2 posts tagged “democrats”

Hillary Clinton let me know today (see her letter below) that this Saturday she is going to step aside and let the Democrats get on with the tough election they face this year, conceding the race to Barack Obama.

Thanks Hillary! Yes, it's time, and you are very needed in helping the Democrats win back the White House this year.

Many congrats to Barack Obama for running what has been, and continues to be a campaign that inspires hope among voters. He has really fired up the USA Democrats, and seems to be achieving a remarkable appeal, crossing over party lines and making mince of traditional voting patterns. This blog will be enthusiastically supporting Barack Obama in the run-up to the November '08 Presidential elections, as he did completely win me over earlier this year. I'd been on the fence for the early days of this race, and had wanted to see both candidates stop the primary campaign earlier, set aside their differences, and pal up on the Democratic party ticket to make a powerful partnership. Who knows, maybe that will still happen?

This is an exciting race, and I'll be watching it, from across the pond.

A Letter from Hillary to Me

Dear Lisa,

I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.

On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.

I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.

When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.

I made you -- and everyone who supported me -- a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I'm going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.

I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.

I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.

In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.

I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Who’s Lisa Devaney?

I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com

 

 

The Super Tuesday shake out with Hillary Clinton hanging in there and Barack Obama still keeping his momentum going has been exciting to watch this week.

I tried to stay up late here in London, to watch the reports from Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island, but about 1 AM, I fell asleep, long before poll results came in. I really miss voting, and mailing in a paper ballot just isn't the same – at least the Internet has plenty of live streaming footage to view from the poll stations. This morning I'm glad to see that Hillary won't be backing out of the running, because this race for the top spot the Democratic ticket is entertainment I'm not ready to give up on yet. Unlike the TV show Lost, I know I'll at least get to see an outcome.

Yes, I've been a Hillary fan since the early 90s and admired her efforts to transform the cruel American healthcare system. It pissed me off that she was crushed by foolish accusations of being a power-tripper, of over-stepping her boundaries and of neglecting her family by not having time to make cookies. At least she was speaking up, and doing something about the problem, at a time when no one in a powerful position seemed to be courageous enough to tackle the crisis. Here we are today, and, as is well documented in Michael Moore's film Sicko, the disaster that is the American healthcare system has yet to be satisfactorily addressed for millions. The number of people living in America without any form of healthcare coverage has even increased shockingly since Hillary's first attempt to motivate the country on the issue. In her winning speech from Ohio that I saw today, I most enjoyed her call for creating a new segment of the workforce, the Green Collar Workers. Plenty exist already, but more green jobs would be more better. That's a great pharse, and the first time I've heard it actually, and it  communicates well to one of my top three issues in this election. My issues are:

I've been closely watching the new Hillary, and what I think is that she has learned a lot of hard lessons over so many decades in politics, and the resulting image she is now striking is very presidential. She looks great and being presidential suits her. However, I also think she is coming across as having a very calculating approach to it all. I blame her detractors for killing the original, fierce and brave spirit that I found so inspiring waaayyy back then in the 90s. This new Hillary seems overly cautious to me, and her campaign has spanked of being the mastermind of a well-oiled political machine, that might be run by Clinton-bots.

During this race I've been forgiving of her, and view her approach as an utterly presidential-like response to the huge challenge of having to appeal to her more radical left-leaning supporters (like me) and wooing the very important Red state votes, where they never heard of a taco. Yes, I did once meet an American who asked me what a taco was. How can you be American and not know what a taco is???

For the faults I'm finding in her campaign, I at least know what I'm getting with Hillary. I trust her to run America and know she will be fantastic at the task.

Meanwhile, over in Obama's camp, he's been lighting fire to the country in a way that is utterly infectious and exciting.

He's motivating voters everywhere, and I just love that today, watching his speech from the campaign trail, that his Latino supporters are chanting campaign praises in Spanish. His ability to motivate the diverse middle class, is fantastic, and it is what the spirit of America is about really. He is the poster boy for the claim we Americans always grow up with hearing, be it fact or fable, that if we work hard enough we could be president too. When Obama says CHANGE, it’s enough of an anthem to make the masses scream.  Watching his rallies, it seems to be like being at a really great rock concert. His Yes We Can campaign video actually made me cry, because I found it so moving and beautiful. Quite frankly, he's impressed me immensely and I can't help but want a piece of the passion he is putting out to us, and I want to keep feeling it for years to come. I love his grassroots, campaign effort, and the way it comes across as "we just made this idea up and we hope you like it". Of course, there is a lot more strategy going on at Camp Obama campaign HQ than slapstick DIY, but I like the fresh face feel he has put on the usual American dog and pony show.

My only reservation with Obama is – what exactly is he planning to change the country into? And yes we can what?

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John McCain? How boring! Do we really want yet another Republican knocking us around and telling us what to do in the world, like when your Dad demands that you don't go to the disco? McCain makes me want to fake being asleep in my room until my parents turn in, so I can sneak out the window and go nightclubbing wherever I want. However, he is thrillingly better than what we've had to put up with with the Bush legacy. As the big election nears, I'm worried that the Republican arsenal of dirty tricks is so deep, and so well practiced, that I fear for any Democratic front runner. Even if McCain's party decides to hijack electoral politics once again, at least he is a heck of a lot better than what we've had to put up with for the last seven years. Bush be gone!

When it comes to November, my vote will go to the Democrats – this is no surprise really, as I am a life-long, card-carrying member of the Democratic party. The Democrats are hardly perfect, but they are my best hope. I will continue to support them. I think both candidate options for my political party are fantastic in their own way. My hope is that whoever wins the full delegate count will decide to take the other along with them in this race for President. I'm hoping to see experienced Hillary Clinton as presidential candidate, along with Barack Obama at her side in November.

I WANT BOTH!!!

Hoping to see Hillary and Obama...share,
-Lisa

I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. For a reference key to this blog, visit this post. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com