All Political Eyes On Clinton’s Obama Endorsement Tomorrow

All political eyes will be on Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton tomorrow when she gives her highly anticipated endorsement of Democratic presumptive Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama.

Will it be pro-forma? Or will she really show enthusiasm for getting Obama elected? Will she make a plea for unity enthusiastic enough to help bring all but her most angry supporters over to work for and vote to defeat Republican John McCain and elect Obama? Or will it be just enough so she can say she endorsed him enthusiastically but not be sufficient to actually mend the party rift? Will her statement position her in the longterm as a pivotal party uniter, or a pivotal party polarizer?

Party strategists say it’s clear what Clinton needs to do. Will she do it?

Frustrated in defeat, Democrat Hillary Clinton is to endorse U.S. campaign rival Barack Obama on Saturday and party strategists said she needs to set aside any bad feelings and put on a convincing show of unity.

“Feelings on both sides have been pretty heated and a healing process has to go on and it has to begin tomorrow,” said Democratic strategist Doug Schoen, who worked in the Clinton White House.

The sometimes bitter 16-month campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination ended on Tuesday with Obama’s victory over the former first lady, but Clinton raised eyebrows by not immediately conceding defeat.

….The extent of Clinton’s endorsement will be of keen interest to the Obama camp. She gained more than 17 million voters during the Democratic battle, and Obama will need many of those to defeat Republican John McCain in November.

“This is a close election,” said Democratic strategist Steve Elmendorf, a Clinton supporter. “It’s a very important election and people have to come away tomorrow with no doubt about her enthusiasm for him winning in the fall.”

The endorsement’s drama has been heightened due to a few factors that have come into play:

1. A dramatic private meeting between Obama and Clinton at Senator Diane Feinstein’s house yesterday, arranged to trick the press into letting the two top Democrats get some time to talk alone. One good sign: they came out of the meeting laughing (could they have watched a video of McCain’s widely panned primary night speech which was even bluntly panned by seemingly dismayed talking heads on Fox News?).

2. Reports suggesting Clinton is going to look to Obama to help her retire her $30 million campaign debt. If true, she’ll want to give a highly-positive speech tomorrow.

3. Continued evidence via polls that many Democrats would like Obama to have Clinton take the Veep spot on his ticket. Several reporters (print and broadcast) say Mrs. Clinton wants the slot. Other reports say her case was undermined by the lashing-out comments of her husband ex-President Bill Clinton and attempts by some supporters to pressure Obama to put her on the ticket.

The Senator has disavowed such pressure, but a group pushing an Obama-Clinton ticket plans to announce 25,000 signatures of support. Again: it could backfire because Obama will not want to be seen being pushed into making a decision he has not arrived at on his own.

Cartoon by Patrick Chappatte, globecartoon.com