Could Obama and Edwards Team Up in the Caucuses?
Obviously Barack Obama and John Edwards are competing with each other, but the caucuses in Iowa, Nevada, and Washington State give the two campaigns a chance to also coordinate to maximize the delegates they gain. Edwards and Dennis Kucinich actually did this in 2004 in Iowa and it played a real role in Edwards's Iowa unexpected Iowa success. At this point he and Obama are competing with and even sniping at each other, but if they don't stop Hillary Clinton, she still has the inside track to the nomination. And for all that Obama and Edwards have differences, I think they're closer politically (and more progressive) than either are to Clinton, who voted for the Iraq War, supported the Kyl-Lieberman Iran vote that Jim Webb called "Dick Cheney's fondest pipe dream," and feel no shame in raising as much money as she can from Washington lobbyists. (Plus the regressive Democratic Leadership Council still features Hillary as part of their core circle). Both Obama and Edwards would gain by doing this, and the 2004 precedent suggests it's perfectly legal.
How would it work? The same way it did in 2004. At least in Iowa it takes a 15% threshold in any given precinct to gain a delegate. So both candidates will inevitably have people left over in most precincts who don't quite get them to that threshold. But what if both publicly pledged (and sent out instructions) that wherever that situation occurred, they'd try to combine so whichever of the two had more unrepresented attendees after all the efforts to convince stray delegates would get the additional delegate. If they had equal numbers left unrepresented, they could combine and flip a coin. It may sound like it would have a minimal impact, but multiplied by precinct after precinct it could matter.
Some of this will happen anyway, but it's be a lot more likely if Obama and Edwards openly embrace it, saying explicitly that they're doing this because although each thinks they'd be the best nominee, they also think that the other represents change more than does Hillary Clinton, which is true. If they teamed up explicitly, it would probably gain some headlines, and done right (maybe with a joint press statement or even a joint press conference) would seem less like their piling on a front-runner than drawing a necessary political line. I think it could only help.
It is a calculated risk for both in helping one of their likely opponents, but the first priority seems still stopping Clinton's momentum. And this also sets the stage for Obama and Edwards and their supporters to keep on working together in other ways, like on the convention platform. Then they can go back to laying out their areas of disagreement.
Ideally, again, they'd do this at a national level, but even if they don't, those of us participating in the caucuses can do what we can to forward this approach. My personal sentiments? Whatever the outcome, I'd be delighted if one of the headlines read "Hillary Clinton finishes third."
Paul Rogat Loeb is the author of The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear, named the #3 political book of 2004 by the History Channel and the American Book Association. His previous books include Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time. See www.paulloeb.org To receive his articles directly email sympa@lists.onenw.org with the subject line: subscribe paulloeb-articles
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if this is the best that obama and edwards can do thats sad no one has a right to tell anyone how to vote and mr loeb as i've just listen to Chris Dodd Talk about exactly what you describe is going to blow up in there face and proves Iowa does not deserve to be this powerful this is not a auction and a Hell of a lot more is at stake than trying to out do Hillary Clinton and as a Democrate for my whole life if Obama is nominated it will be real hard to vote for that man period and if Edwards does this then he loses my vote which i think is the best hope for the Democratic party!
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For whatever reason, Biden is not catching the imagination of America. He does have much experience. But to be honest, I soured on him when he played a key role in the Iran-Contra hearings and let Oliver North and his cohorts walk all over him. Add in his 2002 Iraq war vote and his resume is long, but without evidence of the vision and courage we need
Also, to be clear, Edwards and Obama are still going to be competing, just doing all they can to ensure that left-over participants count toward the totals of one or the other of them--maximizing the chance that Hillary Clinton ends up in third place.
How about if everyone just voted for the most qualified person to be our next Commander-In-Chief? That would be Joe Biden. Obama and Edwards are both lightweights compared to Biden. Why anyone wouldn't want the strongest leader in these very dangerous times is beyond me. Biden '08.
If all three of the featherweight frontrunner pretenders teamed up, they still wouldn't equal what the most qualified and capable candidate would bring to the presidency.
Ignoring and otherwise dismissing Senator Biden is really reflecting poorly on the competence and integrity of the national media and will, if it continues, result in the electorate having to settle for far less than the best. In fact, I would go so far to predict that, if Senator Biden is not the Democratic nominee, the best we may all have to hope for is a McCain presidency
Ditto for the blogoshphere. You know, it's ironic...w
The suggestion here that two lesser candidates team up to beat another lesser candidate would be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic.
I wish they would. I'm already sick of Senator Inevitable or as Obama astutely called her, "Bush lite." I see all sorts of complaints (legitimate) about the fact that the PPP in Pakistan seems to be a bequeathment like a piece of inheritable property, like an entitlement. Well, I don't want any Bush-Clinton monarchical legacy here. If Obama and Edwards can prevent elected monarchy or banana republicanism from the US, they've already done us a great service.
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