After months of engaging in an intense and sometimes bitter rivalry, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton stepped on stage together Friday to declare a united front against Republican John McCain.
Colour coordinated in their outfits and hugging for the camera, the pair praised each other and did everything possible to try to put the primary battle behind them.
The rally in Unity, N.H., was the Democratic duo's first joint general election campaign appearance since the end of the primary season earlier this month. The Illinois senator has been courting Clinton, the junior senator from New York, since unofficially clinching the Democratic presidential nomination.
Democratic leaders are hoping the event -- which drew about 6,000 people -- will start to bring divided factions of the party together before this fall's general election.
"Well, Unity is not only a beautiful place as we can see, it's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?" Clinton asked the audience rhetorically.
"I know when we start here in this field in Unity, we'll end on the steps of the Capitol when Barack Obama takes the oath of office as our next president.''
Clinton said the McCain camp probably hoped she and Obama would not unite.
"But I've got news for them: We are one party; we are one America, and we are not going to rest until we take back our country and put it once again on the path to peace, prosperity and progress in the 21st century," Clinton said.
Clinton then dissuaded her most vehement supporters from being spiteful.
"For anyone who voted for me and now is considering not voting or voting for Senator McCain, I strongly urge you to reconsider," she added. "I hope you'll stand with me. I hope you'll work as hard for Senator Obama as you did for me."
Unity, N.H., voters were split down the middle (they gave both Clinton and Obama 107 votes each) when they went to the polls for the party's primary in January.
"Now we look at them (the votes) as 214 votes for change here in America," Obama said.
Obama is hoping to get the backing of Clinton's strongest supporters, particularly older white women, working class men, and Latino voters. At the rally, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee praised both Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton, who was not at the rally.
"We need them. We need them badly," he said plainly.
"Not just my campaign, but the American people need their service and their vision and their wisdom in the months and years to come because that's how we're going to bring about unity in the Democratic Party. And that's how we're going to bring about unity in America."
Lingering bad feelings
Analysts and Democratic insiders have expressed fears that bitter primary battles between the two have left lingering bad feelings in their respective camps. Clinton supporters had accused the Obama campaign of not doing enough to stop perceived sexist slights against the former first lady by campaign surrogates and the media. Obama backers had accused the Clinton campaign of belittling their candidate and fanning racist sentiments.
Clinton acknowledged the primary battle Friday saying that there was "spirited dialogue" between the pair.
"That was the nicest way I could think of phrasing it," she added.
CTV's Joy Malbon told Newsnet after the rally that some Hillary Clinton backers won't be won over so easily.
"There's a lot of hard feelings despite the little love-in (at the rally) and the pictures and the show of support. There's still a small core of people that just can't quite get over (Clinton's defeat)," she said.
Avis Jones-DeWeever, a spokesperson for the Public Policy and Information Center for African American Women, told CTV's Canada AM most Clinton supporters will back Obama.
She said once voters begin to compare and contrast Obama's platform with McCain's, Democratic voters -- both pro-Obama and pro-Clinton -- will come together in November.
"Right now, Republicans are really in the dog house with most American voters," said Jones-DeWeever.
"A lot of the individuals who supported Hillary throughout the primary season are now making the distinction between Barack and McCain, and they're finding out that Barack is their man."
The event at Unity is the latest in a series of moves over the last few days that have seen the Clinton and Obama camps move closer together. Obama has told his supporters to help Clinton pay off her campaign debt -- which includes US$10 million of her own money.
Obama and his wife personally donated the maximum allowable contribution of $4,600 to the Clinton campaign this week. He has also hired some of Clinton's former staff members.
The show of unity renewed speculation that Obama may choose Clinton as a running mate, something that may help rally the small core of Clinton supporters who say they will vote for McCain, back to the Democrats.
