(Cross-posted at Clintonistas for Obama and DailyKos)

As a Clinton supporter, I think I had it wrong for a long time.

I heard Obama supporters talking about a new kind of politics - a kind which incorporated hope and change. For some reason, I decided this was a silly notion; I scoffed at Barack Obama's message: It was too idealistic, too vague. What did "Vote Hope" really mean? How had Obama rallied such a massive base of support around the nebulous concept of "hope"? Maybe that's part of what used to frustrate me - I simply didn't understand. Did his supporters believe his campaign would always stay positive? Every politician has to fight back against the opposition. They all get down in the mud, so didn't that make Obama just another typical politician?

It took me a very long time to formally "come to Obama," and an even longer time to understand his message of hope. I was looking at it the wrong way - I was trying to turn hope into something concrete and measurable, and I'd forgotten that some things can't be clinically analyzed or quantified. Hope isn't a static or tangible thing because it means something different to everyone. I do have hope for a new type of politics and a new kind of president in Barack Obama. I have faith in his ability to win the general election. He believes in the 50-State Strategy, and he perfected and implemented it with remarkable efficacy during the primaries. I have no doubt he'll use similar tactics in the fall as he makes the GOP fight for every stronghold. I have faith in his ability to govern and lead. He built his phenomenal campaign from the ground up and, with the help of his enthusiastic supporters, turned it into an unstoppable force.

There's more...

I support Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party nominee and as the next President of the United States for reasons which I've expressed over the last 6 months. So, most of you here on MyDD know that I'm an ardent supporter of Hillary Clinton. But, you don't know that I'm like 1 in 10 Americans who many still refer to as a sinner, a sexual deviant, or as an abomination. So, today, in honor of Gay Pride month, I'm coming out of the closet on MyDD to share my very personal story why I will continue to support and stand by Hillary Clinton.

I grew up in a small town in central Virginia in the 1980's. Luckily, I passed. Passed? Passed as a heterosexual. It helped that I was popular and my quirkiness wasn't questioned. I wasn't subjected to the harassment, bullying, and teasing of which other tomboys or sissies became targets. But what happened to me was just as harmful. I hid. I hid from my family, my friends, and my community. In my last two years of high school, I was confused, alone, and becoming increasingly more depressed to the point of suicidal. By sheer will (and maybe a touch of grace), I made it to college. I started meeting people who were different, men and women who weren't afraid to express themselves outside of the norm, outside of social expectation, outside of heterosexuality. They didn't conform.

[continue over the fold]

There's more...

I have been a Hillary Clinton supporter, and a vocal one, for quite a while (I was a Hillary Clinton supporter, some said, before I even knew I was). I didn't write the words "it's over" last night with any joy, or any ease.  I wrote them because that's what I've learned supporting Hillary Clinton this year - politics is about the practical, clear-eyed look at things as they really are, not as we might like them to be.

As a party, we need to understand what happened, and why last night was the effective end of the campaign for Hillary Clinton. There are, naturally, details to work out, plans to be made, graceful exits to be set up. But last night, things changed; just not, necessarily the things some people think changed.

There's more...

Note: This is a follow-up to a diary I posted yesterday. If you support Clinton, I urge you to read this diary, but I'm not sure you're going to like it. I'm not writing this to urge you to stop supporting her, but as an explanation of why, in my estimation, this contest is essentially over, and why I wrote the previous diary.  Again, I'm not calling for Senator Clinton to drop out - quite the opposite. I fully expect and want her to stay in. Having said that, many have asked me to more clearly explain my reasoning, especially to combat the puzzlement of `Why are you saying this now, right after a major victory?'

Well, if you're interested, please read on. I make the supposition that Clinton has lost - please don't take this to mean that the contest is over; it's not. I simply believe it is practically over. Clinton supporters will of course by necessity not like the conclusions, but I urge them at least to read through it and understand that these are my reasons, and I wholeheartedly support YOUR support for Senator Clinton. What follows is, essentially an argument in two parts - 1) why Clinton lost, or fundamental mistakes she made, and 2) a brief discussion of perennial favorite topics MI, FL, and the popular vote.

There's more...

I guess on the heels of Governor Dean's announcement for Super D's to start declaring, 3 jumped at the chance.

Former New Jersey Governors Jim Florio and Brendan Byrne pledged their support to Hillary Clinton today, after being chosen Thursday as add-on superdelegates.

Their show of support comes the same day US Rep. Betty Sutton announced she too would support Clinton as a superdelegate.

There's more...