In Support of Hillary
11 June 2008 11:55 am by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
 |
| by Paul Szep |
Lots of emails coming in. So let me say this one more time.
Hillary Clinton made an historic speech on Saturday when she unequivocally
endorsed Barack Obama, then asked her supporters to get behind her to make sure
Barack Obama was elected president. She was unflinching. She was unambiguous.
I got the message.
Many of you did not.
That call from Clinton has now gone out to superdelegates and Clinton donors. It’s all Democratic hands on deck to beat the Republicans. Clinton’s message could not have been clearer.
Over the course of the last year Hillary Clinton has proved to me that she
is a leader of the first order. Since I believe this then when she makes a
serious request I must honor her and follow her lead, especially when it’s
for the good of our country, which is foremost in my mind.
I stood up for and by Hillary Clinton before most. I took a stand when others
did not. Memories are short. It’s sad. But I know the history and am rock solid
in what I’ve done for Hillary so no amount of criticism or ranting, this time coming from
Clinton supporters, matters to me at all. I don’t get by on the good opinion of others, to quote Wayne Dyer. It’s a good thing, because people are incredibly fickle, with very short memories. No matter, I will honor Hillary’s request, caterwauling
be damned. To do anything less is to diminish the woman I’ve come to admire
more than any other leader in recent memory.
Unlike many others, I’m swallowing the difficulty of the moment in order to
do what will help Hillary most. I simply will not dishonor Hillary Clinton by
ignoring her. Following her lead is the most demonstrative way I can support her. I will do nothing
less.
Frankly, I don’t care what people who once supported my efforts for Hillary
say, do, write or believe. It’s their choice to turn a deaf ear to Clinton, but I will have no part in it.
These good people are now referred to as “dead-enders,” which whether
they like it or not is attaching to Hillary Clinton. She deserves better. Frankly, so do they, but their unwillingness to accept what we cannot change at this point does little to help Hillary, regardless of their righteousness, which is not in doubt.
Like Hillary, I believe that we have one job. It’s to keep the Republicans
from winning the White House in November and continuing the disastrous policies
of the Bush years into the future.
Barack Obama is the nominee. Hillary has thrown her full support and endorsed
him. That doesn’t mean this is easy. It doesn’t mean I’ve changed one bit on
my commitment to Hillary, which is any time, anywhere, any year.
On another note, I’ve received zero reach out from the Obama team, which is
their prerogative to do or not, but it’s a mistake. I can only hope this isn’t
a signal of the way Obama and his team will treat Clinton’s supporters on the whole. It would
be a disaster of election shifting proportions; one that the country can ill afford.
