The ‘Vote Early for Change’ rally in Fort Lauderdale on Monday saw Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton join forces, insisting on Floridians to use their swing state influence to bring back a Democrat in the White House.

With fists pumping and arms clasped around each other’s back, the two Senators looked like old friends. As thousands in the crowd cheered their appearance together, Obama vowed to tap Clinton’s passion for health-care reform in case he becomes the President.

Clinton, encouraging people to vote early, said that the Democrats would make sure that “Florida is not just a little blue, but blue from one end to the other.” With Obama standing by her side, she added: “Let’s get as many votes banked as possible so we don’t have problems on November 4.”

Florida being a battleground state, the numbers count. Though Republicans took the 2004 election and a court decision in 2000, registered Democrats now outnumber Republicans by nearly 658,000.  

Former Florida senator and former Governor, Bob Graham, said that Clinton’s appearance with Obama, who she contested, shows that she has devoted herself to this election, thereby “sending a powerful signal to her 18 million or more supporters.”

Senator Clinton, having stumped for Obama nationwide said: “Now is the time to close the deal for Barack Obama and close the book on eight years of failed Republican leadership. … America will rise from the ashes of the Bushes.”

For his part, Obama countered the McCain-Palin comments about patriotism last week, said: “There are no real or fake parts of this country. We’re not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this country. We all love this country.”

In the fight for the presidency, Florida is a lynchpin, and everything helps - every ex-Clinton voter’s mind eased by a joint appearance, every back slap, every reminder that Mr. Bush’s first secretary of state plans to vote Democrat!