Earlier Edwards Withdrawal Would Not Have Helped Clinton: Analysis

Pollster.com:

The publication of a new book by Elizabeth Edwards, and especially the revelation that she advised her husband against running in 2008, has created a lot of "what if" speculation about how the race might have been different. Two weeks ago, for example, Hillary Clinton's former pollster Mark Penn speculated that a 2008 presidential race without John Edwards would have been "very different," adding "if he had come out and dropped out of the race particularly early, I think a lot of voters would have taken a good fresh look at Hillary Clinton."

Read the whole story: Pollster.com

Comments

[oxonhoya]

And so what if it did hurt Clinton? Bill lied about lots of similar stuff and hurt Gore in 2000 and Hillary didn't seem to mind that. If you apply the Edwards question Bill Clinton, perhaps Bill ought to have resigned in 2008 and set up Gore for 2000. Honestly, this is such a useless exercise. Why do so many Clintonites want to continue to believe they are the victims of some (larger than their own faults) conspiracy. Why is such a study even necessary?

[monsieurjac]

Edwards is ancient history. Why bother with this story.

[apoyo]

Iowa spelled it out.

Had Edwards dropped out, Hillary would have come in 2nd instead of 3rd.
Hillary was to remain in 2nd place throughout the campaign.

[DennyCrane]

If Edwards had dropped out sooner, it would've helped Obama. Notice how Obama's numbers went up with each Democrat who dropped out. Hillary's numbers stayed the same. In the end, Edwards and Obama were splitting the anti-Hillary vote.

[Diogenis]

Pull out? Not the manly thing to do.

[EmeraldWorld]

Nice double entendre.

[Disdain]

It is if you don't want to face the consequences!

[Yuma]

I hear you!
Love, Levi

[claylandg]

I guess it depends on when Edwards would have dropped out. and what kinda of reporting on the story would have been.if you rememeber devery time edwars was mentioned the media brought up picks and stories of bill clintons affair so the media did it's job to hurt Clinton even more when Clinton had nothing to do with it sometimes it seemed on some channels it was more about Bill Clintons affair than Edwards so the media made it seem to voters that the clinton mess was in full bloom. I think both would have gotten votes from him so people just hate the Clintons reguardless.

[AnnfromCA]

Ridiculous. Of course, he affected Hillary's campaign negatively. It's too obvious.

[SeanGardner]

Enough already. Polls back then showed that most Edwards supporters had Obama as their second choice. Edwards' presence actually saved Hillary's loss from being even more embarassing.

Obama planned ahead and invested the time. in June and July of '07, former Gov. Tom Vilsack, who got out of the race and joined Hillary's campaign, publicly urged Hillary to start spending more time in Iowa because Obama was starting to make inroads.

And by the time Hillary and company started to buckle down, Team Obama was not only competitive in Iowa, but had visited SUPER TUESDAY states like KS, ID, MN, ND, and AK a full three months before Team Clinton. Obama prepared.

So enough: Edwards prevented an Obama beatdown of Clinton. It's the truth, no matter which way someone wants to spin it.

[harriscrl3]

Here we go again. It just seems to me that Edwards supporters were likely to be more progressive and hence would have likely gone to Obama than to Hilary Clinton. Edwards was to the left of Hilary I fail to see how his supporters would have passed over Barack and gone to Hilary. Furthermore didnt Edwards have a lot of Union support who in the end went to Obama. I'm just so sick of this argument its like they continue to want to try to delegitimate President Obama's win. A leader like him comes along once ever generation I dont believe it would have mattered if Edwards had stayed in the race or left early. President Obama ran a grass roots campaign thats a big part of the reason why he was successful he took every race seriously and those caucus states he and his people worked their buts off.

Please stop trying to belittle his win.

Carol

[truegreen]

I would of supported Obama regardless of Edwards.

[MBryant]

I used to respect Elizabeth Edwards, now it jus seems like she's another secondary celebrity wanting to move up to the big time and get more than her fifteen minutes worth at someone else's expense. So I guess it's irresistable to cover her - but we don't have to wallow in a whole coulda shoulda woulda thing..

What I know:

No one other than the couple knows what "really" happened/s in any marriage - and sometimes they don't know. Everyone else is dealing with "he said/she said" fueled speculation - even if they seem to be agreeing on what they say. And although it is important to them and their families - it shouldn't matter to the rest of us...

John Edwards - good looking - interesting - wife with cancer - was targeted by a woman known to target married men and was under pressures many of us don't appreciate. It's easy to say he is a jerk..

John Edwards looked like my pick to be President of th U.S. once, but now - not because of Reille Hunter, but because of an amazing campaign by Barack Obama and his colleagues - he is less influential in the world than some Somali pirates.

[rageagainstmachine]

Well said.

[personalpolitical]

Uh, duh? It was pretty obvious that Edwards was taking votes from Obama, not Hillary. Anyone who suggests Edwards was hurting Hillary obviously wasn't watching the election very closely.

[Periwinkle]

Mark Penn is trying to justify his shake down of Clinton. It was obvious there was a loyal faction of Hillary supporters and the rest of the vote was split between Edwards and Obama. If Edwards had left the campaign earlier, the primary might have been shorter because the Obama support would have been overwhelming.

[Bulbul]

Slow day ? Why stirring up old news again ?

[Diogenis]

Yep..slow. Even the swine flu fizzled out.

[greatlardini]

This story is as irrelevant as the GOP. I for one am mighty happy with the way things worked out in the last election.

[Cakey4814]

And from the happy looks of Hillary she is too so. When I found out that Penn was the one that hadn't been paid from Hillary's campaign I tore up the check..