The Democratic contest has been a long and grueling one that has left the party divided. With Senator Barack Obama of Illinois as the presumed Democratic nominee, many have switched sides to endorse him. However, a good portion that supports Senator Hillary Clinton of New York is a different story. There are those that are frustrated with the outcome that they threatened to vote for presumed GOP nominee Senator John McCain of Arizona.
The Democratic Party had hurt in the result of a long contest between Obama and Clinton. It had given McCain more than enough time to prepare for the general election. But, it seems that he was predicting that Obama would end up as the eventual Democratic nominee. Neither McCain nor the Republican National Committee (RNC) has bothered to attack Clinton.
Now, the “healing” process begins. Secretly last night, Clinton and Obama had met at the Washington DC home of Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. Clinton said that she will officially drop out of the race this coming Saturday.
Many have called forth for an Obama-Clinton “dream ticket.” But, not everybody is bought on the idea. Former US President Jimmy Carter said that it would be more of a “nightmare ticket.”
Clinton said she’s up for the job. But, she said that she is not seeking it. At the end of the Democratic race, Clinton ended up with $20 million in debt. Obama has continued to raise much more funds than Clinton has.
She would need Obama’s help to get out of the debt. Several weeks ago, Obama and Clinton had both agreed to raise money for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which is struggling for funds.
According to Democratic strategist Doug Schoen, it is very probable that both Clinton and Obama have come to an agreement. While many want Obama to pick Clinton, many others say that Obama should pick carefully. Many have said that the VP choice is up to Obama.
But, there is an indication that Clinton may have strings attached to her endorsement for Obama. Still, nothing is in concrete.
Democratic strategist Steve Elmendorf said that Clinton should just endorse Obama without any stipulations.