Without a doubt, the hard-fought race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton divided Democrats into two highly motivated camps passionate for their candidate and the causes their candidate supported. This week Democrats will convene in Denver to put their differences aside and nominate Obama as their presidential candidate.
Though this task is the main purpose of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), it is vital Democrats unite so they will be able to win the election November. While Clinton dropped out of the race two months ago and formally endorsed Obama, Clinton supporters might still feel bitter towards Obama.
The Democratic Party hopes to alleviate hard feelings by placing Clinton's name in nomination, which will allow her fans to symbolically show their support for the former first lady. The goal of this move is to unify the Democrats, but as Jim Malone notes, "(Some) Obama supporters are concerned the expressions of support for Clinton might hinder party unity and take the spotlight away from the presumptive nominee."
On the surface, it seems unlikely a celebration of Obama's rival's achievement would help win the presidency. However, if they want to defeat the Republicans, the Democrats must appease Clinton supporters because the Obama campaign needs their time, energy and money.
In addition, the Democrats must prevent Clinton supporters from defecting to the McCain camp. Several surveys have found some Clinton supporters are wary of Obama and may cross party lines in November and vote for McCain. The Wall Street Journal found only half of the people who voted for Clinton in the primaries now support Obama, and about 20 percent of those voters prefer McCain.
It does not help that Clinton's own brother attends events held by one of McCain's top advisers. Fox News recently reported Tony Rodham and some Pennsylvania Democrats attended a gathering hosted by James Brazil, the national director of the group Citizens for McCain.
Despite the fact some Democrats do not support Obama, many cannot fight the infectious excitement generated by his campaign. Most likely, this year's DNC will reinvigorate the Democratic Party and will remind people of the powerful speech Obama, a mere senatorial candidate from Illinois, gave at the last DNC in 2004. Obama's address to the DNC sparked national interest and served as the starting point for his meteoric rise.
In addition, the DNC will give those individuals participating in the convention and viewers watching at home an opportunity to recall the events that have taken place during Bush's presidency and the obstacles the United States must now overcome, such as dependency on foreign oil and the Iraq war. Some voters have become so caught up in the buzz surrounding the candidates they have forgotten the important issues this election will decide.
Reminiscing about the last eight years will hopefully inspire Democrats to unite - not merely because they want to see Obama win in November but because they want to see changes. The DNC will remind people this year's election is not merely a contest between two individuals; it's about deciding what course this country will take for the next four years.
Aimee Sobhani can be reached at aimee.f.sobhani@vanderbilt.edu.
