Eating my words, and loving every minute of it!

There are some times in my life where I love being wrong. On this blog nobody has been more critical of John Edwards that I. Long have I waited for Edwards (whom I supported for president) to stand up and make an endorsement of a Democratic candidate. My waiting turned into impatience and I incorrectly predicted that he would sit on the fence until the convention. Today my friends, I was proud to eat those words as I flicked on the television to see Breaking News: Edwards endorses Obama! Only one day after pundits predicted total divide in the Democratic party, Edwards rushed in and offered words of reconciliation at just the right time. This is exactly what we needed folks. If you listened to his tone he congratulated Hillary, applauded the gains the party, and simultaneously pumped up Obama. This folks, is the tone that the Democrats have longed for, which only Edwards could provide. I am so proud today, I could barely contain my excitement. For the first time in two years, I would consider myself a Democrat again. Thank you John Edwards for transcending the garbage news headlines and providing stewardship for your party when they needed you most.

The Ballad of John Edwards

Funny that Marc should post a hit on John Edwards today. In thinking about how the campaign between Clinton and Obama shook out over the months since Iowa, I see John Edwards more and more as as tragic figure in the 2008 election cycle.

John Edwards' message all year heading into Iowa and New Hampshire was that he was the fighter. He was going to fight poverty, and fight corporations for a better life for the rest of America. Yet for whatever reason he could never make his message stick with voters and John Edwards' was forced to suspend his campaign after the early contests.

I for one think his exit was too early. Edwards wouldn't have won the nomination if he had stayed in but think of how his message and indeed in many ways his brand have been co-opted by Hillary Clinton. Hillary entered the primary season as the the "experience" candidate in a change year. The change versus experience argument played strongly into Obama's hands, and left Edwards with no real position to be in. Yet as the race wore on and Clinton began losing constests after Feb. 5th she began to pivot away from being "ready on day one" to being the candidate that's going to fight for the little guy. In fact, her coalition of voters were the very folks that Edwards claimed. Yet for whatever reason Edwards never passed the smell test with the electorate, and never got a chance to do the distance. Now he is left pseudo-endorsing neither candidate, waiting to see what his next gig might be.

Do I Smell an Endorsement?

Is it me, or did it just sound like Senator John Edwards said he supports Hillary? If you listened to Face the Nation on Sunday morning, Edwards said that Clinton was gaining steam and would be a stronger candidate in the fall. Maybe it's me, but I can take this one of two ways. Either Edwards has little chance of becoming the VP under Obama, or there's more than meets the eye to this race. Is it me or is it strange that pundits keep saying that it would take a shocking revelation to knock out Obama? Why do they keep saying that? It's almost like they're trying to cushion the blow when Hillary overtakes Obama because of some nasty scandal or political secret. Edwards words reminded me why I hate politicians more than any other profession, because they can never say plainly how they feel. They have to dress us their words and encode them, almost as if they think we are incapable of handling the truth. I think this story is far from over, so stay posted.

A Pennsylvanian's Take on the Primary from Hell

I barely have enough strength to eloquently argue my true feelings on the primary results from last night's Pennsylvania primary. To be honest, I would support either candidate, despite my preference for Barack Obama. Anybody would be better than John McCain, which will amount to essentially a third term for George W. Bush. My stomach became more sick with every percentage point that Hillary Clinton picked up. Not only because I prefer Obama, but also because the large margin of victory ensures that the Democratic nomination is far from decided. If you listened carefully you could actually hear the tear in the Democratic party get larger last night. Analysis of the voter breakdown displays yet again the deep divide that exists amongst Dems. Individuals 18-29 and African American voters were clearly for Obama, while the elderly, blue-collar, Catholics favored Hillary. As many of my compatriots have eloquently stated in earlier blogs, this election is centered around race and age. Damn, even Ed Rendell weighed in and said Pennsylvanians would have a problem with electing a Black man. Twenty nine percent of "Bitter" Hillary supporters (in Pennsylvania) said they would vote for McCain rather than vote for Obama. Sixteen percent of the Barack faithful would prefer the G.O.P candidate than vote for a Democrat who can elude sniper fire. Some top Democrats say that this infighting will actually produce a stronger candidate in November, but the statistics say otherwise. Let's hypothetically say that this goes all the way to the Convention and the Superdelegates make the final decision (which it probably will). Can you honestly tell me that either side will be happy with the result?  I have traditionally held back on my list of "things I think must happen" but I figure what the hell, so here they are:

1. Howard Dean, get some Kiwi's and get tough on these Superdelegates. Sitting on the fence till the end of the game and choosing a candidate in a smoke filled room will not sit well with the voting public.

2. John Edwards, please find the voice I know you have in you and support somebody. Please be the King (or Queen) maker. At this point, jeopardizing your chance as VP will be a mute point if McCain wins the election.

3. Hillary, stop calling plays from the Karl Rove playbook. I know you say, "it's what he'll have to face in the fall." Why give the Republicans more ammunition than they will already have. Only two months ago, the G.O.P had no idea how to deal with Barack, now they not only have the blueprint, they will just recycle your campaign ads.

4. Barack, I know you're all about the politics of "Hope" and "Change", but if you don't change your tactics, you're going to look weak to top party officials. You worked way too hard to lose it all at the end.

I fear that the Democrats cannot endure another six weeks of the "low-road to victory". If somebody doesn't wise up soon, we Americans can get used to two simple words, "President McCain." Tell me that doesn't send shivers down your spine.

John Edwards: Kiss of Death

John Edwards' popularity has taken a couple indirect but hurtful blows this week. And when you consider he's not even a candidate anymore, that just rubs salt in the festering wound. First, Huffpo reported yesterday that the August 2007 issue of Esquire, with Senator Edwards on the cover, was one of the worst selling issues of the year. Then today, as pointed out by our friends at A Red Mind in a Blue State, a Texas student is suing his school district for kicking him off campus for wearing a John Edwards t-shirt. Apparently, it's against dress code to wear t-shirts with political messaging. This shocks and astounds me; so, it's OK to show my support for Tony Romo on school grounds but not for John Edwards? Talk about an inconsistent and incompetent policy. Then, I've never been a big fan of most school's dress codes. They're either too strict or too lax. But, I digress. I guess my point is, if I'm making a point, that it seems Senator Edwards just seems to bring bad luck. And I say "boo" to that, because I like him. I guess it remains to be seen if his endorsement can/will sink a candidate.

John Edwards...King Maker?

Policythought tries to stay out of the horse race game of the Presidential election but we did talk in a previous post about the power a John Edwards endorsement could have on the election. Well Chris Cillizza and the rest of his team over at The Fix, a blog hosted at washingtonpost.com give us some insights into how Senator Obama might be wooing Edwards.