My Message to Clinton Supporters - Don't get over it

I'm not going to pretend I was a hard core supporter of Hillary Clinton, yet this whole belief that is being put out there that now that it's over and Obama has the nomination that everything that happened should just be forgotten is to quote our Mayor "unadulterated B-period, S-period."

The other day Jim Dean sent out an email that I shared part of on here trying to empathsize with Clinton supporters sharing how he felt when his brother did not get the nomination. Over on Writes Like She Talks Jill believes a post written by another Dean supporter gives good advice. Now that the endorsements are trotting out each with a unity message, with Clinton following suit and asking her supporters to support Obama, even more focus will be on these Democrats to "get over it". In fact I've even been told that as well as having seen it directed at Clinton supporters on more than instance in the past few days.

Despite the comparisons being made of Dean to Clinton the situations were very different and if you remove that you go directly head on into what this is all about, "you lost, get over it." To which I suggest, don't get over it. Getting over it means that whatever your reason for supporting Clinton ends if you do. I truly understand the digust and the anger some of you feel with the way you were treated by Obama supporters and how you feel Clinton and women were treated by both the media, Obama and the Democratic Party. It doesn't matter whether "they" think your feelings were valid or not, they aren't you. Elected officials all chiming in on the unity message only rings true if there is a real effort to create unity, which takes more than Clinton supporters now saying Obama is "the one."

Each of you had your own personal reasons for deciding to support Hillary Clinton, some of you continued to vote for her even after it was pretty clear all you were doing was sending a message. To be perfectly blunt this is exactly why women are in the position that they are in with the Democratic Party nationally and here in Ohio. We have been quietly "waiting our turn" the reality is our turn will never come if we just smile and accept defeat without demanding acknowledgement of why the differences existed in the first place.

Did you feel that one particular Clinton position was better than Obama's? Then push for that to be addressed. Was it the historic first of a woman becoming president that drove your support? If so giving up and accepting some of the things that happened doesn't make it any easier for the next woman. It means you are saying that was okay. Shirley Chisholm stated it was harder to win as a woman than it was to win being an African American, perhaps there is some truth to that, or perhaps the real truth is why that is true is because we've allowed it to be true. There comes a point where if we truly want things to be different we have to not give up.

Some of you have made it very clear you will not support Obama no matter what, some of you have made it clear you would support him if he selects Hillary Clinton as his vice president, some of you have stated you will support Obama and some of you are still not sure exactly what you are going to do. There is no "one way to unity", there is no one magical thing that Obama or the Democratic Party can say or do to "heal us" because our reasons for supporting and continuing to support Hillary Clinton are as diverse as we are.

I believe serious changes have to take place in the process of how we pick our presidential candidates, the caucus system is not Democratic and does not follow the principles that we here in Ohio or as a nation believe of "one person one vote" creating the opportunity of all citizens, not just a selected few, to vote. If we walk away, or if we "get over it" that will never change. That's not sour grapes talking, none of us can state what would have been different if all of those who were left out of the caucus process had the same opportunity we have here in Ohio to vote. What we would know though is that every voter had the same opportunity to vote...

John Kerry lost because he did not get the very same voters that Barack Obama is most likely going to need to win, and it's not just Clinton supporters it's moderates and independents who did not participate in our primaries. If the Democratic Party and the Obama campaign can not convince involved Democrats to vote for him, his chances of winning over the non-democrats is even more difficult.

I know for some of you it's tempting to walk away, I'm not going to lie and state I've become an Obama supporter, I can't honestly say what I am going to in November beyond knowing I don't see a scenario where I would vote for McCain. The real decision comes down to more than just do we want "a" Democrat elected as President, it comes down to do we want a better Democratic Party and are we willing to take whatever our reasons were for supporting Clinton and do all that we can to see that our voices are heard. Or do we want to "get over it" grab up the Obama pom poms and fake it, losing this opportunity forever.

I was very disappointed when John Edwards after promising his supporters that he was not going to quit, quit. No matter her motivation, I am glad that Hillary Clinton kept her word. I do hope that this time we actually work towards being better rather than repeat our past.