It's over.

What started 16 months ago -- or 200 years ago, depending on how you look at it -- has come to an end.

Our party has a nominee, a phenomenal nominee, and it isn't you.  As hard as I worked, as much as I donated, as badly as I wanted it, it didn't happen.

But I want to thank you anyway.

Because you made the impossible possible.

When I saw you speak in February, there was a little girl in the audience with a sign that said I CAN BE PRESIDENT TOO.

I looked at that girl and her sign, and I fought tears of joy and relief and hope.  Because for the first time in my life, I really believed that little girl was right.

It hasn't been easy.  A lot of people don't like you.  They don't like your hair, your pantsuits, your husband, your daughter, your marriage, your ankles, your laugh, your tone.  And yet you've fought on.

It hasn't been easy.  A lot of people don't like your positions.  Your vote on Iraq, your comments about Iran, your praise of John McCain, your meetings with various right wingers.  And yet you've fought on.

Some say you've damaged our party.  Some even say you've damaged our country.

But I don't believe that.

Because you've made the impossible possible.  You've answered those ridiculous questions with an affirmative.  Is America ready to vote for a woman for president?  Hell yes.  

Hell yes.

There are women who started down this long road before you.  Victoria Woodhull and Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul and Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan and Carol Moseley Braun.  Even Elizabeth Dole.

But you, Hillary, did what none of them could do.

You made the impossible possible -- 17 million times over.

As you depart this race on Friday, I wish only the best for you.  Even as I disagree with some of your policies, even as I shake my head in wonder at some of the things you do and say, I have only admiration for you today.

You made the impossible possible.

You gave that little girl with the sign more than hope.  You showed her the way.  You showed her that a woman can be strong, and wise, and knowledgeable, and smart, and funny, and sympathetic.  

And you showed her that she can be president too.  

Yes she can.

Note: As pointed out by DWKING on DailyKos, my list of women who came before Hillary is in no way comprehensive.  But please feel free to add your favorites in the comments, and I'll amend the diary appropriately.

Congratulations.

You did it.  You came from out of nowhere to build a tremendous coalition of all colors, all ages, all religions.

And you won.

I'll admit it -- I'm a little sad today.  That dream I've had for the past eight months, the dream of finally, finally hearing those glorious words -- Madame President -- is dead.

I knew this was coming.  I acknowledged, two months ago, that Obama would be the nominee.  I have said, since then, that I will vote for him.  I have condemned those Clinton "supporters" who say they will support McCain.  They do not represent me; they do not represent their candidate.  Clinton has made it clear that she will work to elect a Democrat to the White House in November.  Anyone who claims to be a Clinton supporter must follow her lead and do the same.

It's hard, though.  It's hard to accept that the dream is dead.  It's hard to know this is another lost battle in a seemingly endless war to achieve true gender equality.  We're not there yet; we're far from it.  We have so much work to do.  Women comprise only 16% of Congress.  We have a long, long way to go.

But today is about something else.

It's about a different dream.  An important dream.  The dream of Frederick Douglass; the dream of Harriet Tubman; the dream of Martin Luther King; and yes, the dream of a boy named Barack Obama.

Today, we are one step closer to realizing those dreams.  And for that, I am proud.  Very, very proud.

We still have a long fight ahead.  Miles to go.  There is work to be done within our own party.  This primary season has demonstrated the demons we have, even within the Democratic Party.  

And we have not won the White House yet.  We know the Republicans will not hand it over without a fight.

But we are one battle closer today.

There are some who are still frustrated and angry.  They insist upon laying blame and calling names.  Today, more than any other day, we should ignore them.  They are not part of the solution.  

Congratulations, Senator Obama.  Congratulations to his supporters.

And congratulations, America.

[Cross-posted at DailyKos.]

There's a difference, you know.

Supporters love their candidate.  They educate themselves about their candidate.  They learn about their candidate's policies, positions, background, voting record.  They work to get their candidate elected -- by voting, by calling, by donating money, by slapping that sign in the front yard and that sticker on their car.

"Supporters", on the other hand, are a little different.  They don't know much about their candidate, but that's because their candidate is irrelevant to them.

They hate the other candidate.  That's their motivation.  They trash the other candidate -- on TV, on blogs, at "rallies" and "protests."  They seek confrontation and do not care if their behavior reflects badly on their candidate, because they don't really care about their candidate to begin with.

On Saturday, at the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting to determine the fate of Florida and Michigan's delegates, a group of Clinton "supporters" reportedly caused quite a commotion.

They chanted.  They shouted.  They booed.

They also embraced the crazed rantings of Larry Sinclair, who describes himself on his website as follows:

Larry has been threaten with death as well has many other things since coming forward with his sexual and drug use encounters with Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.  Obama and his Chief Media advisor David Axelrod have engaged in a huge internet attack against Larry in hopes of keeping the truth about Obama from making out into the Main Stream Media which would make Obama have to respond and explain his lies.  That is something Obama does not wish to do.

Got that?  This man is alleging a drug-induced gay love affair with Obama.  I didn't believe it the first time I heard it -- before he failed a polygraph test.

This man has been completely discredited and deserves no attention from the media and certainly not from Clinton supporters.  

Clinton "supporters," on the other hand, have embraced his vile lies in a desperate attempt to smear Obama.  

They do not care about Clinton; they care about destroying Obama.  They are not supporters.  They are "supporters."

It is easy, sometimes, to confuse supporters and "supporters."  After all, they look alike.  Sometimes they even sound alike.  How is one to know the difference between the woman holding the Clinton sign (who supports Clinton) and the woman holding the Clinton sign (who opposes the other candidate at all costs)?

On the internet, it is even harder to know the difference.  An anonymous blogger with an anonymous name posts a comment about opposing Obama.  Is this person sincere?  Or is this person a Republican troll trying to create disharmony among Democrats?

What is important to remember, however, is that a candidate's support does not come primarily from "supporters."  These people lack the dedication and endurance that real supporters have.  They jump on a bandwagon when it's convenient, and they will fall off just as easily.

Meanwhile, they manage to discredit the real supporters and the candidate they claim to support.  

They are an embarrassment.  They are a shame.  

Now, let me make my guarantee to you:

I am a Clinton supporter.  That means I prefer Clinton.  I prefer her policies and positions.  I admire her strength.  I think she, more than any other candidate in the race, belongs in the White House next January.

But...

I denounce "supporters."  I do not believe it is necessary or effective to smear Obama.  I do not believe that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.  I do not believe that Obama is my enemy, and I certainly do not believe that Larry Sinclair is in any way helpful to the cause of electing Clinton.

I am appalled by those "supporters" who say they will actively support McCain in November.  It's one thing to dislike the nominee and to write in a preferred candidate or vote for a third-party candidate whom you believe more closely represents your values.

But to work for the candidate who in no way shares your values -- and to do so out of spite and bitterness -- is a mistake.  It shows a lack of conviction and principles.  It harms your cause -- whatever your cause is.  

Yes, this is a democracy.  Yes, we are allowed to vote however we want.  Yes, I have serious concerns about the Democratic Party, and I am routinely embarrassed by Democratic leaders.  And I'm keeping a list of complaints and demands that I will deliver to my representatives in January, when we have control over the White House and Congress.

But...

I will vote for Obama in November if he is the Democratic nominee.  I may not like him much, but I will vote for him.  I'm a Democrat.  I know the stakes.  I know that Justice Ginsburg is holding on to her Supreme Court seat with every ounce of will she can muster until a Democrat sits in the Oval Office to appoint her replacement.  

(And I know that Sandra Day O'Connor fully expects the next president to appoint more women to the Supreme Court.  And I agree with her completely.)

So.  

Here's my point:

The primary season is almost over.  And tensions are still high, and the party is still divided.  It's easy to look at the supporters of the other candidate and think they're all the same.  They're all "supporters."  They're all filled with hate and vengeance.  They don't really care about democracy, or democratic values, or Democratic values.  They don't even care about their candidate.  

But it's important to remember that there's a difference.  Many of us -- most of us -- are supporters.  

And when this fight is over, we'll all be supporting Obama.

Note: This diary was posted at DKos, in response to an "open letter" to Hillary supporters.  The open letter sat at the top of the Rec list this morning, but has since been knocked off.

Stop it.

Stop these diaries, these "open letters."  Stop explaining to me where Hillary went wrong as if you are doing me, or any of us, a favor.

And most of all, stop telling me sexism doesn't matter.

There's a diary that sat at the top of the Rec list this morning at DKos, (cross-posted at MyDD as well), in which the diarist states, as others have and surely more will do, that sexism is not the problem.  It's not even a problem.

Yes, there has been a little sexism.  Just like there has been a little racism.

But Hillary isn't losing because of sexism.  

"We hate the bitch, but not because she's a woman."  That's the meme now.  Acutally, that's been the meme for a while.  And I don't doubt there is truth to it.  Even I, someone who has supported Hillary, can point to a number of places where she and her campaign went wrong.  

But that's not the point.

I am sure that some people in this country, in this party, have voted against Hillary because she's a woman.  But I don't believe for a second that's where the majority of Obama's votes came from.  He has worked hard and run an excellent campaign; I do not deny that.

But just as we have discussed race in this campaign as something more often subliminal, something that has asserted itself through "dog whistles" and "coded language" and "innuendo" and subtle suggestions that seek to subliminally remind us that he is -- gasp! -- black, so too have we seen this happen with sexism.

But we have not seen the same reaction.

Obama's presence in this campaign has provoked a national discussion about race, a "major" speech in Philadelphia, and seemingly endless diaries around the blogosphere from white people apologizing for the sins of racism and black people finally finding the courage to point an accusatory finger and talk honestly of their experiences with "typical white Americans."

And that's a good thing.  It's healthy for our party and for our country.  We can hide our heads in the sand, or pat ourselves on the back, but the truth is that we have not eliminated racism from our culture.  

And we have not defeated sexism either.

Before the race even started, it was there.  Before a single vote was cast, before either side engaged in "race baiting," before all the -gates cited by Obama's supporters as proof that their hatred of Clinton is justified (and not about gender)...Before all of that, there was sexism.

An article in the New York Times analyzed the Clinton marriage and how many nights they spend together and whether, according to outside observers, the Clinton marriage was "good."

There was the column in the Washington Post about Clinton's cleavage.  Yes, her cleavage.  As if she'd pranced about in a Brittney Spears outfit.  And no, there was no equivalent column the following week about Obama's shapely ass.

Every talking head on every cable network -- even the supposedly less-offensive MSNBC -- feels perfectly comfortable discussing Clinton as old, as unattractive, and, of course, as someone around whom them must carefully protect their precious balls, lest she crush them with her thighs (see Hillary Clinton Nutcracker), or even with just her stern, cold, robotic, school-marm, first wife stare.

And now it is apparently acceptable to compare her to the psychotic homewrecker from "Fatal Attraction."  As if she really will kidnap our children and boil our pets.

When it comes to discussing sexism during this campaign, nuance gets thrown out the window.  Instead, the anti-Hillary crowd laughs, jeers, mocks.  Silly little feminists.  Silly little women.  Get out of the way.  Shut the hell up.  We don't need you anyway.

Earlier in this campaign season, the blogosphere was all in a tizzy about a Clinton ad that used a photograph of Obama that some insisted had been doctored.  It made Obama's skin look darker, and his features, particularly his mouth and nose, more prominent.  The suggestion by many was that this was a deliberate smear job to make Obama appear more "black" and therefore more "menacing."  It was a subtle reminder, a dog whistle.  It was an evil ploy by the Clinton team to remind us, by suggestion only, that Obama is black and black is scary.

And yet...

The language, the pictures, the analysis that reminds us that Clinton is a woman, and women are weak and emotional and hysterical and given to tears when they are "periodicially" feeling down -- all of this is irrelevant.  Any reaction is simply Clinton and the Clintonistas refusing to accept reality -- that people hate her for all kinds of reasons that have nothing to do with gender.

Any suggestion that the (mostly male) media has been sexist in its treatment of Hillary is dismissed as overreaction.  A protest of MSNBC, organized by Clinton supporters, was widely mocked and dismissed on this very site.  Bunch of whiners.  They're not even real feminists, anyway.  If they really cared about feminism, they'd support Obama.

This primary season is almost over, and Obama is almost certainly going to be the nominee.  And so we are seeing these diaries now from Obama supporters, explaining to the rest of us where she -- and we -- went wrong.  And these diaries want to make it very clear to the rest of us that:

sexism had nothing to do with it.  In fact, it was anything but.

But that's a lie.  And that's the problem.

We are Democrats, goddmanit.  We are the party who celebrated 1992 as the Year of the Woman.  We are the party that fights for reproductive choice, equal pay, working moms, childcare, healthcare, welfare, Head Start, Title IX, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

We used to take this seriously.  We use to be offended by the way the media treated women.  And now, we dismiss it.  We laugh it off.  We make excuses.  A progressive radio host refers to women in the Democratic party as "bitches" and "fucking whores," and the overwhelming response -- from Democrats! -- is to lighten up, to get over it, to even, dear god, acknowledge that this so-called progressive radio host kind of has a point.

It is a problem.  It's a problem for our party and our country.  It's a problem for every woman I know, even the ones who say it isn't a problem for them because they're not "that kind of feminist."

It's a problem for every elected woman in the Democratic party.  It's a problem for the next woman who has the audacity to throw her hat into the ring.

And casual assurances from the party that we'll get a woman in the White House "someday" or even "soon" do not assure me.  It has been centuries since Victoria Woodhull made the first courageous run for the White House.  Are we there yet?  Have we shattered that glass ceiling yet?

No.

I want more than casual assurances from the party.  I want a realization.  I want an admission.  We have veered so off course from where we are supposed to be on this issue.  Exactly how much progress has been made since the glorious Year of the Woman sixteen years ago?  How many more women are in the Senate?  The House?  The Supreme Court?

We've gone backwards.  And while it's wonderful that we have our first woman Speaker of the House, it's not enough.  It doesn't erase the damage done, it doesn't mean we do not have further to go.

Hillary will not be the nominee, and despite my wishes, Obama probably won't put her on his ticket.  That is his right.  So she will go back to the Senate, perhaps with a consolation prize, such as Majority Leader, perhaps not.

But the problem, the larger problem that this campaign should have proven to all of us does still exist, will not go away.  We can hide our heads in the sand.  We can applaud ourselves for finally breaking through one barrier, the important barrier of race.

But the problem will not be fixed.  The next time a woman runs for president, we will face it again.  Is she tough enough?  Too tough?  Are her clothes too boring or too revealing?  Is she too young?  Too old?  Are her ankles too fat?  Is her hair just right?  How often does she sleep with her husband?  Are her successes in life really her own?  Diamonds or pearls?

Don't tell me sexism isn't real.  Don't tell me it is irrelevant.  Don't tell me it isn't a problem -- a serious problem -- that the Democratic party must address.  If we have the courage to face up to our dark and disdainful history of racism, and even the courage to face the racism that exists today, even within our own party, certainly, somewhere deep within our souls, we have the courage to face up to sexism.

At least, I hope we do.  

I don't know her that well.  

We only met a few months ago, but we clicked instantly.  We like the same things: NPR and the Op-Ed page of the New York Times (well, sometimes, anyway).  David Sedaris and liberal blogs.  The Violent Femmes.  The Blues Brothers.  Socialized healthcare.

We oppose the same things, too.  We both marched against the war way back in 2002.  We both oppose the Bush Administration.  And the whinier side of feminism.  (And we're both women who majored in women's studies in college.)

But there's one big difference between us: In two weeks, I'm hopping a plane to L.A. to celebrate Passover with my family.  

And she is flying to Iraq.

(Note:  This was originally posted at DailyKos earlier today.  The responses were overwhelming, and overwhelmingly positive.  And thoughtful, in unexpected ways.  I've been asked to share it with the MyDD community, so here it is.)

Okay.

I'm ready.

I'm not taking the Hillary sticker off my car.  Not until she's officially out (and even then, you know, fuck it, I just might leave it there.  'Cause I'm still damned proud of the day I went to my caucus and voted for Hillary Clinton for president.)

But I'm ready to say it.  I'm ready to go there.  

I'm ready to vote for Obama.

(Note: Cross-posted at DailyKos.  Always curious to see what the other side thinks.)

I know, I know.  

They hate each other.  We hate each other.  If the other candidate experiences anything other than total, absolute, crushing defeat, we will all sit at home and pout.  Or vote for McCain.  Or vote for Nader.

The goal, as I think we'd all agree, is to kick McCain's sorry old "War 4 Ever!" ass back into the mid-ages from whence he came.

The reason we can't do that just yet is that we haven't decided who should do it.

I know, I know.  Obama.  Yes we can.  Si se puede.  The math.  The will of the people.  More states, red states, delegates, popular vote.  

I know, I know.  

(Heck, I personally conceded a week ago.)  

However...

There are a handful of states to go.  And if the rest of us -- the millions who don't live in Iowa or New Hampshire  -- for one glorious primary (or caucus) day, got to feel like our vote really mattered, why should we begrudge our fellow citizens that same joy?

We shouldn't.

And so this will go on, until every single last one of us has had a say.

Because that is the American way.

But they'll kill each other!  And we'll lose to McCain!

I know, I know.

But they don't have to kill each other.  And we won't lose to McCain.  And this is how:

They run like they are the dream ticket.

They stop running against each other, and start running against McCain together.  No more debates with each other; no more negative campaigning against each other.  Positive campaigning only.  

Obama can talk about the change he wants to bring to America.

Clinton can talk about her practical solutions to fix everything that's been all fucked up for the past seven years.

And they can kick the crap out of John McCain.  Together.

But...who is the nominee?

Well, come on.

We all know who that is.  Or probably is.  But here is what matters:    

In the months that follow, the remaining states will get to vote.  And they'll get to know both of the Democratic candidates, as they travel and stump and speak about their positive qualities.  No more sniping about each other.  

(And that means no more surrogate sniping either.)

The remaining states will see the best of what both candidates have to offer as they work together to kick McCain's ass.

The remaining states will vote.

Those votes could be decisive.  Obama could blow it out.  And even if doesn't, as long as he maintains a strong lead in pledged delegates and popular vote, the superdelegates would be fully justified in choosing him.  

And he will thank Hillary Clinton.  And he will ask her to run with him, to continue their fight together against John McCain.  She might decide to run with him; she might decide to stay in the Senate, to work with him that way to enact the policies they both support.  Either way, the Democrats win.

Obama's supporters will not be happy.  They will say that Obama doesn't need Clinton, and after the way she's treated him, she can go Cheney herself.  It's time for change.

Clinton's supporters will not be happy either.  They know that Hillary has the kind of experience and knowledge and determination to be a great president.  And she's worked longer and harder than just about any one -- ever -- to get to where she is today.  They'll always believe she should have been at the top of that ticket.

But without a tie or lead in pledged delegates and/or the popular vote, that won't happen.

But you know what?  We'll deal with it.  We'll learn to like it.  We'll learn to love it.

We'll remember why we're Democrats.  Because we want to get along.  We want to work together.  We want to include everyone.  

We're dirty fucking hippies, damn it.  We're liberals.  

We're the ones who were right about this stupid war all the way back in 2002.

We're the ones who wanted to believe in our president and our government (and that SOB Colin Powell) because we don't want to be cynical.

We're the ones who think things like health care and education and clear air are important.

We're the ones who don't care who you're having sex with because everyone does it.

We're the ones who believe in science and liberty and possibility.

And we're going to beat the crap out of John McCain in November.

Because no matter which one wins the Democratic primary -- Obama or Clinton -- they're going to eat McCain for breakfast.  Not even breakfast.  A snack.  A quick few bites on the go.

Just think about it for a minute...

I'm Barack Obama. I just defeated The Clinton Machine.  The frigging Clinton Machine!  They threw their best at me, they knocked me around for more than a year, and you know what?  I'm still standing.  I'm stronger than ever.  And now I'm going to kick the crap out of McCain.

Or...

I'm Hillary Clinton. I am The Toughest Woman You Will Ever Meet.  People have been trying to take me down my whole life.  I've worked my ass off; I've had every inch of my life examined, critized, threatened, humiliated, and you know what?  I'm still standing.  I'm stronger than ever.  And now I'm going to kick the crap out of McCain.    

And it will work.

Because whoever wins the nomination will have had the toughest primary fight in history.  Old videos all over YouTube.  Cable networks and all the blogs spending every minute of every day testing the candidates, trying to knock them down, knock them out...all day long, every day, for months.

And John McCain is sitting over in a corner, having Joe Lieberman whisper the answers in his ear, mumbling about war and terrorists and tax cuts.  And no one cares.  No one's listening.  His numbers look okay for now, but that won't last.

Because when the Democrats focus on him, and the whole country is reminded of why everything sucks right now, there is no way another crusty old war lovin' Republican is going to sit in that Oval Office next January.

Not gonna happen.

One thing is obvious from tonight's victories for Hillary.  And no, it's not about momentum or being the come back kid.  

And it's not about who has more delegates or superdelegates or whether to count Michigan and Florida.

This is about a clear message from the voters: we want to have our cake and eat it too.

We want Hillary and Obama.