Just a little check to see how the reunification of the Democratic Party is going. First we have former DNC Chair and outspoken Hillary Clinton supporter Terry McAuliffe:
I’ve told all of the donors this week that we need to 100 percent get behind Senator Obama. We’re going to do several events for Senator Obama. I had to get through today’s activities and deal with all that.
We’re going to do whatever it takes. Listen, I’m a party man. I’ve been with this party for 30 years, for the last 15 years working as a pretty much full time volunteer. So we have to win this White House, so I’m going to work as hard as I worked for Hillary for Senator Obama.
And here’s Texas AFL-CIO leader and Clinton backer Becky Moeller, in a statement emailed to me:
“I am confident an AFL-CIO endorsement in the presidential contest will arrive before long, but today I am personally and independently urging Democrats, union members and open-minded independents across Texas to rally around Barack Obama’s historic campaign for the presidency.”
“Hillary Clinton’s candidacy made a permanent mark on American political history. As a union activist and as a woman who has fought to break glass ceilings in my career, I joined millions of Americans who saw in Hillary the path to a better, more just society. Democrats in both camps worked to our utmost abilities in this campaign, and it is a tribute to Sen. Obama that he became the presumptive nominee against competition that touched a chord with so many Americans.”
“Now is the time to look at the bigger picture and unite. The issues facing our nation are too important and the gap between the candidates too great to let even the greatest of political primary struggles linger. Sen. Obama has shown he, too, can lead us to a better, more just society. I thank Ron Kirk and all the Obama campaign officials in Texas for declaring that from here on, all Democrats are invited to walk together toward victory in November. At this new juncture, I proudly, wholeheartedly and optimistically support Barack Obama for president. ”
“A new future is at hand for America. We know the path to positive change and we know the path to more of the same. By coming together around Barack Obama’s candidacy, Democrats will write the next chapter in an election for the ages and in the history of our great nation.”
So far, so good. Everyone is saying the right things. There will still be some people who need time to come to terms with Clinton’s close loss, and some who will need more than encouraging words from folks like these two, but having that encouragement out there can only help. We still don’t know how well the Clinton fundraising machine will perform for Obama, and nobody knows what Obama’s Vice Presidential choice will do to or for the current sense of shared purpose. But we’re off to a decent enough start, and given the concerns about this fight still being fought in Denver, we’re well ahead of schedule as well. Keep it up, y’all.