On Friday night, /*Barack Obama*/ and his wife cut a personal check for $4,600 dollars to help /*Hillary Clinton*/ pay off her /*campaign debt*/. Even though Obama is headed toward the nomination, it's clear he still needs his former democratic opponent.
They arrived separately for their unity gettogether at Washington's Mayflower Hotel on Friday night. Barack Obama came to make nice with Hillary Clinton and her big dollar supporters.
"Hillary got up and told everyone in the room that we all got to get behind Senator Obama. The issues of the campaign, we all got to get together and work hard," said Terry McAuliffe, a /*Clinton Campaign Chairman*/.
The former rivals will be in /*Unity, New Hampshire*/, where each candidate got exactly 107 primary votes. It will be their first joint campaign appearance since the end of the primaries. The pleasantries started a day early.
"We're all unified together. We're all fighting the same fight to win the White House. I'm grateful for Sen. Clinton's extraordinary support. She's going to be a great campaigner on our behalf," said Barack Obama.
"We have to be determined to chart a new course and we cannot do that without electing Senator Obama our president," said Hillary Clinton.
/*Michelle Obama*/ also joined in.
"Because of Hillary Clinton's work, the issues of importance to women and working families are front and center in this election," said Michelle Obama, the presumptive Democratic candidate's wife.
Some Clinton donors had been pushing the Obama team to do more to help pay off her $20 million campaign debt. On Friday Obama received a standing ovation when he said he would help. He then delivered a personal check for $4,600 from him and his wife, the most allowed under law. U.C. Berkeley political science professor Henry Brady says Obama has bigger concerns than helping Clinton financially.
"Well it's a nice gesture. I don't think it gets at any of the fundamental concerns that the Clinton Campaign has about Barack Obama, which is whether or not he can appeal to the working class and whether or not he can appeal to women's issues, which were important in the Clinton Campaign" said Henry Brady Ph.D., UC Berkeley Political Science Professor.
At the fundraiser, Senator Obama sidestepped the question on everyone's mind, whether Senator Clinton would be on the ticket. Incidentally, Former President Bill Clinton has issued a statement saying he, too, would help Obama.
