At Morning Obama Fund-Raiser, Clinton Is the Star Attraction

"There may be somebody special here today," said Maya Soetoro-Ng, Barack Obama's sister, upon observing the large audience in the Hilton ballroom this morning. Then she abruptly added, "Two somebodies."

It seems the Obama family is having a hard time remembering Hillary Clinton this week. Last night, Obama painfully forgot to make an appeal for the cancellation of Clinton's debt to his supporters at a fund-raiser that was billed as a unity event in which he would make an appeal for the cancellation of Clinton's debt. This morning, in front of roughly 2,000 donors, mostly women, who had donated between $200 and $23,000 to a variety of Obama-related funds, the two former rivals appeared together to argue that equal pay and rights for women was a crucial aspect of any plan for American progress, and that party unity was a critical step to winning in November.

But first Soetoro-Ng gave her introduction, during which she talked about all the strong women in Obama's life. There was his grandmother, armed with a "great pair of shoes," who rose to be vice president of a bank in Hawaii; his mother, "who opted for Birkenstocks rather than four-inch heals" (the feminists will surely have something to say about all the shoe references–including Obama's own "she did it in heels" homage to Clinton); Obama's wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha.

"And then there's, um," she said, pausing briefly. "Senator Clinton. Yes. Let's give her a big hand."

When Clinton and Obama finally took the stage, her leading him, he with his hand on her back and then sitting behind her--Bill Clinton-like--on a chair next to the podium, she made sure to make a mark. Despite the "Women for Obama" sign on the podium and a "Change We Can Believe In" banner hanging from a crimson curtain behind her, Clinton took advantage of the comfortable surroundings, speaking in front of her base supporters in her home city, and delivered a speech that easily outshined the one Obama gave after her. (Even an Obama volunteer and Obama donor, chatting on the train home after the event, said that she was "great" while he looked "tired.") At times humorous and passionate, Clinton dressed in a dark pantsuit with white piping around the collar, Clinton said that she couldn't see everyone in the crowd because of the bright lights in her eyes. But, she said, "I know you're there and I know that you'll be there in November."

She said how Obama remarked to her, before coming onstage, "You look kind of rested." She said that during the campaign she had no time to exercise, while he "faithfully" worked out every morning.

"I would get up and have my hair done," she said, prompting laughter in the crowd. "It's one of those Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers things that is part of our lives." (Shoe allusion!)

Clinton went on to express her confidence in Obama's candidacy and her commitment to his election. She said she understood the emotional difficulty of supporting a candidate wholeheartedly and then having to "turn on a dime" to support another, but argued, "Anyone who voted for me has so much in common with those who voted for Barack."

Clinton argued that the stakes of the election were too high to stay at home, especially for women, and that equal pay, minimum wage increases, health care and the environment were on the line. She contrasted the Democratic agenda to that of George W. Bush, who she said discovered global warming with four months to go in this presidency, and then put on a mock-dopey accent to imitate Bush, saying, "'Gosh, this is a problem. I hope somebody does something about it.'" Obama, wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, laughed.

For much of the speech, Obama sat with arms folded and head tilted back, including when Clinton said, "I think our hard-fought primary was good for the Democratic Party."

She alluded to her own financial woes in the most subtle of manners when she appealed for more donations to help Obama implement his 50-state strategy.

"I know a little bit about how expensive that is," she said.

For most of the speech, Clinton used gender-neutral terms to describe Obama, calling him "the next president," or "the candidate," but at the end, she pointed at him and said, in what seemed to almost be a slip, "This is the man--this is the candidate" who Democratic women needed to work and vote for.

Obama's speech, though well received, was much more sedate and lengthy. He talked about how "women are also the backbone of the middle class" and said, "I don't accept an America that makes women choose between their families and their careers." He spoke about his commitment to equal-pay initiatives and defended his position on abortion rights, observing that McCain had a rating of zero from Planned Parenthood, while Obama himself had a 100 percent rating. "Not really a nail-biter," he said.

The audience gave him a standing ovation after he ended with a rousing appeal for their toil and votes by saying, "You will give Senator Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama the chance to transform America once again." Some of the women leaving the ballroom said they hoped the two would appear on the ticket together.

"I'm very much hoping they run together," said Monica Overley, a 39-year-old homemaker from Manhattan. She expressed pleasure at the appearance of "unity" at the event, but said she would like to see Obama do more to raise money for Clinton, who she supported in the primary. "I don't think he is doing a whole lot," she said.