Clinton, Obama Share Female Voter and Fundraising Pitch

By ANNA PHILLIPS, Special to the Sun | July 10, 2008

Trying out their new roles as a united front in the presidential election, Senators Obama and Clinton held a humorous, if occasionally awkward, fundraising breakfast at New York this morning.

Mr. Obama's half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, introduced Mrs. Clinton to the audience, which was mainly – though not exclusively – female, and included the City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn, and New York's first lady, Michelle Paterson.

New to the idea that Mrs. Clinton is no longer a rival, Ms. Soetoro-Ng fumbled on the delivery, and after a long list of the influential women in Mr. Obama's life said, "And then there's…um…Senator Clinton."

For their part, Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton traded compliments with relative ease and seemed to make an effort to place the word "share" in each sentence.

"We've shared this remarkable journey," Mrs. Clinton said. "Anyone who voted for me has so much in common with those who voted for Barack."

Addressing her supporters, Mrs. Clinton said it was time to move on. "I understand how challenging it is to turn on a dime, and say OK, close that chapter, now we're onto the next chapter, and it is a process and a time for people to take a deep breath to go forward," she said. "It is critical that we join forces."

The two senators focused their speeches on health care, equal pay, child care, education, and the minimum wage.

"We take it for granted that women are the backbone of our families," Mr. Obama said. "But we also can't ignore the fact that women are the backbone of the middle class."

Nor could they ignore the need for campaign donations.

The Republicans "are not going to go gently into that good night," Mrs. Clinton said. "You try to reach a 50 state campaign…and I know a little bit about how expensive that is"