Obama meets with mayors to unify party

At the U.S. Conference of Mayors in South Florida, Senator Barack Obama met with many mayors who supported Senator Hillary Clinton during the Democratic Party Primary season in order to unify his party and former Clinton supporters behind him for President. While the meeting was sponsored by Chicago Mayor's Richard M. Dailey, a huge Barack Obama supporter from the get go, helped bridge the gap between former Clinton supporters and Obama. Sources at the conference say the meeting was very productive. However while the speech helped bridge the gap in terms of party unity, many mayors at the conference felt Obama's speech was more so ambitious than realistic.

However in his Miami speech, Obama hit notes intended to resonate with mayors of urban cities in tough economic times: "You know what happens when Washington puts out economic policies that work for Wall Street but not Main Street, because it's your towns and cities that get hit when factories close their doors and workers lose their jobs and families lose their homes because of an unscrupulous lender. That's why you need a partner in the White House." Obama promised to increase federal funding for local law enforcement and education, as well as grant money for housing programs and aid for homeowners facing foreclosure.

Despite all the promises and the rhetoric that Obama gave in his speech, some of the Democrats in the audience felt the long list of promises seemed unrealistic. "I think the speech was wonderful," said Don Slesnick, mayor of Coral Gables, Fla. "I also think it was very ambitious -- a little too ambitious." Therefore, the meeting really helped in unifying the party and is a step in the right direction for the Democratic Party despite how the speech was perceived.