Clinton leader ready to help Obama
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BY DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star
Hillary Clinton’s campaign representative in Nebraska is content with a roll call vote saluting her candidate and ready to support Barack Obama’s presidential bid.
“I will certainly support Senator Obama 100 percent,” Judy Monaghan of Omaha said in a telephone interview.
“I will do everything I can to help.
“I’d be proud to represent Senator Obama and I suspect if the tide had turned in favor of Senator Clinton, the Obama people would have done the same thing.”
Monaghan, who was designated by the Clinton campaign as its representative in Nebraska prior to last February’s presidential caucuses, said the decision to count Clinton’s delegate votes in a roll call at the national convention was “the right thing to do.”
That was “absolutely important,” Monaghan said, in terms of paying “due respect to her” and honoring the votes of 18 million Democrats who supported Clinton in the presidential primaries.
“Clearly, those supporters feel she earned the right to have her name placed in nomination at the convention,” Monahan said.
“Let those voices be heard.”
Although she believes Clinton “would add so much to the ticket,” Monaghan said her support for Obama does not depend on a vice presidential slot for the New York senator.
“She clearly has the qualifications to serve the country well,” Monaghan said. “But do I think she will get the vice presidential nomination? Probably not.”
Clinton could strenghen the Democratic ticket, Monaghan said, by appealing to millions of voters, including older women and working class white males.
Monaghan said she believes most Clinton supporters “feel the same way” she does and will end up supporting Obama.
Obama defeated Clinton in the Nebraska caucuses by a 2-1 margin.
But, in the Democratic primary election in May, the contest was much closer.
Nebraska results: Obama, 46,670; Clinton, 43,979.
Monaghan will have an opportunity to cast her own vote for Clinton during next Wednesday’s roll call as a 2nd Congressional District delegate to the national convention.
The Obama campaign has positioned field staff in Omaha to make a bid for Nebraska’s 2nd District presidential electoral vote this November.
Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.
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JB wrote on August 20, 2008 1:00 pm:
P wrote on August 20, 2008 1:44 pm:
I'm glad to see this gesture, because I'm sick of hearing about some of her supporters pledging to back Old Man McCain just because they are bitter about losing the nomination. This is the unity that the party needs. Ms. Monaghan is right to suspect that Obama backers would do the same thing if the situation was reversed. "
MarkyMark wrote on August 20, 2008 1:54 pm:
JR wrote on August 20, 2008 3:12 pm:
Mark wrote on August 20, 2008 3:39 pm:
Clinton vs Obama wrote on August 21, 2008 9:25 am:
Unfortunately, from the numerous blogs/commentaries I've read, too many Clinton supporters would rather vote for McCain just to spite Obama and the Democratic party. And that's one of the differences between Obama people and Clinton people--had the tables been turned, I'm confident Obama supporters WOULD have thrown their support behind Clinton, whereas many Clinton supporters won't do the same for Obama.
Ms. Monaghan shows the sense and class I wish more Clinton supporters had. "