I remember very well what it felt like when my brother Howard didn't win the Democratic nomination in 2004. It hurt. I was angry. I found myself wondering how I could turn around and support a candidate who I had just spent over a year trying to defeat.
I can tell you, it wasn't easy.
But as a community, we did it together. We reached out and inspired each other. We didn't forget the past; we wore it as a badge of honor, and we never stopped working to take back America.
Last night, Barack Obama won the delegates necessary to become the Democratic Nominee. This historic victory is a testament to your hard work and dedication. We're moving America forward into a new era of progressive leadership. And today, there are supporters of eight other Democratic presidential candidates who need our leadership to help them heal.
We must reach out. We must inspire and respect each other. We will bring the Democratic Party together for a unified victory in November.
It's a nice thought, however as a former Dean supporter, there are some major differences in this particular presidential primary than when Howard Dean dropped out of the race. First and most importantly, it's closer. Secondly there is a clearly defined split in the party as to who is preferred. Third, there was and is a huge amount of a lack of respect exhibited by many Obama supporters (and some Clinton supporters too) that furthered the breach. Fourth, the issues of why Democrats in large numbers did not support Obama will not go away for many of them even if Clinton is out of the race, a good deal of them did not initially support Clinton, while some of her supporters did support her from the very beginning, others supported Edwards or other candidates then when left with the choice between the two, went with Clinton. That was the position I was in and I know I am far from alone.
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