They ran the most unprecedented and controversial presidential primary campaign in the history of American politics. They battled to the agony inducing end in a tenacious race to the finish. They found a loyal base of supporters who backed them to the very bitter finish line; and they left an indelible mark in the annals of history, one as the first black presidential front runner, and the other as the first female presidential contender. Now they have left the past behind and formed a unified front for the unification of the democratic party.
Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and his former rival Senator Hillary Clinton united on Friday June 27th 2008 at a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, which incidentally was the same venue that divided them 50/50 during their hard fought campaign. Speaking before a cheering crowd of about 3,000 supporters in their first public appearance together since Senator Obama clinched the democratic nomination, both senators urged the party to stand together and move forward to electing their candidate to the White House. Senator Hillary Clinton urged her supporters, who were still smarting over the bruising defeat, to join her in supporting Barack Obama. "Today we are coming together for the same goal --- to elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States," she told the crowd.
In his speech, Senator Obama called Clinton an inspiration to millions of women including his own two daughters. "We have gone toe-to-toe in this hard-fought primary, but today and everyday going forward we stand shoulder to shoulder for the ideals we share and the value we cherish."
Earlier this week, Senator Obama told reporters that he hoped the joint appearance in New Hampshire would signal an active role for Senator Clinton in his presidential campaign. Whether Senator Clinton will eventually run on his ticket as his running mate, a subject of debate amongst political pundits and moneymakers remains to be seen.
