Hillary Defeat Is Our Loss

SENATOR Hillary Clinton's defeat in the Democratic presidential primary is bad news for Ireland. There is no question that had she won the primary and gone on to win the White House there would have been huge positives for Ireland in her victory.

No candidate in history, including her husband, came into an election with such an in-depth knowledge and regard for Ireland and Irish American issues.

That is not chopped liver in a world where the competition to have the ear of the next president will be intense. Clinton would certainly have had a welcome for Irish concerns.

Her base of Irish American support was incredibly strong, and no one was in any hurry to switch to Senator Barack Obama even when the tide was against her.

Individuals like Declan Kelly, the head of Financial Dynamics who spearheaded a fundraising drive that raised over $3 million for her campaign, were in the vanguard. So too was Stella O'Leary, head of Irish American Democrats, and Brian O'Dwyer of the New York law firm of O'Dwyer and Bernstien, as well as a host of other activist Irish who had stood with the Clintons over the past decade and a half.

Clinton had visited Ireland seven times, and in addition was very familiar with a large group of Irish Americans who stood with her to the end.

Interesting to note that one of her chief fundraisers remarked last week that the most enjoyable events she helped organize were the Irish ones for her candidate.

It was noticeable at Clinton's remarks last Tuesday in Manhattan that many Irish American supporters showed up for the last hurrah. Intensely loyal to her to the end, they are precisely the kind of Hillary supporters that Obama needs to nail down.

That is no automatic thing. As Tip O'Neill famously remarked, people like to be asked for their vote.

To date there has been little or no outreach from the Obama camp to the Irish American community, a point made very forcefully by John Dearie, head of the Irish Presidential Forum who has been trying to bring Obama to a forum event.

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Nster.com