how to move forward with the best interests of our party and our country guiding my way.â€
Before Clinton’s final primary rally, Clinton supporter, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee predicted there would be no concession Tuesday night. Though she added that it isn’t for her to say, Jackson Lee thinks a dream ticket of Clinton and-Obama (or Obama-Clinton) “would be welcomed by many.â€
California Rep. Maxine Waters, however, decided she’d rather switch than continue in Clinton’s battle for the nomination. “Throughout this primary election, I have witnessed two extraordinary candidates champion the concerns that matter most to the American people. As an outspoken advocate on issues critical to women and children, I have great admiration for Senator Clinton and know first-hand her commitment to our country,†she said. “However, our nation is at crossroads. Now is the time for us to unite so that real change is possible in November. Today, I am endorsing Sen. Barack Obama because I firmly believe that he embodies the judgment and conviction necessary to bring about change that will make a difference in the lives of all Americans.”
Pledging Unity
So now it’s time for Obama to begin making good on the Democratic Party’s call for unity. How does he do it? Anthony Corrado, a Brookings Institution fellow and Colby College professor, says Obama must follow Clinton’s lead. “The first steps are just going to be treating Clinton with the respect she deserves for the work she’s done and having them work out between themselves how they’re going to move forward,†he says. According to news reports, Clinton has indicated she wants to meet face-to-face with Obama to discuss just that.
Could Jackson Lee’s “dream ticket†be the answer? Not according to San Francisco State political scientist Robert Smith. He says, “The calculation he has to make is whether that’s what’s necessary to win. I doubt it is because it’s probably a little too much for the American electorate to have two firsts of that sort–
a woman and a black. His weakness is in the national security area and he needs to pick someone who will give voters confidence in that area.â€
In the meantime, the general election battle between McCain and Obama is definitely on. In remarks from New Orleans on Tuesday night, McCain swung at his Democratic opponent on issues ranging from the economy to the war in Iraq.
“Both Senator Obama and I promise we will end Washington’s stagnant, unproductive partisanship. But one of us has a record of working to do that and one of us doesn’t. He is an impressive man, who makes a great first impression. But he hasn’t been willing to make the tough calls; to challenge his party; to risk criticism from his supporters to bring real change to Washington. I have,†he said.
“The conventional wisdom is that each of these candidates is, relatively speaking, a moderate within his own party. Each campaign will try to convince the American people that the other candidate is not a moderate, but is in fact