Is John Edwards Trying to Finally Play Kingmaker?
Update: It’s official. Edwards endorses Obama. Can we have this end now? Please?
There are rumors swirling indicating that John Edwards is heading to Michigan to endorse Barack Obama at 7PM tonight. I guess this is a good thing, but I really would have preferred him to do this a few weeks ago and save us all some skin. Presumably, Edwards brings with him a demographic that Clinton has had great influence with. Does anyone think that Edwards has diminished his stock by not endorsing earlier?
Tags: 2008 Presidential, Barack Obama
Well, I’m pretty sure he has at least some delegates still pledged to him from the earliest primaries who presumably would be influenced by the endorsement.
Mr Edwards has 19 committed delegates; he can’t order them to vote for Mr Obama if he releases them, but they’d probably go along with his wishes.
Right now, Mr Obama is 143 delegates short of the nomination; add Mr Edwards’ 19, and he’s down to 124 short of the nomination. With (roughly) 429 delegates left to either be elected or commit, Mr Obama would need only 29% of them to win.
One of the problems with this primary is that the SDs played their cards too close to their chests. Like it or not, THEY are part of the process.
They could have ended this race – one way or another – a long time ago. Instead, they sat back, feigned neutrality, and soaked up the attention.
Clinton is buried in debt and Obama can’t jump into the general election. Why? Because we’re all waiting on the SDs to end it. Can you tell how ‘over them’ I am.
Edwards endorsement will carry weight, and I’ll take it in the name of closure. But his stock has diminished.
Who’s John Edwards?
And yes, I’m being sarcastic.
No I think he did the right thing.
Edwards gave an interview recently where he had hinted that he had already decided for Obama — even though he and Elizabeth got alot of attention for saying they would not endorse. My cynical take on this is Edwards endorsing 24 hours after WVA is a wonderful way to reorient the media punditry away from HRC and her tilting at superdelegates.
John Edwards is a populist. He has many progressives standing with him, many labor groups, can bring the southern and white males to Obamas ticket. It has been my hope that Obama will choose him to be VP…Edwards will restore Habeus Corpus, make the 37Million now in extreme poverty a focal point, his health care plan was always better than Obama’s. I think it was orchestrated to have Edwards make his endorsement in Michigan (how appropo) to bring those out work, poverty stricken people into the fold…I loved his speech, I love his honesty and integrity. He did more for the seriously ill children in NC than anyone, took on the corporate medical establishment and won cases for those families….I believe he is sincere. It is my hope he will be Obama’s choice for VP. And, he won 7% of the WVA vote and not on the ticket. Progressive Democrats were totally behind him for president. Remember all those labor organizations that supported him..he will be a great asset.
I think that the Obama campaign is doing exactly what they said that they were going to do and that was that they have had 50 + SD’s in their pocket for a while that they were saving for the kind of media boosts they knew they would need after the states that Clinton can win big in still.
Notice that Obama surpassed her in SD’s this week and had a jump of 25 more just this week.
Edwards is a great icing of the cake for Obama’s new SD advantage. And it is great to see Edwards out speaking again, frankly. He was my candidate. If Edwards really kicks up the Obama campaign, he might get the VP spot.
Still waiting for Biden…
Seriously, Joe, get off the fence!
“he won 7% of the WVA vote and not on the ticket.”
But he was on the ballot, if that’s what you meant.
I don’t want to see him on the ticket in the fall. I want to see him in the cabinet doing what he does best: Champion the fight against poverty. I’d gladly pay tax dollars for that.
Hey, Call It, Nice to see you have a blog up. Good first post, keep it up.
Thanks dude! It was definitely time… I’m working on the second one right now.
Oh, and it is you guys that need to keep it up… I would not have my bearings straight if I didn’t have this to come home to!
Joe Biden is cowardly. He should have come out long ago for one or the other. Carper is a different kettle of fish. He owes Bill Clinton big time. You see when his secretary was missing and the investigation was hot and heavy, Carper put in a call to Bill. Bill turned the FBI on the brothers and one rolled over. The TC in her diary had then Gov sweating big time. That’s why he made the call and that’s why he is holding out for Hillary.
Keith Olberman’s comment on Bush (1)
GOP’s defeat in Mississippi (2)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24635229#24635229
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/24634361#24634361
I think that Edwards as AG may be an inspired choice.
And I learned from Countdown just now that the Edwards endorsement was scheduled right at the time that HRC was making the rounds on network news trying to spin out some momentum. Obama has killer chess players working for him, I swear.
“Obama has killer chess players working for him, I swear.”
Which, Cassandra, is why I have started to wonder whether or not it was perceived by his campaign to be in Obama’s best interest to keep this contest going as long as possible. I know that’s counter-intuitive, but it occurs to me that if he did have an additional 50 SDs in his pocket and also Edwards, he could afford to let Hillary drive herself into the ground.
After all, once the Hillary-Barack race is finally decided, nobody except us political junkies is going to want to hear a damn thing from these people running for office until late summer. He’s kept himself at the top of the news for two extra months, while almost effortlessly keeping Hillary at arm’s length and defusing several of the biggest bombs McCain could have thrown at him.
Just wonderin’.
I hadn’t made a Fahey connection with regards to a Carper-Clinton tie. That’s a distinct possibility.
I think you are right, Steve — while I have no doubt they would have been delighted to have wrapped this thing up by Super Tuesday, they were certainly well prepared and ready to roll out and campaign for as long as they could, unlike HRC who was counting on a coronation. As for advantage, Obama starts with a ready made and tested 50 state campaign network.
The Edwards endorsement has provided one more tangible boost to the Obama campaign as the Steelworkers have unanimously endorsed Obama today:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/5/15/10291/2983/523/516123
As an original Edwards supporter, I’m happy with his choice.
Personally, I believe Edwards saw what happened in WV and thought he would need to show all those “hard-working, under-educated” HRC voters that Obama will care about their interests.
Plus, it certainly does take the shine off of HRC’s WV win and her new-ish, opportunistic campaign meme.
The TC thing is true, if what we’re discussing is investigators noting that Tom Capano wasn’t the only one with those initials. But I think the relationship with the Clintons runs deeper, at least on Carper’s side, to its roots in the DLC. Remember, Carper is a guy who refuses to kick Joe Lieberman to the curb; he might pick the wrong wing men, but his loyalty is real.
Steve!!
Which, Cassandra, is why I have started to wonder whether or not it was perceived by his campaign to be in Obama’s best interest to keep this contest going as long as possible.
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WTF?? How can Obama change the course of the primary unless he bows out to Clinton at this point?
There is no Obama keeping this going as much as there is Obama WINNING. I do not get your premise.
But I think the relationship with the Clintons runs deeper, at least on Carper’s side, to its roots in the DLC. Remember, Carper is a guy who refuses to kick Joe Lieberman to the curb; he might pick the wrong wing men, but his loyalty is real.
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Absolutely. And it is loyalty that Carper has been carefully cultivating with his Delaware DLC treasures: Coons, Denn, Markell, et al.
We are in a bind here with so many of our ambitious lower-level DEMs involved in this dirty DLC business whose loyalty should all be tested against the loyalty and power that rose with these Delaware DEMs along with Carper’s DLC kudos.
One reason that I twinge when I see the Young DEMs is that through their loyalty they are being brought into this side-show of corruption with their yet-to-be-cynical eyes upon that decrepid prize. Our kids deserve better candidates and a better DEM party and I hope to help show them the way.
I think what Steve meant was the longer both remian in the race the easier it is for voters to see the contrats between them and make an informed choice. This the Obama team perceive as a way to show up Hillary on any number of issues. So it is in their interest to keep the race going until maybe two weeks from now. Also, I think if there is Obama/ Biden or Obama/ Edwards or Obama/ Webb ticket it will be virtually unstoppable.
http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/2008/05/edwards-endorses-obama-in-snide-effort.html