Trying to bring the Democratic Party back together, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will meet today in Unity, N.H., to encourage their bases to join and elect Obama as President. Now, not only does the location for this union blatantly drill the theme into voters’ heads, it serves another symbolic purpose – both candidates received exactly 107 votes there in the January primary.
Just last night, Obama wrote Clinton a check for $2,300, the maximum amount an individual can donate to a campaign, to help make up for the millions of dollars of her own money that Clinton poured into her campaign. Though his contribution doesn’t break the bank, it symbolizes the Obama campaign’s efforts to make amends with his former rival’s – while trying to recruit the Clinton supporters to his camp.
Was this gesture enough to encourage Clinton supporters to do the reciprocal action and donate $2,300 to Obama’s campaign? Now that Obama has declined using public funds for his campaign, he must bank – pun intended – on the people who have previously thrown their weight and wallets behind Clinton.
Will a symbolic “unity” event in Unity do the trick? What do the Democrats need to do to rally the base?
I think is a good thing to help appease clinton supporters. I wonder if this is a sign that Clinton will get asked to be Vice President Though? This is going to be a very interesting race.
I think it was a good step for Obama to donate the maximum amount towards alleviating Clinton’s debt. I feel that as animosity dies down between Obama and Clinton supporters they will realize that at the root of everything they are all Democrats and need to stick together. This is paramount in order to achieve the basic things that Democrats believe in. Even if they didn’t believe Obama was taking their problems as the chief importance they have a better chance with him than McCain.