.

Thank you for this. Very well said.

I admit I have lost my cool on more than one occasion throughout this primary season (hell, who hasn't?), but you're right: now is the time to start coming together.

Hillary Clinton will go down in history as the most important woman in politics in the late 20th/early 21st century. That's not too bad a legacy if you ask me.

Thank you for your gracious post and generosity of spirit.

Wilson.....your delusional. Sleep on it and think about it.....it ain't over by a long shot

As I have said all along, I will support the Democratic candidate, whoever it is. I was hoping it would be Senator Clinton as I feel, like millions of others, that she is the better qualified and prepared candidate. However, at this point it looks like Senator Obama will in fact win the nomination and I will support him, just as I have done for the Democratic candidate in '92, '96, '00 & '04, with my time, my money, and my energy.

Lets get this done.

I second the notion. Very gallant poster. Obama and HRC are formidable candidates and they have both fought a tough, an almost impossible fight. Fair is fair and Obama has yet to sell his soul or his personal morals for a win.

I have always maintained that I admire HRC for her fortitude and as much as I support Obama, he can learn a few tricks or two from HRC. She is a policy wonk and that is where Obama needs to get better. He is more visionary and he is able to think outside of the small box that is Washington-that is where HRC failed. I, like many Americans are saddened that HRC messed this up so badly that she has single-handedly made herself a liability. Obama cannot and should not add her to that ticket. She has made him a better candidate, but we cannot argue the fact that she has wounded him deeply for the general election.

Both candidates will continue with their quest, but I am betting that HRC finally got it and she will continue on with a more respectful tone towards her future Prez. I take her at her word that she and Bill will work fervently to reverse at least some of the damage that they have caused. Obama's team is not totally absolved of guilt either. It is my hope that Obama's camp will remain humble and not take any one particular state, vote nor delegate for granted. He needs to continue his 50 state strategy now more so than ever.

Every state needs to see and hear him and judge him on his merits, not the words of third parties. I am confident that he will prevail b/c although he is not perfect, he is a fine, honest, compassionate and visionary leader-someone who is fit to lead us in a world that has changed dramatically right before our eyes. The experience that HRC bragged about and that McCain will undoubtedly tote, will prove to be a hindrance in the end b/c it narrows our views of US and the world. The myopia is so severe that we have become incapable to thinking outside of the box. Obama is perfect for this new world of thought!

Yep, it is time to leave this echo chamber.

It was a hell of a fight but America did not want a fighter and the Obama supporters proved they do not want unity with the Clinton supporters with their hate.

Obama starts out losing Florida, Michigan and half the Dems. I wish him and his supporters luck in getting them back.

Meanwhile, the problems keep piling up with no solutions and I fear for my country.

Anyhoo, they rolled the dice and hoped he can do something. So good luck with that.

Now, back to your regular echo chamber.

God bless America.

I echo this sentiment completely, and am glad to add my voice to yours rather than post a separate thread.

Although I still think Hillary would have made a better candidate, the choice is now between Obama and McCain, and that is a choice I think we can almost all agree on.

Congrats to Obama supporters on a race well fought. Here's to hoping we don't screw this up [again] before November!

Wow, very dignified post one_wilson! Kudos to you, thanks.

Excellent post.

I agree with those looking on to November, in the hopes that we will all unify to support the party against McCain. My optimism tells me we will even though I worry that the intolerance and divisions that were uncovered throughout this often divisive campaign may linger.

Thanks - I'm sure that wasn't easy to write. It's posts like this that give me hope that everything is gonna be alright.

It's your game too. This is still your country and McCain is not going to improve it. Take a vacation, get some perspective, then get out there and fight with us.

Using Slate's delegate calculator. I gave Clinton %60 in every remaining contest and seated Florida and Michigan at %70 for Clinton. That yielded a tie in pledged delegates. Maybe there's some detail that I'm missing by just toying with the calculator, but it now seems virtually impossible, even if the Michigan and Florida delegates get seated for Clinton to gain the lead in pledged delegates.

Thank you for facing that reality. It is time to take the fight to neocon John. Hillary and her supporters have demonstrated a lot of fight in this primary. You guys have driven me nuts on numerous occasions. I can't wait to see you driving the Reps nuts.

Clinton supporters like one_wilson would have made it easy to support Hillary if she were the nominee.

Clinton supporters like gotalife poison the environment for everyone. They stand in the way of unity.

Thanks one_wilson. I know how tough it is to be on that side of a nomination contest. You're the epitome of class.

Thanks!

Very gracious post. I resisted the urge to respond to the couple of trollish remarks, just because I didn't want to contribute to the sullying of such a good post.

Now we can turn toward the challenge of McCain and take back our country. OUR country. All of us together.

I agree with Phoebe....:)

You first. And don't try to tell us you have, because that Eisenstein entry is drivel.

DF,

Watching John King's quietly concerned reaction to the withheld vote results in Lake County made me start doing some research last night.

Jeffrey Toobin was actually the first one to say something about the impropriety of the vote withholding, followed by an extremely upset mayor of Hammond, Indiana, who vouched for Hillary's competitive performance throughout the county. (Only two mayors supported Obama in Lake County; the rest were for Hillary.) None other than Carl Bernstein of all people used the word "nefarious" about the Lake County results, and you have to admit he's no Hillbot.

Anyway, while Anderson Cooper was yammering mindlessly in the foreground, John King was obsessively checking and rechecking the timing of vote results for all of Obama's counties, but especially Marion and Lake, the two (biggest) counties where there were unexplained delays. King had noted earlier that Obama needed 60 percent to close the gap, and lo and behold, Obama got that.

Because Lake County is supposed to be Obama territory, my immediate thought was that Obama's side rigged the results in Lake County with the help of the infamous and nearby Daley machine. I know people who have worked on the ground in Chicago politics, so I know it's notoriously crooked.

However, I couldn't reconcile my initial reaction with what I saw earlier as Barack's and Michelle's oddly somber demeanor as they mounted the stairs for his victory speech. I thought Obama's speech itself was "off," and I thought they continued to look somber as they left the stage. To me, they seemed inexplicably upset or something, and this was long before John King inspired me do a little Googling.

Hillary's speech was way off, of course. It was a pre-concession speech without a clear focus. I believe she will concede before the next primary, and I personally hope that she does so soon.

But that doesn't mean I think the vote wasn't tampered with in Indiana.

So I started to do some research. I found the Black Box Voting info, a few seemingly responsible bloggers (we're not the only ones), I reviewed the voter ID law issue, etc. What I learned from my research made me start focusing on the Republicans instead of on Obama.

After sleeping on it, I don't think Obama had anything to do with the Lake County results. But I do believe the vote was manipulated. Clinton's demographics, the exit polls, the pre-vote polls, the late-breakers, the consistency of voting patterns, and yes, the anecdotal information all favored Clinton. The results don't add up cleanly. And where they are most suspect is in Gary, a long-foresaken city with a dubiously competent mayor.

Maybe you don't know me well enough to know I make a genuine effort to support my arguments, DF. If you don't, you'll have to take my word for it. In any case, Talking Points Memo is the home of illuminating the U.S. attorney firings mystery, so I think there's at least a precedent for me to express my misgivings in this forum. I hope Dems look into why the vote was withheld in Lake County, and if there's nothing to it, that'll be great news. But that jury (so to speak) is still out.

I can't help feeling there is a changing of the guard taking place here & the gracious letter above is what I'd LOVE to hear from Sen. Clinton right about now. I know she's going to probably ratchet down the rhetoric & do her damndest to raise cash to retire her campaign debt & I understand all that. I just wish she would reaffirm my previous faith & belief in her & Bill by putting the Country first this time & yes the party too. I believe that @ the first sign of negativity from her campaign from this point forward that campaign should be brought down hard. I wish I felt the old sense of trust I did from the Clintons when Bill was Pres. but we've seen way too much ugliness to trust it's over without something formal...

Your post is gratefully received by me, at least. I hope we'll hear more and more of this from Democrats all over the spectrum. And I believe that over the next few months we'll see, if not healing, at least and increasing conviction that the whole point of this endeavor is to beat the pants off John McCain.

Thank you, thank you. We need to come together and now is the time. As an avid Obama supporter, I believe that he will live up to his promise, especially if he can mobilize people who have good will and generosity, such as one_wilson.

Thanks for saying as much. We're all really on the same team. And it's clear that we care immensely about our country and its leaders or, rather, in choosing its leaders. I think that more voices like yours will bring the Democrats the presidency.

Great post! I really hope you and the other level-headed Clinton supporters stay here through the GE. Clinton may have hurt Obama a great deal in this process, but she also may have just given him the tough skin he's going to need in the general.

Contributers like you and AR have brought a lot of the cult-like Obama supporters back down earth, by challenging them to talk real politics. You've also reminded many of us that everyone is not convinced he can pull it off in the general and that the political organizing that we've done to get this far is only a taste of the fight we're going to have to bring to McSame.

If you haven't already noticed, many of us Obama supporters are also fighters and going all the way without the fighters from the Clinton side is a suicide mission. I know you'll be back, but just make it soon. We're going to have a lot of battling to do before november when the rightwing slime machine cranks into top gear. Let's take this country back!

Nice post.

It's remarkable to consider what has happened in this primary. The highest levels of political power has, for democrats anyway, has been thrown open to women and people of color.

Amazing. We should all be proud to be democrats.

I doff my white cap to you. May you inspire others with your class.

I doff my rock to you... congrats on over 200 recommendations!

That is the first decent post from a Clinton supporter I have ever heard since this thing began.Probably the best ever given by a Clinton supporter.I only pray with all my heart that the rest of you Clinton supporters will follow suit.
Disunity is one thing you do not need when battling my Republican bretheren.If you intend to win this thing guys you must and I repeat must now unite behind OBAMA!!!The Old The Young The Rich The Poor people of all stripes must now help him WIN!!!To all those Clinton Supporters well done and well fought you will live to fight another day.

So, I'm not sure where you are coming from.

Here's where I'm coming from:

Quoting the DSM, you once accused Hillary of having Narcissistic Personality Disorder. There is a tediously long history of characterizing women as mentally and emotionally unstable—it pervades fields ranging from psychology and science to literature, film, and pop culture. Check out a brief Wiki entry for a book called The Madwoman in the Attic for just one literary reference. If you don't enlighten yourself about the history of such bias and stereotyping, clearthinker, you are merely adding a cliched echo to the contemporary dialogue. It's a history like any other: if you don't know it, you are bound to repeat it.

Speaking of literature, you have equated Hillary with the pigs in Animal Farm. Another time you called Hillary a "rotting grape." You have equated Hillary's campaign with Goebbels' tactics (iow, Hillary is a Nazi). You've said countless hyperbolically negative things about Hillary. I can't remember them all, and I'd prefer not to.

When you went so far as to say you thought "fear-mongering" was worse than calling Hillary a c*nt, however, I didn't think I would interact with you again. This was a pivotal moment for me. I stopped reading your comments and nearly wrote you off completely. This is where I get the idea you have not examined the sexist stereotypes inherent in some of your views. I don't have to "work hard" at all to see that.

I don't ever speak about Barack the way you speak about Hillary.

The reason I asked you about the "1/2 black" comment is because I truly had no fucking idea what you were driving at. I still don't. I was criticizing the contradictions within your statements; I wasn't accusing you of racism. I don't think you are racist, and it's not a term I throw around.

So, yes, I have read many of your words, clearthinker. Have you read them yourself?

As for MSM references, you've quoted the AP, USA Today, NY Sun. How am I supposed to know what your MSM habits are?

I don't know where you personify comments about Hillary to comments about you.

In this comment thread you demonstrate how you have made assumptions about me without confirming what my views are first.

It's fine for you to like Hillary, but I don't understand why you expect a pass on her pandering, or divisive comments or other distasteful acts during the campaign.

Sorry, but making equations to pigs, Goebbels, and rotting grapes is not the same as legitimately critiquing pandering, divisive comments, or distasteful acts. Those are themselves distasteful comments, frankly, as "intentionally outrageous" as anything any Clinton supporter says (trolls excepted). Per Godwin's Law alone, any reference to Nazis is inflammatory and guaranteed to "trigger" a reaction in many people. So what if you didn't use the word "evil"? It's implied in such a comparison!

I do not see how you advance the dialogue between Democrats, progressives, or us when you articulate such divisive memes yourself.