Bill Clinton makes a compelling argument for Hillary from the back of a flatbed truck.
Obama is a spellbinding orator. He may be short on specifics, but he is long on hope and dreams. He paints a picture of a better world, where we all stop fighting with each other and work together for the common good. If it is not entirely clear how that world will look, or how we will get there, he leaves his audience with no doubt that we will. Yes, we can. This is change we can believe in, not change we can't believe in. I am not sure exactly what the difference is, but you cannot hear him and not believe this is a good man, a smart man, with solid values and a determination to do what is right. His future is a better place, and if we do not know precisely how he will take us there, we are convinced that surely he will. If leading means getting others to follow, this man is truly a leader. He reaches our hearts like no one since John Kennedy, and if JFK was perhaps not quite ready to be president from day one, those old enough to remember him revere how he made us a better people. Ask not... We long for someone who will remake us as a people the way Kennedy did.
At 8:00 the next morning, I went to hear Bill Clinton. There were no long lines, no intimidating security, no organized volunteers. He spoke at an open park, to a large walk-up crowd, though not nearly the size of Obama's. Every imaginable local official came to endorse his wife. Our local congressman, several state legislators, county officials, three city councilmen, even the local tax collector (who, naturally, was booed). We all just walked up to the flatbed truck where he stood to speak, and waited for him to arrive. No one told us where to stand or patted us down. True to his reputation for tardiness, Clinton arrived promptly 45 minutes late, even though this was his first stop. I felt sorry for those who would be waiting to see him at the end of the day.
Like Obama, Bill Clinton is a powerful speaker. He makes her case clearly and logically. He does not speak like Obama. Obama goes for the heart, Clinton the head. He lists her numerous accomplishments, focusing on what she has done for people like those in the audience. He hits on what he achieved – balanced budgets, peace, growing incomes at all income levels, international respect - all the time giving much of the credit to Hillary. He clearly resents Obama lumping his administration together with that of Bush as part of the old way of doing business, as if there were no difference. If he once strayed in the flesh, he is fiercely loyal to Hillary in the heart, and you come away with different feelings about both her and him after hearing his spirited defense. If he has not been able to capture your heart in the way Obama does, he at least makes you respect her years of work and accomplishments, rather than think of them as a badge of dishonor. If Obama is the conciliator, Clinton is the fighter. Who knows which would be more effective at bringing about change?
If you still have a primary ahead, get out and vote. Even more importantly, be sure to register and vote in the general election in November. There will be a clear choice, and your voice needs to be heard.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
