The Speech Hillary must give
(edited re-post):
-- But is she capable of giving it?
Fellow Americans, loyal supporters, and hard-working
staffers:
A year and a half ago, I began this campaign for the
Presidency knowing that electing me would be a historic first for our great
nation. Forty-three Presidents have occupied the office, every one of them a
white male. You may have noticed that I’m not a white man, and I am truly
inspired and grateful that so many people know that does not – and should not –
disqualify anyone from the Presidency. But this is not a campaign about race or
about gender, or about whose "turn" it is.
This is a campaign about who will be the best President to
clean up the mess that eight years of George W Bush has left behind.
The mess in Iraq.
The mess in our economy.
The mess of our environment.
The mess of cronyism and corruption.
The mess of human rights, torture of enemy prisoners, and
twisting the law.
The mess of turning every branch of government into a tool
for Karl Rove’s Republican machine.
I thought I would be the best person to lead our nation out
of this mess, and I still do.
But I know one important thing. The best person to lead
America out of this mess is NOT John McCain. We need to get a Democrat into the
White House. We need to build our Democratic majorities in the Senate and the
House of Representatives. We need to protect our constitutional rights and
freedoms by sensible appointments to our courts. More than anything else, we
need to WIN THIS ELECTION.
(applause)
It has been a long, tough battle in the primaries – six months
of visiting so many states, so many small towns, and meeting so many terrific
Americans. You, the voters, kept me going. Your hunger to fix the mess in our
country, and your support, and your cheers, and yes, your donations – have kept
me going. I want to win this for you. I want to win the election for the farmer
in Ankeny, Iowa whose son was maimed in Iraq. I want to win the election for
the waitress in Watertown, New Hampshire who has no health insurance and a
child with special needs. I want
to win it for the family in Ohio who has lost their house because of a
fraudulent mortgage. And I want to win for you.
The primary fight has become the big story for the media. We
have been working hard, both of us, for a long time. My opponent and I have been
in dozens of debates. From the beginning, we have had blood, sweat, tears, and
toil. There have been others in this race – Bill Richardson, John Edwards – who
have terrific ideas about what this country needs to do. And all of us – ALL of
us – share the goal of getting a Democratic president elected. We just
disagreed about who that should be.
But you know, the election did not end in Pennsylvania. It
did not end in Indiana and North Carolina. And it did not end in Montana and
South Dakota. It does not end in Denver this summer. This election comes to an
end on November fourth, all across our land, when the voters have their say.
And on the twenty-first of January, the cleanup begins.
(applause)
We have only five months before Election Day. It’s time to
focus on winning the election by beating John McCain and not on beating up each
other. Now, I could carry this fight to Denver. I think I have a shot at
winning the nomination even though I don’t, quite, have a majority of
delegates. I have more delegates from primary states, my opponent has more
delegates from caucuses, neither of us has a plain majority from the
voter-chosen delegates. We’ve had a long fight. There could be more fights
about Michigan and Florida.
But remember, that’s not the fight we should be having.
The real fight is against the Republican machine. The
machine of corruption, cronyism, lobbyists, and lies. The machine of Karl Rove,
Jack Abramoff, Dick Cheney, and John McCain. For months now, John McCain has
had an easy ride. While Senator Obama and I have been battling each other,
Senator McCain has been resting, raising funds, and visiting those places where
he won’t be paying a lot of attention during the fall campaign.
One of our greatest Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, (yes, yes,
he was a Republican, but pretty darn good anyway…) said “A house divided
against itself cannot stand.” And he was right. The Democratic house has been
divided. It’s time we unite to get this country back on the right track!
Now, I had hoped to be listening to a speech like this, not
giving it. I had wanted to be the next President. At the end of this long
primary fight, and a very tough one, and an even tougher couple of days, I have
come to realize that it is not going to be. I will not be the next President.
But perhaps I can be the “next next President”. Now, there’s the audacity of
hope!
(applause, laughter)
Right now, I want to tell you two things. First, I’m not
bitter. (laughter) It was a tough fight,
and sometimes an ugly one. I regret that. I regret that staffers from both our
campaigns said hurtful and divisive things. I regret the mis-statements and
slips of the tongue that provoked outrage in some circles and I regret that
those comments garnered more attention than the substance of our positions. I
especially regret that some have let competition become poisonous and personal.
But Mr. Obama and I are rivals, not enemies. We share a
vision of a better America. We have some differences but they are small
compared to the differences between us and Senator McCain. Senator Obama has
many ideas that I can support. I look forward to helping pass them and working
with him from my Senate seat.
(interrupted by shouts of “Veep! Veep! Veep!”)
(aside) No, no, that’s Mr. Obama’s decision to make. We
haven’t discussed it, I haven’t thought about it, and I won’t think about it
unless I’m invited to.
We have to get this country back on track and that is going
to take a lot of work. There is a lot
to do at home and abroad, with our friends, our trading partners, our
allies and our enemies. I will be proud to do my part for a Democratic
president. I will carry a hammer, I will carry a broom, I will carry on the
work of fixing the mess Mr. Bush has made of this country. And I know that you
will work with me.
Some of my supporters have said that they could never vote
for Barack Obama. Well, some of his supporters said the same about me. I hope
that’s not true. I want each and every one of you to know that voting for me
was great, I appreciate it.
But if you don’t want to vote for Obama, you won’t be
helping us clean up this country.
You won’t be helping us fix the economy, damaged by foolish
Republican “borrow and waste” economic policies.
You won’t be helping us to get our brave men and women out
of the middle of the Iraqi civil war.
You won’t be helping clean up the environment, you won’t be
helping decrease our dependence on imported oil, you won't be slowing our contribution to the global warming problem.
You won’t be helping us make
sure every American has the basic health insurance they need and deserve.
You won’t be protecting our constitutional rights by making sure we keep a balance on the
Supreme Court.
If you stay home November fourth, that’s about half a vote
for McCain.
(boos)
And you know, Bush and McCain are more of the same. We don’t
want more Bush. We don’t want McCain. We don’t want more of the same!
(crowd starts chanting, “No more Bush! No McCain! No more
of the same!”)
Therefore, as of tonight, I am calling an end to my run for the Democratic nomination for 2008. I now release my delegates to vote their conscience in Denver.
(slight hitch in her voice)
Thank you all, thanks to you millions of voters, to the
thousands and thousands of people who have so generously shared their time and
their money, to my staff, and to Bill and Chelsea. I love you all. (camera catches glint of a tear) We have made
a difference. And we will continue making a difference! Yes We Can!
Good night, America!
Now, if she gives a speech like this, in the next five days, she will become America's hero and be absolutely forgiven. If she's still fighting after next week, there's no saving her career or reputation. And if she takes it to the convention, or in any way is seen to fail to do her utmost for Democratic unity, she could be as despised as Nader was after 2000.
