Hard on the heels of his successful eight year presidential campaign, which resulted in a massive block of 18 +/- delegates to the 2008 Democratic national convention, John Edwards issued the following endorsements:
The Red Sox for 2007 MLB World Champions!
Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House!
The New York Giants for 2008 Super Bowl Champs!
No Country for Old Men for 2008 Best Picture Oscar!
Wednesday night Barack Obama gave us a glimpse of what to expect from him once he is in the White House and, it proves that we are in for some big, not-what-we-think-is-right surprises.
We, the involved, informed and intelligent citizens of the United States, are going to have to get used to the FACT that our next President will NOT be heeding our well-considered, thoughtfully-debated advice. He will NOT be acquiescing to our net-roots opinions. He will NOT be following the course of action that we think is right.
On Friday, John Edwards went on a media blitz to talk about his new anti-proverty program half in ten, which vowed to cut national proverty in half by ten years. He also established that he does eventually plan to endorse very soon and for the person who he voted for in the NC primary.
Now John Edwards could have easily sat this one out, waited until the end, and then support the eventually nominee which is more than likely going to be the man he voted for: Barack Obama.
So why would John Edwards say he is going to endorse soon if the election is going to be over at the earliest May 21 and the lastest June 3? Why would he think at this point that his endorsement would make a difference when most of his voters and supporters have already moved to Obama?
The pattern of this Primary season has been pretty clear. When a major key endorsement comes, such as Bill Richardson, it's been on a Friday, a chance for Obama to either change the narrative into the weekend, or emphasize what's the state of the race.
Breaking news that favorite North Carolina (Obama +14) Son John Edwards will be on the Today show exclusive on Friday, May 9th. Given the cover of a massive Obama victory in North Carolina, John Edwards now has full permission to come out and endorse Barack Obama. What political weight will it yield? That all depends upon the answer to this question
What will he say. What won’t he say?
My money is on an Obama Endorsement. Vote in poll below... after you read the important action item of the day over the flip
Senator Obama's decisive win in North Carolina has indeed made him the presumptive nominee of the party and the primary is now over. The front page of the Obama website says it all; he only needs 34 additional pledged delegates to clinch the pledged delegate race and less than 140 Supers for a total of 173 delegates to secure the nomination.
Mrs. Clinton has run out of reasonable options and money, but will not admit defeat. Should John Edwards step up to the plate for the good of the party and endorse Senator Obama, thereby respecting the will of his fellow North Carolinians?
Those of you who know me know that I am an Obama supporter. While I would love to tell you I think John Edwards is going to endorse Obama this weekend, unfortunately I think the opposite is far more likely to happen. And I think everyone here should brace themselves for the very real possibility of an Edwards endorsement of Hillary Clinton this weekend.
Next Tuesday is the North Carolina Primary. Edwards as you all know is a very popular figure in the state. And as of this writing undecided. It should be noted John Edwards is not a Super Delegate, he does however hold a total 19 Delegates (pledged and super) whom he could presumably persuade to vote for whomever he endorses. Because of this, his endorsement has been coveted by both Candidates.
Democrats are divided. Progressives once certain that they would support the Party nominee, are now, no longer sure that they can. People on the Left for the first time in their lives are looking to the "Right." Staunch Liberals state they will vote Republican in 2008 if the candidate of their choice is not the Party's nominee. Many Democrats say they will not vote at all. Much damage has been done. The political process has become a play for power or an attempt to create chaos.
Update 1: [As i thought might happen, someone got a piece up first that made the reclist while i was writing this, but so it goes, on days we all badly need good news.. :> ]
So i posted my very first diary yesterday, about an early exit poll that turned out pretty off (though i'd given all the proper provisos in my little piece), so in 'apology', i'll post a link to this short article from Boston.com, which states unequivocally that... (be brave and make the jump, friends, now is no time to step back!)
As you all probably know there was an article published by The Scotsman about the possibility of former Vice President Al Gore and former President Jimmy Carter ending this drawn out primary battle with an endorsement or calls for Hillary to concede the race. The reason such actions would cause any kind of a stir is due to the fact that on the short list of the most influential people in the Democratic Party two of the biggest names Bill and Hillary Clinton are of course already committed and have been for over a year.
Other names on the list include John Kerry the last Democratic Candidate for President who has endorsed Obama. Howard Dean, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi who as Party leaders must remain neutral. Though Obama was part of the "Dean Dozen" in 2004. Aside from those who have already endorsed or are required by arbitrary rules of fairness to hold off, you are left with relatively few names. Of those two stand out as the most coveted endorsements of any Democratic Hopeful.
this is it. I am writing a short journal where I say what, at least what I believe, needs to be said. I think we all can respect Elizabeth Edwards' views on instituting national health care. I think we all can respect what John Edwards did for this race -- making the candidates discuss policy when they would have preferred platitudes. Most of all, I think we can respect Edwards' message and commitment to working Americans.
But whatever. We can count and the primary is over. Clinton can't win the delegate battle, and if she wins the primary on Supers, the party will be rent and not recover before the general election.
The long primary has been great for Democrats. But Obama made a gaff in a state the Democrats need to win. Obama's damage control has been strong, but we need a closer. This story needs to be killed, and Edwards is the perfect and perhaps only vessel to kill it. Edwards' refusal to endorse at this moment in the campaign is hurting the party and the survival of any portion of his platform -- even though there are clear differences on his and Obama's policy views.
So, you former Edwards' supporters. Please use this space to explain what is up with Edwards! Over and over there are rumors that he'll endorse ________(candidate's name). People have inside information that it'll be Clinton, no Obama, no Clinton...
Our hopes skyrocket and then crash and burn as the next "endorsement date" passes.
I am going to open a thread to discuss the first few paragraphs of a new New York Magazine story covering the President primary.
http://nymag.com/...
Those first few paragraphs reproduced below go into what happened that kept Edwards on the fence.
In the days after John Edwards’s withdrawal from the Democratic race, the political world expected his endorsement of Barack Obama would be forthcoming tout de suite. The neo-populist and the hopemonger had spent months tag-teaming Hillary Clinton, pillorying her as a creature of the status quo, not a champion of the kind of "big change" they both deem essential. So appalled was Edwards at Clinton’s gaudy corporatism—her defense of the role of lobbyists, her suckling at the teats of the pharmaceutical and defense industries—that he’d essentially called her corrupt. And then, not least, there were the sentiments of his wife. "Elizabeth hasn’t always been crazy about Mrs. Clinton" is how an Edwards insider puts it; a less delicate member of HRC’s circle says, "Elizabeth hates her guts."
Could John and Elizabeth Edwards be this calculating?
Word is former Dem presidential hopeful John Edwards is now leaning toward endorsing Hillary . . . but it's still a wait and see.
• Translation: Sneed hears Edwards' wife, cancer survivor Elizabeth Edwards, does NOT favor Barack Obama's candidacy . . . but NOT because of racism. "She feels her husband should have been the man in the center of the presidential sweepstakes, rather than Obama," a source said.
This is Easter Sunday. I decided in church an hour or so ago that I can no longer be silent on the race between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama...I regret what appears to be the cagey, waiting-to-be-seduced silence of my friends, our governor and our worthy former presidential candidate, John Edwards.
Paul Hardin
Chapel Hill
(The writer is a former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)
