I realize I’m a day behind, but yesterday, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama made a joint appearance in Orlando to kick-start early voting in Florida. My husband and I were on the fence about whether we should go or not. Was it worth fighting traffic and thousands upon thousands of people? You betcha it was!

We hopped our bikes and rode to Amway Arena — arriving just in time to hear Sen. Clinton rally her supporters to get out there and help Obama get elected to the White House. According to media reports, there were 50,000 or 60,000 people on hand to hear what they had to say. And, it was totally worth it.

I’ve known for a very long time which candidate would get my vote, so I didn’t attend the rally to be persuaded. I went simply to experience the “hype” — to see what all the fuss is about. It’s not just hype. I’ve attended my fair share of political events — including presidential campaign events for Kerry, in Toledo of all places (a highly Democratic region) — but I’ve never experienced anything like this Obama/Clinton rally.

Let me first tackle the Clinton part. Whatever you’re feelings about her, there’s no denying that she helped the women’s movement jump ahead leaps and bounds. (In fact, she is the reason Palin is the VP nominee. McCain saw the attention Hillary got from women and he wanted to capture some of that same magic. A flawed decision, but that’s another matter.) Seeing Hillary yesterday imploring her Florida supporters to get behind Obama was moving.  She said that if you knocked on doors for her, you needed to knock on doors for Obama. If you made calls for her, you needed to make calls for Obama. When asking her supporters to talk to undecideds, she said, “Tell them Hillary sent you to vote for Barack Obama.”

Up next was Obama. Words can’t describe what that was like. I’m not easily impressed by politicians — but even I had goosebumps during much of his speech and felt the need to stand on my very tippy, tippy toes so I could catch a glimpse. My favorite parts:

At a defining moment like this, we don’t have the luxury of relying on the same political games and the same political tactics that are used every election to divide us from one another and make us afraid of one another. With the challenges and crises we face right now, we cannot afford to divide this country by class or region; by who we are or what policies we support.

There are no real or fake parts of this country. We are not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this nation - we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it; patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women from Florida and all across America who serve on our battlefields — some may be Democrats and some may be Republicans and some may be Independents, but they all fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America. That’s what this election is about.

And, what really struck me:

We can do this. Americans have done this before.Everybody here think about it. You’ve got a parent or a grandparent or a great-grandparent who said to themselves maybe I can’t go to college but if I work hard, maybe my child or grandchild can go to college. Everybody here, maybe they’ve got a parent or a grandparent who came from another country, said I may not have freedom, but if I take the risk and travel to America then I know I will have freendom in America. Everybody here had a parent or a grandparent  who said I may not own business but if I work in this tough, dirty job, maybe someday my granddaughter or grandson, they’ll own a business of their own. Somebody here has a parent or a grandparent who said I may never be able to vote because I’m black or because I’m a woman, but you know what? Maybe someday I might have a granddaughter or a grandson who’s running for the presidency of the United States of America.

That’s the dreams that America is made of. That’s what we’re fighting for. In this election, if you’ll stand with me … if you’ll work with me … if you’ll organize with me … if you’ll go vote tomorrow and the next day for me — then I promise you, we won’t just win Florida, we’ll win this election. You and I together, we’re going to change the country and we’re going to change the world.

A woman, Hillary Clinton, paved roads for people like me. And, a black man, Barack Obama — on the shoulders of million and millions of community organizers and volunteers — is on the verge of getting elected and on the cusp of helping our great country re-discover its right course.

One more thing that struck me yesterday: There were all these kids — little kids, propped up on thier dad’s shoulders so they could see the state. Thankfully, they will never know a world where only old, white men have the opportunity to be president. They are fortuntate enough to be growing up in a world where a black man or a woman are *this close* to being president of the United States. November 4th cannot get here soon enough.

Pics my husband took at the event:

I know absolutely nothing about Sarah Palin, so I’ll reserve my comments about her political stances and what she brings to the ticket for a later time. But, it’s worth noting that multiple people in my office think John McCain picked Palin to be his VP in an attempt to woo Hillary supporters.

As my boss so elequantly put it, “McCain must think women are stupid.” Are women really going to vote for McCain now just because he has a woman on the ticket? Hillary supporters — who now will vote for McCain/Palin just to get a woman into the White House – apparently answered “yes” when Hillary asked if they were in the campaign just for her. Certainly they weren’t in it for the issues she believes in.

Remarkable. I can’t think of a better word to describe Hillary’s speech last night. She did everything she was supposed to do … and then some. There is no reasonable Hillary supporter out there who can pull the lever for McCain after that speech. Unless they were only supporting Hillary so a woman could be in the White House. And, voting for someone just because they’re a woman is about as dumb as not voting for someone because they’re black.

Like I’ve said, I wasn’t an ardant Hillary supporter, but watching her last night made me proud of how far we’ve come as a country. Hillary has a lot to offer this country and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for her.

There have been numerous media accounts about President Clinton’s competitiveness. He’ll want to protect his legacy and he’ll want to show that he’s up to the challenge and able to deliver a speech even more rousing than his wife’s. Wonder what he’ll do tonight? Hopefully, he’ll take Hillary’s lead and come out for Obama in full force.

One more thought. Last night, the pundits noted that the Dems didn’t take many digs at the GOP. I thought that was a smart move: Michelle couldn’t play the role of the angry spouse.

That being said, Dems need to do more tonight to talk about why four more years of the GOP is a bad thing. I never agree with Pat Buchanan, but he just made a valid point. No one is talking about Cheney, torture, etc. Half this country thinks we’re headed in the wrong direction. Why aren’t we talking more about that? Warner’s speech was good in some aspects … but it didn’t give voters a clear understanding of why Democrats are different than Republicans. Obama’s campaign people scripted this all out, so I just need to be patient … but someone needs to make a strong case for the Democrats.

Hopefully, Hillary is a little sharper — a little more on the attack — and makes a better case that Dems are clearly the better choice.

Last night, during Michelle Obama’s amazing speech, I was amazed by the number of women crying — clearly, emotionally moved by this strong, smart woman/mother/wife. When Michelle gave a shout out to Hillary and the 18 million cracks she put in the glass ceiling, even I got goosebumps. I didn’t vote for Hillary, but I remember feeling this sense of excitement and pride when I watched her video announcement. Her campaign elevated the status of women to a new height. I know it’s sort of corny sounding … but what she did matters.

Tonight, it’s Hillary’s turn to shine at the convention. I can only hope that she “finds her voice” — that same voice her campaign handlers (stupidly) stiffled … but a voice that inspires.

Four years ago, who would have thought that a woman or an African American would be president? But, here we are in 2008 — and how times have changed. An African American woman opened the convention with a bang bringing listeners to tears of hope. And tonight, another woman — one who was this close to being her party’s nominee — will make perhaps the most important speech of the convention. She needs to make sure everyone understands that John McCain stands on the wrong side of  issues important to women. Healthcare. Pay equity. Reproductive rights. Just for starters.

The difference between Democrats and Republicans are clearly illustrated by how each party treats women. At the Democratic convention, women are in the spotlight, driving the discussion. On the other side, 20% of GOP voters are less likely to vote for McCain if he picked a woman to be VP. Really? Knowing that, it’s totally beyond my comprehension that there are  Hillary supporters who would even consider voting for McCain.

Hillary’s on in 20 minutes. I can’t wait.