Three days after Hillary Clinton ended one of the most divisive battles ever for the Democratic presidential nomination, the party’s leaders announced Tuesday that they were solidly behind presumptive nominee Barack Obama and pledged to help get him elected.
They will begin by introducing an economic stimulus package in Congress that mirrors a $50 billion plan put forward by Obama.
“We will have a stimulus package that has some of those features,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said at an event Democrats billed as a “unity” news conference.
Democrats plan to synchronize their agenda with Obama at a meeting in the coming weeks, a top Democratic leadership aide said.
“We’ll talk to him about what makes sense,” the aide said, adding, “His agenda is very similar to ours.”
Democrats in the meantime are pledging to work in all 50 states to get Obama elected, even in places that Clinton won handily.
Gov. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, where Clinton cruised to a 39-point victory in May, has asked voters in his state to back the Illinois senator.
“We are totally committed to Senator Obama being the next president of the United States,” Manchin said.
Sens. Patty Murray and Debbie Stabenow, who had earlier endorsed Clinton, also promised to work to get Obama elected.
“We are all on the same team here,” Murray said. “We are all going to go out and make sure Barack Obama is elected president.”
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said now that the party has designated a nominee, the money is rolling in, including more than $1 million in the last few days alone.
“We are not going to have any trouble raising money,” Dean said.
Congress passed a $145 billion stimulus package that President Bush signed in February, and Democrats may not be able to pass a second stimulus package. Republicans have already indicated they believe it is too early to pass another one.
“There are 218 Democrats to get a bill passed in the House,” said Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina. “We need 290 to override a veto. That we don’t have.”
