Clinton unity tour in Boston today
By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff
Hillary Clinton, in South Boston today to continue her efforts to unite the Democratic Party, urged thousands of letter carriers who had been early and enthusiastic backers of her campaign to throw their support behind Barack Obama, her former rival and now the presumptive nominee.
Clinton told nearly 10,000 members of the National Association of Letter Carriers, gathered at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for their biennial convention, that electing Obama would mean expanding healthcare access, preventing further outsourcing of government jobs, and improving the lives of working people across the country.
"The best way to stand up for everyone who feels invisible is to make sure we have a Democratic president taking the oath of office on January 20, 2009," she said.
The NALC, which claims some 300,000 active and retired members, is one of many large labor unions that supported Clinton during the long and sometimes bitterly contested nomination contest that ended in early June, when Clinton dropped out and endorsed Obama. Nearly a month ago, the two former rivals held a highly choreographed rally in Unity, N.H., to urge the Democrats to join forces to beat John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee.
Since then, Clinton has appeared at a pair of Obama fund-raisers in New York City and aides said her calendar is quickly filling with other events. She has also brought her unity message to the American Federation of Teachers convention and the League of United Latin American Citizens convention earlier this month.
But polls show the former rivals still have work to do in energizing the party. An Associated Press-Yahoo News poll released this month found that just 12 percent of former Clinton supporters were excited about the campaign, even though Obama's supporters were generally much more energized than McCain's.
Awkwardness over finances also still exists. Campaign finance records show Clinton loaned her campaign another $1 million last month, bringing her total personal loans to her campaign to $13.2 million, and she still owes vendors another $12 million. Obama has asked his top donors to help Clinton pay down her debts, but it doesn't appear to be helping: the campaign only received $2.7 million in June.
Blair Latoff, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman, responded in a statement, “After spending more than a month trying to convince voters that Democrats are unified behind Barack Obama, today’s event underscores the very real divisions that still exist among partisan Democrats. If Barack Obama is forced to ask Hillary Clinton to convince die-hard Democrat labor bosses to support his candidacy, his base of support is in extremely bad shape.”
Her appearance today was suffused with nostalgia. The union presented Clinton with a sentimental video of her on the campaign trail and unanimously voted to make her an honorary union member. She accepted, inviting members to flag her down if they ever need a helping hand along their routes. But she never lost sight of her message.
"Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours," she quipped, in both an affectionate reference to the US Postal Service and to the Stevie Wonder song that was often played at the end of Obama rallies.
William H. Young, president of the union, asked Clinton to read a formal endorsement of Obama, and when he asked for a unanimous vote in favor, nobody objected.
Among those cheering were Lucy James and Leslie Hammett, both Democratic letter carriers in their 50s from Las Vegas who had worked for Clinton's campaign in Nevada. Both women said they would do the same for Obama because the country needed big changes.
"I've got foreclosed houses all over my route," said Hammett. " 'For Sale' signs -- it's like a forest of them. They're losing their jobs, they're losing their homes."
Others were unmoved by Clinton's speech. Gary Griffis, a 59-year-old Republican from Cincinnati, kept quiet when the rest of the members endorsed Obama yesterday because he didn't want to be rude. But he said he plans to vote for McCain in November because he feels Obama is ill-prepared to be president.
"I think the security of this country is far greater than my job," he said.
Thanks for letting us know
I hope there's video of the speech. Ugh, this whole propping up Obama thing is so pathetic. He shouldn't be pandering to the Europeans, how about getting these endorsements himself in his own country instead of forcing her to do it!
BRING HILLARY BACK! We miss her. I wish the delegates would wake up and realize she is the stronger candidate.
It's the Economy . #1 Issue and Senator Clinton is the best choice to get the country back on a path of prosperity.
Let's get Senator Clinton on the roll call vote in Denver and elect not "select" a candidate who can win for the Democrats, Senator Hillary Clinton. She has only "suspended" her campaign.
If this doesn't happen millions will "Just Say No Deal" to Obama.
Join us at :
clintondems.com
justsaynodeal.com
pumapac.com
PUMA!
Join us at justsaynodeal.com
clintondems.com
pumapac.org (MA based)
NObama, Just Say NO Deal, PUMA!
The Clintons and his 300-person advisor panel will not be able to help Obama win the Presidency. He is a neophyte and more and more people are beginning to see that. Instead of going head-to-head with McCain in town hall debates, he fled to Europe, Middle East and Afghanistan where he can rely on a group of friendly media reporters to portrait him as a star. But the people of Boston and MA are smarter than that. We have elected Republican Governors in the past. I have great confidence that despite the democratic inclination of our voters, we will choose a knowledgeable and experienced leader, not just anybody that the DNC decided to nominate.
Put it to rest!!!!! You are a bunch of Bitter, Whining Women! She is not being forced to get him endorsements......think back to the primary when all her "big shot" supporters in Congress flipped over to Obama. The Lettercarriers are an important endorsement.......BUT, Barack had many more labor endorsements than Hilliary during the primary. Please, don't be so bitter that you can't see the forest for the trees!
The Superdelegates need to get this phoney bologna out and put Hillary back in the nomination.she is the real Hope for change.She won hte popular vote and the selection of obama over the election from the voters will come back to haunt the DNC Superdelegats.Obama is a flip floper with no support and will lose this election to the Republicans.No Obama 08.
Join Clintondems.com
Justsaynodeal.com
pumapac.com.
She's out. Speaking down to "the common people" destroyed any chance she had of becoming the President. Give it up already.
Correction: Some of her supporters may want Hillary as VP, but her stronger supporters oppose an Obama/Clinton ticket.
Hillary is 60. If her support as VP made Obama the President, then she would be stuck ironing his shirt for eight years, and would have to give up her own Senate career and her own chance to run against McCain in 2012.
Obama is pathetic. In February, he said He is confident that he will get her votes. I don't see him doing it. He has done nothing to win over Hillary's votes. BO and his camp including party leader like Pelosi continue to belittle HRC supporters.
That's not how they can win vote. And now they are forcing Hillary to get the job done. Donna Brazile said they don't need us. So hell yeah!, go ahead and try to win without us.
Is Hillary speaking in Boston tonight or tomorrow at any other conventions/gatherings?
The Clintons and his 300-person advisor panel will not be able to help Obama win the Presidency. He is a neophyte and more and more people are beginning to see that. Instead of going head-to-head with McCain in town hall debates, he fled to Europe, Middle East and Afghanistan where he can rely on a group of friendly media reporters to portrait him as a star. But the people of Boston and MA are smarter than that. We have elected Republican Governors in the past. I have great confidence that despite the democratic inclination of our voters, we will choose a knowledgeable and experienced leader, not just anybody that the DNC decided to nominate.
9 million Hillary supporters refuse to vote for Obama. 2.3 million of them are online PUMA activists. (See turndownobama.com for cites and details.)
Calling us names won't get our votes. The only way to get our votes is to nominate Hillary on Aug 25.
Neither the Clintons nor his 300-member advisory panel can help Obama. He is a neophyte and three more months of cramming is not going to give him the knowledge and experience needed to be the President. Instead of going head-to-head with McCain, he fled to Europe, Middle-East and Afghanistan where he can safely be framed as a "star" by a group of friendly reporters. But the American public is getting fed up with this PR. We want to see what Obama's got and we still haven't seen anything worth talking about. More and more voters are beginning to recognize that, as indicated by the polls which show Obama in a dead heat with McCain, despite all the advantages that the Dems have in this election.
Although Boston and MA usually votes Democrat, we have elected Republican Governors in the past. I have great confidence that in this Presidential election, MA voters will go for the better qualified candidate, McCain, instead of just anybody nominated by the dysfunctional DNC. We cannot afford costly mistakes made by neophytes!
More New England provincilism Get with it . If we had talekd and listened to the Europeans yes even the French and Pope John paul we would not be in the mess we are now with the Texas con man and his Brain XCheny.So you elected two Governors Weld And Romney even Celluci and they all ababdoed your State. HOHOHO. At l;east your Two senators can see beyond boston Harbor and the charles River. Ggo Obama
If Obama is genuinely admitting that he wouldn't know how to handle the 'problem' of Bill Clinton accompanying a possible VP Hillary Clinton, then he shouldn't be offering himself for the position of President. One wonders how Obama is going to cope with significant domestic and global matters if Bill already has him baffled. Perhaps ask Hillary to participate in another 'unity' appearance? Obama telling us that he will make a good president is the easy part. Being a strong, decisive president is the difficult part and aligning himself with JFK's legacy shows an arrogance born of insecurity.
Whoa! Get over yourselves. Nothing would please the right wing of the Republican Party like Hillary for President. They would come out of the woodwork just to send her home to NY. And how selective is your memory? How about those lies that her staff was telling in West Virginia - the whole Muslim thing? And all those emails about the whole Muslim thing. Never happened and Hillary had nothing to do with them, right? (Sure, and I have a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you.) And then there was the whole "I am waiting for him to be assassinated" thing. That never happened either, did it? She was totally misconstrued by the big bad media. Yeah, Barack was getting a free pass because he was black - and a man. Wow! No memory? No problem. Disgraceful.
hey 62 year old widow...I'm a 65 year old widow...and I'm NOT a whiner, I'm NOT bitter and the PUMA movement is both men and women! You seem to be wrong on many ideas you have. Obama is NOT qualified to be President, he can't win without the Clintons...because anyone that did their homework, will not vote for him. He was selected by the media and DNC to shove down our throats...he certainly didn't get as many votes as Hillary...her 'big shot' supporters did not abandon her...sorry to see that you actually bought into the propaganda...your guy is a fraud and Will NOT be President.
NObama, Just Say No Deal, PUMA
I wish ONE PUMA could get to Senator Clinton and ask her point blank: What do you plan to do to support the people who keep fighting for you?" PUMA's will not fall in line and vote for Senator Obama due to an endless list of reasons. We NEED her to represent our interests and Barack Obama is NOT the one!
This 30-year Democrat will be voting for McCain in November.
I don't think think the Democratic parties plan to SELECT a nominee is working out too well. In a democracy what usually works better is ELECTING a nominee. Voters are to wise to the corruption going on within the party.
If you woild like to join us come to justsaynodeal.com
Is Hillary speaking in Boston tonight or tomorrow at any other conventions/gatherings?
Neither the Clintons nor his 300-member advisory panel can help Obama. He is a neophyte and three more months of cramming is not going to give him the knowledge and experience needed to be the President. Instead of going head-to-head with McCain, he fled to Europe, Middle-East and Afghanistan where he can safely be framed as a "star" by a group of friendly reporters. But the American public is getting fed up with this PR. We want to see what Obama's got and we still haven't seen anything worth talking about. More and more voters are beginning to recognize that, as indicated by the polls which show Obama in a dead heat with McCain, despite all the advantages that the Dems have in this election.
Although Boston and MA usually votes Democrat, we have elected Republican Governors in the past. I have great confidence that in this Presidential election, MA voters will go for the better qualified candidate, McCain, instead of just anybody nominated by the dysfunctional DNC. We cannot afford costly mistakes made by neophytes!
It is a myth that the Hillary supporters who won't support Obama are angry women. Of the 2.3 million PUMA members, 40% are men. This goes beyond the sexism, they won't support a nominee that was selected not elected. Obama at this point does not have enough delegates to secure the nomination. The supers will elect the nominee at the convention. If you want the people to have a say in who their president is please visit The Denver Group. It is not too late.
hillary deserves this vp nod and without it Barack loses this election i thinkobama only leading by 3 % points in national polling today ... call obama campaign headquaters in chaicgo and voice you opinion THEIR phone number is
312-819- 2008,,, urge them to put hillary on the ticket as VP... give good reasons.. stong campaigner can fight repub attack machine would be huge asset & helpful in fla pa ohio texas michigan etc... she is a great debater too ...we need hillary !! call before it is too late.. also mention that any other woman on his ticket would fracture the party ...a insult to hillary and her supporters... no sebliius of kansas or claire mckaskill of missouri,,,,
I am for John McCain now!
McCain 2008
Hillary 2012
People are dying because they don't have healthcare...families are homeless for lack of jobs...the war is killing our economy... and you people want to make this about race, about feminism, about yourselves. It's not about (just) you. Barack Obama doesn't have to run for President: he has healthcare, he has a job, he has money in his pockets the likes of which many of us Democrats will never see. Stop it, and vote Democrat in November. Don't do this to the rest of us little people again.
Voting out of spite. Typical of a Hillary Clinton supporter.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Send your comments to masspolitics@globe.com
browse this blog
by categoryINside Boston.com