They need each other, and they know it. If Clinton supporters don't come to Obama's side in greater (near-unanimous) numbers, he loses the presidency. If Clinton is seen as doing anything less than everything for the Obama-Biden ticket, she loses stature in the Democratic Party.Hillary's power is what tonight is about. Does she have the power to capture the imagination of the audience in such a way as to minimize Barack, even while the content of her presentation will be an argument for unity? Will she be able to walk away unscathed, free of accusations that she didn't do everything she could to help him get elected, even while managing to keep the split alive?
Look for Clinton's speech to take on Sen. John McCain in a way no one did Monday. "What you didn't get last night you're going to get tonight from Hillary Clinton," ABC's George Stephanopoulos said on "Good Morning America" Tuesday.That is Hillary's challenge tonight. I'll bet she threads the needle. Which means more trouble for Barack. It is trouble brought on by his own failure of leadership.
But Obama, too, is part of the Denver psychodrama. Some Democrats with high-level ties to both the Clinton and Obama camps said they were surprised that Obama has not done more to make the Clintons more enthusiastic about his candidacy."
George Stephanopoulos reminds us what sore losers can do to a nominee.
Sore losers cripple presidential nominees. Think of what Ronald Reagan did to Gerald Ford in 1976. After Ford crushed Reagan's late challenge and refused to offer him the VP slot, he had to beg Reagan to speak at the convention. The 798 words he got were no help. Barely a mention of Ford, not a word of praise. While Reagan's ringing defense of the GOP platform laid the groundwork for his 1980 campaign, it did nothing for Ford, who barely lost to Jimmy Carter come November.
Or recall Ted Kennedy in 1980. His famous "dream shall never die" speech, reprised so movingly last night, was unapologetically NOT about Jimmy Carter. Telling the crowd he was there to "affirm a cause," Kennedy attacked the Republicans and praised past Democratic presidents but refused to make and affirmative argument for Carter.
We know how that turned out too.
Big egos fighting over big power. Who comes out on top?
