From the Reuters:
Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton joined forces at a carefully staged campaign rally on Friday, promising to bury the grudges from their bruising presidential nominating fight and work together to put Obama in the White House. The former rivals embraced, lavished praise on each other and vowed to bring the Democratic Party together for the November election fight against Republican John McCain. "Today we are coming together for the same goal -- to elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States," Clinton told the crowd of about 3,000. "We have gone toe-to-toe in this hard-fought primary, but today and every day going forward we stand shoulder-to-shoulder for the ideals we share and the values we cherish," she said. The joint appearance in a rural field outside an elementary school in the symbolically named New Hampshire town of Unity was the first time the two shared a stage in public since Obama clinched the Democratic nomination earlier this month. "We've made history together," said Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president. Clinton was vying to be the first woman U.S. president. Obama said she had served as an inspiration to millions of women and his own two daughters. "We shattered barriers that have stood firm since the founding of this nation," he said. He noted the town of Unity had split its votes evenly during the January 8 New Hampshire primary, with 107 votes for Obama and 107 for Clinton. "Now we look at them as 214 votes for change in America," Obama said.
From the Union Leader:
...Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, once old enemies, are now new friends with a shared vision of sinking Sen. John McCain’s bid for the White House. “This is our time to march forward in Unity,” Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, told several thousand people gathered in a field yesterday. “We will not just change the country, we will change the world. Let’s get to work.” ...In their first joint campaign appearance, the two stood united, conscious that a divided Democratic Party could be their fall come Nov. 4. Clinton pledged her support. “Now I don’t think it’s at all unknown in this audience that this was a hard-fought primary campaign,” the New York senator said before introducing Obama. “We have traversed America making our case to the American people. We have gone toe to toe in this hard-fought primary. But today and every day going forward, we stand shoulder to shoulder.” ...Clinton grinned as her name was chanted. “We may have started on separate paths but today our paths have merged,” she said. “I was honored to be in this race with Barack and I am proud that we had a spirited dialogue. That was the nicest way I could think of phrasing it. But it was spirited because we each care so much.” Clinton called those who have voted for her and Obama “an unstoppable force for change we can all believe in,” a take on his slogan that she made fun of during their nomination battle. At this event, there was no mistaking that she is on Team Obama. “We are one party,” she said. “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.” While saying she and Obama had great respect for McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, she said a McCain presidency would amount to a third term for President Bush. "In the end, Senator McCain and President Bush are like two sides of the same coin -- and it doesn't amount to a whole lot of change." ...“It's fitting that we meet in a place called Unity,” Obama said, referring to the 107 votes he and Clinton each received in this small western New Hampshire town on Jan. 8, 2008. He called for bringing troops home from Iraq, providing universal health care, a new energy policy that focused on conservation and alternatives, and pay equity for women. “The choice in this election is not between left and right. It’s not between liberal and conservative. It’s been the past and the future,” Obama said. Obama, speaking to a rapt crowd steaming in the sun, said Clinton has “an unyielding desire to improve the lives of ordinary Americans, no matter how difficult that fight may be.”
From Politico:
At a rally staged in a field of wildflowers, in a town so small that some residents of this state had never heard of it, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton attempted to show Friday that if they could put months of divisive campaigning behind them, so too should their supporters. The joint appearance under a strong summer sun capped a choreographed six-hour trip that started in Washington with a kiss between former rivals on an airport tarmac and ended in a rural New Hampshire outpost that attracted a crowd larger than the population of the town. ...From the name of the town to their complementary wardrobes...the day was a harmonious and near-flawless public reconciliation after the most hard-fought primary campaign in a generation. “Unity is not only a beautiful place as we can see, it’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?” Clinton said as soon as she stepped to the microphone. “And 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.” ...She encouraged her supporters to join Obama “to create an unstoppable force for change we can believe in.” “I know that he’ll work for you,” Clinton said. “He’ll fight for you, and he’ll stand up for you every single day in the White House.” ...The reunion of two political titans could not have been staged in a more secluded spot — in a town with no stop lights, one general store and residents who prize the isolation. The biggest event of the year is a festival with a cast-iron skillet toss. The honorary mayor, Ken Hall, wore a pair of suspenders and new sneakers he bought for the occasion. “I am a life-long Republican, and I voted for Sen. McCain,” Hall said. “But I may be part of this change.” ...The 4,000 people who showed up were bused from remote locations. They began arriving at dawn, and it took hours to transport everybody to Unity and hours more for them to make it back to their cars. The lines were long for the security searches, the food truck and the porta-potties. They came and stood for hours under a scorching sun for different reasons. Some wanted to witness history. Some wanted closure, and others wanted a glimpse of Obama, their choice from the start.
From the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch:
On Saturday, the campaign for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is launching its organizing efforts in Missouri “with 160 Unite for Change house parties across the state. “The events will bring together voters who supported Democratic candidates in the primary, but also independents and Republicans who are ready to turn the page on the failed policies of the past and commit to taking action this year,” the campaign said in a release. The Missouri parties are among more than 4,000 slated to held Saturday nationwide. Said Obama in a statement: “One of the benefits of the long primary season is that we had an opportunity to campaign in every part of the country. And in all 50 states, people helped build an unprecedented grassroots organization that continues to grow to this day. “This enthusiasm is about something bigger than any one candidate. It’s about our shared desire to change the way Washington does business. We are ready to move beyond the failed policies of George W. Bush and come together around common values that will lead us to a better future for all Americans. Through Unite for Change house meetings, friends and neighbors of various backgrounds will come together to organize and grow our grassroots movement for change.”
From the Los Angeles Daily News:
With temperatures soaring over 100 degrees, dozens of San Fernando Valley children and their parents sold "Hope Cupcakes," "Barack-lava" brownies and other goodies in bake sales last weekend supporting Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign. This weekend, at least five Valley families are opening their homes to a series of "Unite for Change" house parties on behalf of Obama. And across the Valley, teens unable to even vote yet are volunteering their summer vacations to work on a campaign that is making this presidential election season among the most unique in modern American political history. It is all part of the national Obama phenomenon of grass-roots activism that - in addition to attracting traditional volunteers - has recruited moms, many with toddlers in strollers, and their school-age children. ..."Since he was a Hillary supporter, I wanted to clear the party with him first," said Ana Dziengel, who is expecting at least two dozen people to attend her barbecue and pool party this weekend. The intent of the house parties, says "Valley for Obama" organizer Peter Rothenberg of Northridge, is not the numbers - nor even any money that's raised - but to help further the grass roots and neighborhood structure for the campaign's fall drive and develop ties with Democrats who supported other primary candidates. "It's about coming together to elect the next president," said Rothenberg. Marcia Schneider, who will be hosting a house party with her husband, Howard, in Northridge, says that at 63 years of age this is the first time she has gotten involved in a presidential campaign. "I am really gratified to see so many people here in the North Valley interested in getting involved in Obama's campaign - all walks of life, young and old," said Schneider, a school nurse. Raphael Sonenshein, political science professor at the University of California, Fullerton, calls the latest Obama grass-roots efforts remarkable. "This is something that has not been used since the old days when politics relied so heavily on grass roots and neighborhood organizing," said Sonenshein. "It's the application of the community organizing model to a political campaign that has only been tried in bits and pieces in the past but never with this much money to do it." According to Sonenshein, the re-election campaign of President George W. Bush did some similar grass-roots neighborhood organizing but in limited situations. "It was probably what won Ohio for Bush in 2004," said Sonenshein. "Now the Democrats know how to do it, and they're doing it with extraordinary results in fundraising." Retired psychologist Jean Ottina, who will host a party today at her Sherman Oaks home, said she received a packet from the Obama campaign with a recommended agenda for the parties - and fundraising was never mentioned. "This isn't a donation thing - which is good," said Ottina. "I think they want you and your neighbors to get to know each other for grass-roots organizing in the future." Ottina, 71, is typical of the grass-roots small donors who have come to play a role in the Obama campaign. Early in the Obama campaign, Ottina made a modest contribution - $25 - and was placed on the Obama e-mail list. "I've been getting e-mails, and I've given what I could," she said. "That's only $75. But when I got an e-mail asking if I could host a party, I thought, `Well, I've contributed all the money I can, but I can do that."' Sonenshein says this is what has distinguished the Obama campaign from others. "Presidential campaigns have usually been about political consultants and large donations," she said. "Often when campaigns have had volunteers, they haven't had anything for them to do. The Obama campaign has changed that. "Where the rubber will meet the road (in the Obama campaign) is whether they'll be able to turn this into a campaign where you do have people going door to door, talking to their neighbors about why they should vote for Obama. Historically, that has always been what has worked best in campaigns." Ana Dziengel believes she has an answer. "I had never canvassed for any political candidate, much less thrown a party," she said. "Then I read one of Obama's books and I was so inspired." Carrying her baby son, Alonzo, she set out to walk her neighborhood. "I started knocking on doors, talking about Barack and inviting people to my party."
