Obama Me With Fries!

“I want to publicly acknowledge Hillary Clinton for the outstanding race that she has run.

“She is a great senator from New York she is an extraordinary leader of the Democratic party and she has made history alongside me over the last 16 months and I’m very proud to have competed against her.”

—Barack Obama on Hillary Clinton

“I know Senator Obama understands what it is at stake here. It has been an honor to contest these primaries with him. It is an honor to call him my friend.”

—Hillary Clinton on Barack Obama

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, two of the ablest politicians in recent memory, have declared an end to hostilities. Understanding that they share the same goals, with some respectful disagreement on how to achieve these goals, they are beginning the process of coming together to form a united front against John McCain in the fall.

As passionate partisans, it is now time for us to follow their lead and start the reconciliation process among the netroots so that our country can turn abruptly away from the edge of the cliff it’s been skating along these past few years of the Bush administration, and start heading in a direction that restores our values and reunites our country.

That’s why I say: Obama Me With Fries!

After John Edwards, the candidate I supported both with my money and with my “sweat equity”, dropped out of the race I was uncommitted between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Seeing in them overall positive qualities that I admired, and areas where I respectfully disagreed with each of them, I did not jump on either candidate’s bandwagon.

Now that the bandwagons are starting to become an unstoppable train, it’s time to call out, “All Aboard!”

On issue after issue, whether it is health care, or global warming, or supreme court nominees, or even something as all encompassing as the role of government, Barack Obama is looking forward using the successful lessons of history. These lessons, taught by esteemed instructors like FDR, and Truman, and Kennedy, illustrate that we are better as a country when we do care for the least among us. We are strongest when we come together as a community, to help each other rise up instead of tearing each other down. And when we realize that government has a role to play by being one of the means of helping citizens help each other overcome.

Hillary Clinton believes this, which is why she’s still using her political capital to fight for the causes she holds dear. Doing any less would be a disservice to the folks who supported her so passionately during this primary season.

However, we – as progressive activists – should not let these ongoing discussions between Senators Clinton and Obama stop us from moving forward with all haste to do everything in our power to ensure a Democratic victory in the fall. We also don’t have to agree with every single policy position of Senator Obama to do this. I, for one, feel very strongly that up-front mandates are the most logical and sure way to drive down premiums in a universal health care system. Senator Obama does not share my point of view on this one, specific issue. But what we do agree on is that our health care system is chronically ill and needs the direct intervention of the federal government to become vibrant and robust. A healthy system of administering care to individuals means that the individuals who participate in the system will, themselves, have a far better chance at achieving health and what our Founding Fathers referred to as the “pursuit of happiness”.

It is possible to disagree on the specifics of how to pave the road, as long as we’re all in agreement regarding its ultimate destination.

Regarding Senator McCain, he is wrong in many of his policy positions, including health care, the economy and the war in Iraq, in addition to the changes our country needs to take regarding our foreign policy if we want to restore our standing in the world community. McCain may argue with Bush that the road needs to be paved with asphalt instead of bricks, but make no mistake that he and the entire Bush administration agree on overall direction of the road…

…and that’s a continuation of the dark, uncertain pathways and blind curves that have led us so dramatically off course.

Clinton people, Obama people, Edwards people, Dodd, Gravel, Biden and Kucinich people: we need to come together, fix that road and finally point it in the direction of justice and equality.