Only John Edwards Can Beat McCain

I'll be 60 eight days before the election in November. This is a bad thing and a good thing. The bad thing is it ain't going to be a real long time before I'm dead. The good thing is I've traveled a few miles and have picked up something along the way, and that something is called "institutional memory".

As I watched news coverage of Monday night's debate, the ever-escalating "I know you are, but what am I?" fight between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton suddenly struck a memory from 28 years back. The feud between Teddy Kennedy and Jimmy Carter rushed into my mind like a horrible memory of an old girlfriend. My recollection of their self-destructive hostilities reminded me how their battles went a long ways toward giving this nation Ronald Reagan.

It was 1980, and the Democratic Party had two supposedly strong national candidates--one an incumbent president, the other a scion of America's national family. They were going up against a Republican Party that was searching for an identity and would go deep on the bench to nominate the host of "Death Valley Days".

I remember this as an election we shouldn't have lost. But as we have done so many times in the past, we Democrats figured out a way to step on our Johnson.

In that 1980 nominating battle, our two candidates went after each other like Sherman went after Georgia. The result? Unbelievably, half of Washington is now named after Ronald Reagan--though I'll still say I'm flying into National Airport until the day the Good Lord or the Devil calls me home.

Surely, I'm not the only one who can see this six-foot rabbit named Harvey. John McCain is going to be the Republican nominee. How do I know? Because "institutional memory" also reminds me that the Democratic Party I love can't count. And regardless of what you think of the Republicans, they can.

It should be clear to anybody with over a 50 IQ that my boy John Edwards, with his combination of red state electoral experience and toughness, is the only candidate who can beat John McCain. Whether you believe polls or not, polls from CNN to Rasmussen say just that.

And it should be equally as clear to anybody with over a 25 IQ that Obama and Clinton are going to render each other totally unelectable against any Republican, especially John McCain, by the time we get to the convention.

All the Republicans have to be loving this. Because the Democrat they don't want to face, John Edwards, is getting sandwiched between the coverage of this murderous cat fight between two so-called "historical" candidates who, when all is said and done, will be just that. HISTORY.

Comments

[1BigDragon]

I'm sad because my foolish hopes that Americans will wake up to the fact that government's been appropriated, by "coup", by extreme right corporations and now ( for the past 6 yrs) control all government, republican/democrat alike.
In plain words, we, "belong" to a corporate institution. A greedy, gluttonous, souless hoard of presidents & ceo's who have manipulated, through the use of lobbyists and greedy (sometimes scared) politicians, officials of our government, led by Cheney/Bush, who have NO regard for the human condition of the people of the United States and intend to serve only the top 20% of the people.
And today, the only man who acknowleges and would fight for our rights, this 80% majority who've been so brainwashed that they can't see most obvious of travesties, resigned himself from the presidential race. That's right, John Edwards withdrew himself from the race.
How screwed we are.
What we have now; two democrats, a black man & a white woman, tokens of our freedoms and progress, who both subsribe to the same political policies that feed the corporate machine,,,whether they're too stupid to realize it or they're really only just a part of it doesn't matter. They'll change NOTHING!
Or,we can support the republican candidate, John McCain, who's a likable guy, a war hero, but what's his priority while 80% of our population face the prospect of living in almost third world conditions within the next 50 yrs? He's gonna PROTECT us from the threat of Radical Islamic Extremism! Are you kidding me? I can protect myself from a pack of mentally challenged morons,,I'm quite capable and prepared. What I fear is that someday soon, we may have to protect ourselves from our own government. It may come down to what our forefathers had to do to regain their freedoms.
I'm prepared for that also tho the prospect's chilling. How many others are?
What can we do to get John Edwards back in the race, and then suooprt the hell out of him,,as we should have been doing right along. What is wrong with us???
What's the answer???

[ElleJ28]

I couldn't agree with you more. It will take John Edwards to beat John McCain. I wonder why people can't see that. As you have pointed out, history is going to repeat itself and we will end up with another Bush Bunch. John Edwards is the man.

[ramal]

Truer words were never spoken.

[castlerider]

I hope it happens for John Edwards in California.

That could be where it all starts for him.
I agree strongly with your post.

Edwards can carry the south a hell of a lot better then either of these two, though I'm feeling better and better about Barrack. Still, Edwards is the one who I agree can easily beat Mccain, and will argue forthrightly in a manner that wins against McCain's fearful "surrender monkey" diatribe.
Obama will not address this with enough emotion, which is the only way to win that discussion. He will try to sound smart and logical, and his voice will fade in the background against their loud rambling jeers.
Hill too.

[curmudgeon3]

Try for a moment to imagine yourself as a Reich Wing ideologue, salivating at the opportunity to place another wingnut in the Oval Office to run roughshod over a supine Congress for another four years, nominating enough Appellate and Supreme Court justices to ensure that no meaningful reform occurs until at least after the middle of the century (remember, the trolls are already there, no need to imagine for them).

Of the forty-three occupants of the Oval Office to date, fifteen had previously been senators, however, ONLY TWO went directly from the Senate to the White House (Warren G. Harding-R, Ohio in 1920 and John F. Kennedy-D, Massachusetts in 1960). The other thirteen left the Senate and became involved in some other capacity before running for the Presidency, which would be the case for both Gore and Edwards.

So, if you were the CEO of a large corporate conglomerate and could select the candidates from both parties (Big Business has perhaps already achieved this goal), who would you want your Republican candidate to run against? Which Democratic candidate(s) would provide the most tempting targets for extreme swiftboating? And if the White House were to cooperate by instilling fear in the voters just prior to the election, how many voters would revert to tradition, a tendency for many when under stress, voting for a Caucasian male?

Make no mistake, the corporate cabal in this country long ago selected the two frontrunners for the Democratic party, taking great pains to ensure that most consumers of the MSM do not even know that a third candidate exists, let alone the so-called second tier candidates.

This writer remains exceedingly concerned that the Dems are taking the same ill-fated approach that the hare did halfway through the race with the tortoise.

[ButterflyWeed]

I respect your support of JE, however, what part of the primary results gives you hope that Edwards will even arrive to fight McCain in the general election?

[ezrider]

McCain: “If we do what Senator Clinton said that she wanted to do night before last, and that’s wave the white flag of surrender and set a date for withdrawal, then we will have expenses, my friends, in American blood and treasure, because Al Qaida will then have won.”

1994 — “The right course of action is to make preparations as quickly as possible to bring our people home. It does not mean as soon as order is restored to Haiti, it doesn’t mean as soon as Democracy is flourishing in Haiti, it doesn’t mean as soon as we’ve established a viable nation in Haiti, as soon as possible means as soon as we can get out of Haiti without losing any American lives.”

1993 — “Date certain, Mr. President, are not the criteria here. What’s the criteria and what should be the criteria is our immediate, orderly withdrawal from Somalia. And if we don’t do that, and other Americans die, other Americans are wounded, other Americans are captured, because we stayed too long, longer than necessary, then I would say that the responsibilities for that lie with the Congress of the United States who did not exercise their authority under the Constitution of the United States and mandate that they be brought home as quickly and safely as possible.”

McCain’s newfound surrender-phobia is a partisan fabrication, or else it’s time to question his sanity.

Mudcat real America is praying daily for McCain to get then repug nomination.

If he does, it will be a sweep for the democrats in november. to include COMPLETE control of the house and senate.

[factanonverba]

Even as a die-hard Edwards supporter, I am not sure if I agree with the notion that only Edwards can beat McCain. I do think it is true that Edwards can make mincemeat out of anyone the Republicans can throw against him. The reincarnation of Ronald Reagan couldn't defeat John.

Clinton would probably eke a win in as much as the main issue come the Fall will be the economy, if it isn't already. Clinton is a better debater than orator and she would hold her own against McCain in any debates. Really the only negative for her is that she is hated by a wide swath of people. While that hatred is not insignificant, it can be overcome because the only other option is McCain. If the choice is broaden to include Bloomberg, then I think it fair to state McCain or Bloomberg wins.

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[BrockLanders]

Shouldn't it be disclosed that Mudcat is paid by the Edwards campaign? $5000/month according to opensecrets.

[LeftLeaner]

The pundits are good at Monday morning quarterbacking, but not so Accurate in Predicting.

Months ago:McCain was written off as a joke, not a penny left for his campaign, blah, blah, blah.

Now: McCain is the candidate to beat. He's the frontrunner, blah, blah, blah.

Stop listening to the pundits and polls, listen to WHO will work for YOU.

John Edwards makes it clear: He's working for the Middle Class and Less Fortunate, and will kick the lobbyists in Washington out on their butts.

Obama and Hillary have taken substantial contriubtions from Lobbyists and POWERFUL Special Interest Groups who are looking for a Return on their Investments.

John EDWARDS is the ONLY REAL Candidate, DEMOCRAT or otherwise, who is fighting for you.

Support JOHN EDWARDS in '08.

[AJH]

Primaries are for voting your ideals generals your party.

Edwards08

[wayoutleft]

this is another essay that makes it clear whow difficult it will be to beat mccain. it will be like the dracula movies: mccain will hold up toy soldiers in front of the democrats and say: "back! back i say! the troops and jesus bid you return to the hell of your co-op apartments!! away with you!!" and the democrats will scurry like little fritz lange shadow figures saying: "arrrgh!! do not scourge us with our non-troopness! spare us your simple-minded unbelievably effective lectures about how killing people is what made america great!!" and they will scurry away to smoke and drink wine while true americans frolic in the sunshine.

[cdembrey]

Here we go again! We were told last time that Kerry was the only d Demo who could win by main stream media/DLC. In truth Kerry was the only Demo who could NOT win.

This time the same people are cramming Hillary/Obama down our throats! They will both lose to McCain. Hillary is the most hated woman in America and as far as Obama "there is no there there" Google it if you don't get it.

Chuck

[GGinSC]

I'm with you, Mudcat. The Democrats have offered us some good candidates, and John Edwards has earned my respect and my vote for many reasons. His understanding of rural America and the plight of family farmers are two reasons. And he will unite us all around service to our fragile environment. His proposals are the most substantive, and were the earliest offered; they're so good that the other candidates are borrowing freely from his detailed plans. And he's determined to eliminate poverty, and homelessness, in our country.

Being a Yella Dog Dem, I would vote for either of the other two if I must. Unfortunately, a significant number of Democrats have told me that they would either not vote at all or vote for a Republican in the General if Hillary is the nominee. No one has had the courage to say that to me about Obama, but I know this state and know some bias remains. This fact is sad to me, but no less true. I believe Edwards can win the General.

I encourage you to check out the contributors' lists of the remaining 3 candidates. You might be surprised how corporate the two current front runners are. Don't give up on John Edwards yet! He'd make a fine President.

[JWakkaJane]

Moderato, re: "Hillary is considered much more qualified than either Obama or Edwards according to the poll."

Bush never qualified.