Hillary's Democratic Convention Speech

I was never a strong Hillary supporter, and to be perfectly honest I was relieved that the Democratic Primary ended with victory for Obama. Obama struck me as the brilliant, pragmatic, and modern outside; my impression of Hillary was always one of the stuff establishment candidate, who played the game of 1990s pro-business democrat so well that she was indistinguishable from the party staples of a decade prior.

It's not the best sign of progress, but it's telling that Hillary Clinton played the political game so well as to become that which outsiders would rail against. Hillary Clinton, who in this nation of White Christian Male presidents challenged one of those criterion with at times a nonchalance that made it possible to forget how unprecedented she was.

My disagreements with Hillary Clinton stem not from her race, gender, or faith, but like all good political disagreements they originate from policy disagreements. Hillary's plan was not the soundest execution of democratic principles, in my opinion, and when she had real substantive differences with Obama I always favored Obama.

That all said, the two candidates (and almost all the other democrats running, with perhaps Gravel excepted) are operating in a way to address real problems within the United States today. Hillary's speech yesterday at the democratic convention is an incredibly well-written call to action.

The best part, in my opinion, excerpted below:

I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?

We need leaders once again who can tap into that special blend of American confidence and optimism that has enabled generations before us to meet our toughest challenges. Leaders who can help us show ourselves and the world that with our ingenuity, creativity, and innovative spirit, there are no limits to what is possible in America.

This won't be easy. Progress never is. But it will be impossible if we don't fight to put a Democrat in the White House.

Hillary is still a force in politics today. It is a blessing to have her supportive of Barack Obama.