News - History made at DNC: Locals react to Obama's nomination

Prior to Obama’s nomination, the Illinois Senator announced Saturday, Aug. 23 that Delaware Sen. Joe Biden would be his running mate. Biden will join Obama on the campaign trail for what is anticipated to be a hard-fought battle between the Democratic nominee and Sen. John McCain leading up to the general election in November.

Obama and Biden appeared for the first time on the steps of the old Illinois State Capitol in Springfield on Saturday – the same place where Obama announced his bid for the nomination in February 2007 and where Abraham Lincoln cemented himself as one of the great political leaders in American history.

In his speech, Obama touted Biden as a man who would not just be a “good vice president,” but a “great one.”

“For months, I’ve searched for a leader to finish this journey alongside me and join me in making Washington work for the American people. I searched for a leader who understood the rising costs confronting working people and will always put their dreams first,” Obama said.

Obama went on to declare Biden as a “statesman with sound judgment who doesn’t have to hide behind bluster to keep America strong.”

Biden, who was one of Obama’s harshest critics concerning his experience while he ran for the nomination, said Obama had proven to him throughout the nomination process that he had a “spine of steel” and the ability to bring the American people together.

Biden also took time to take a few swipes at Republican presidential candidate John McCain – a man who he calls a “genuine friend” – by criticizing him over his support of President Bush’s policies.

“You can’t change America when you supported George Bush’s policies 95 percent of the time,” Biden said.

Saratoga County Democratic Committee chairman Larry Bulman, originally a supporter of Hillary Clinton, said he felt bad the New York Senator had not received the nomination, but thought Biden and Obama would make a great team.

“She did a phenomenal job and she would have made a great president, but I am going to be supporting Barrack Obama wholeheartedly,” he said. “I plan on working very hard for him and I think Joe Biden adds a lot to the ticket.”

Bulman added he did not feel Clinton would have been necessarily a good choice for Vice President because of the heated primary that took place between her and Obama.

“I feel we fail as a party when the Republicans attack us and go negative and we don’t do enough to fight back,” he said. “One thing I have always liked about Biden compared to Clinton and Obama is he isn’t going to be swiftboated like John Kerry was.”

Bulman said he is currently working on the finances to help support an upcoming campaign, which will be spearheaded by Saratoga Springs Commissioner of Public Safety Ron Kim. The group intends to open up a headquarters on Broadway after the end of track season. The office will dual as both a headquarters for Obama and Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand who is currently running against Republican Sandy Treadwell for the 20th congressional district seat.

“Putting the Obama and Gillibrand people together will make one heck of an army because they have such strong grassroots support in the community,” Bulman said.

Obama’s decision to choose Biden as his running mate came just two days before the party kicked off its annual convention on Monday, Aug. 25 in Denver, Colo. – a state Democrats haven’t won in the general election since 1992.

The four-day extravaganza featured key speeches by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Michelle Obama, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton.

Marcia Sullivan of Fort Edward attended the four-day long convention as a pledged delegate on behalf of Obama. Speaking from Denver Wednesday, Sullivan said the city was filled with excitement and the people of Denver had been extremely hospitable.

“You can just feel the electricity in the air and the excitement and anticipation just builds every night,” she said.

Sullivan has been an active volunteer in the Obama campaign for more than a year and has traveled to states like New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania in order to campaign on behalf of the Illinois Senator.

“To watch the whole thing evolve from when I first heard him speak at the 2004 Democratic National Convention to when I first saw him speak in person has just been mind boggling,” she said. “I knew that he was going to be a great candidate and now I truly believe he is going to win the general election.”

She also praised Hillary Clinton for her speech Tuesday night and said although many of her supporters seemed to be leery of Obama – they were starting to come around.

“After all that has happened if her supporters don’t decide to vote for her I think it will be like a slap in the face to Hillary,” she said. “If that is the case then they weren’t doing it because they supported her, but because they used her to support their own personal gain.”

Aside from all the excitement and knowledge Sullivan had gained from the whole experience, she seemed most enthusiastic about being a part of such a historic election.

“When I was elected as a delegate I thought, ‘I am going to be participating in one of the most important conventions of the past century,’” she said. “I am proud to be a part of a movement that aims to take the country in a totally different direction.”

Sullivan was not the only local Democrat in Denver over the past week as other locals in attendance included Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, long-time pledged delegate Suzy Ballantyne of Clifton Park and Commissioner Ron Kim, who served as an alternate pledged delegate at the convention.

Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for president Thursday night on the 40th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. He is the first African-American presidential candidate in United States history – a feat managed 40 years after all forms of segregation were deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Obama’s nomination is a monumental moment in American history that will be taught to future generations from this time forward. His name will now and forever be synonymous with those of Lincoln, Tubman, Douglass, and King – and all the other brave men and women who fought so hard to ensure the rights of African Americans in the United States. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, Wed. Aug. 27, 2008 will forever be a day in our country’s history that every American can be proud to have been a part of.

Next week, John McCain will accept his nomination for president at the Republican National Convention, which will be held Monday, Sept. 1 – Thursday, Sept. 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota.