John Edwards Is Out -- Now What, Progressives?
John Edwards' sudden announcement of withdrawal from the presidential race is a huge surprise, with broad implications for the race, advocacy organizations and voters. Unlike Rudy Giuliani's Oceanic Airlines campaign crash-landing into the Gulf off the Florida Keys, John Edwards managed to struggle with the controls long enough to deploy his parachute when it became clear that his engines had failed. And the landing gear stuck. And the plane had lost all cabin pressure. Also known as Iowa, Nevada and Florida.
Speculation is already rampant about Edwards' supporters. Did he pull more progressives from Obama or more white folks from Hillary? Time will tell. But there is a strong case to be made that the natural recipient of Edwards' support should be Barack Obama.
As I wrote earlier this month in anticipation of Edwards dropping out, there is little question that John Edwards and Barack Obama are the candidates, Democratic or not, most committed to advocacy for working people. Edwards' history of legal advocacy and Obama's deep-rooted experience with community organizing and advocacy have demonstrated their willingness and ability to step up to the plate for those struggling to make ends meet. As elected officials, each has initiated or supported legislation that would advance the cause of working people and organized labor. Each has been willing to walk picket lines, and publicly advocate for those struggling to resolve labor disputes.
Particularly in today's economic turbulence, progressives are champing at the bit to elect such an advocate for the middle class. As Obama points out, corporate CEOs make more in a matter of minutes than many Americans make in a week, month or year. With faulty trade agreements moving jobs to Mexico and overseas and mortgage rates suddenly spiking, the middle class, to an infinitely greater degree than Bush's have-mores, are in bad shape.
For decades, no President has been willing to extend himself to prioritize protection for those in the greatest economic need. (See Reform, Welfare.) 2008, in that regard, presents a tremendous moment of opportunity. And voters who'd settled on Edwards for his progressive values are very likely to decide that Obama is their best choice. And, in the opinion of this humble commentator, that's the right call.
Edwards' timing, however, is more of a boon to Hillary Clinton. With only six short days before Mega-Whopper-Enormo-Tuesday, Edwards' institutional support (read: labor unions) will have a tough time revising their message to their members. For large unions that have spent months talking to their members about why Edwards is the right choice, they'll have only 120 hours or so to call them all back and say, "Actually, never mind. You ever heard of Barack Obama?" (Assuming, of course, they even bother. After all, no one ever claims that rank-and-file union members go in lock-step with their unions, as the California Teachers Association demonstrated robustly earlier this week.)
This brings us, then, to the horse race. As it stands, even if Edwards 10% in New York all went to Obama, Clinton would still win the state, but in California this announcement could swing the race (according to USA Today's nifty poll tracker). By tomorrow or Friday, we'll see new polls that indicate how the race has shifted. Pundits will be looking at the jump in Hillary and Barack's numbers, to be sure, but also about the demographics of those still undecided, and the issue priority for those who switched.
Barack Obama is the natural choice for progressives focused on economic and social justice. But with six days to make the case, Edwards supporters have some reading to do.
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"With Edwards out, progressives will likely decide Obama is the best choice... with Obama out, progressives will likely decide that between Clinton and McCain, Clinton is the best choice... with Clinton out, progressives will likely decide to support McCain over Hitler... with McCain out, progressives will probably back Hitler over Satan."
Edwards was already a compromise and only suitable due to public financing of his campaign.
Where does the acquiescence end?
If you want change vote Nader and be prepared to fight the good fight against whoever gets elected. If a Republican does get elected, let us hope that we may find the courage to fight as citizens and finally decide once and for all whether we are a Christian nation or a nation for all, whether we want citizens rule our nation, and whether women, minorities, and workers actually have rights. Progressives should know that change does not come from the successful election of a candidate, anyways. The Democratic Party, at the end of the day, has been an obstacle to addressing these issues which have been unresolved since the founding of our nation.
Now what, indeed.... I'm afraid we're in for at least another four years of Republican control. If not a Republican president, it'll be Republicans in control in Congress. Nominating Hillary will get us a Republican president, and nominating Obama, if he could win, will get us Republican control, since he won't be able to stand up to them.
There is nothing progressive about Obama. He is an inspiring speaker with an excellent speech writer. He speaks of CHANGE and HOPE, but his best ideas were Edwards' and he doesn't have the specifics to back it up like Edwards did.
I'm totally disgusted with the MSM and the Democratic party for forcing the current candidate choices on us. It's all the Game, and we just lost.
Edwards voters will choose Hillary by less than 10 point margin overall, and more in the South, Southwest and Midwest.
Most voters don't care what the MSM or liberal blogs think, and so they don't buy this anti-Hillary stuff. The election is not a referendum on Hillary Clinton (contrary to the assumptions of many bloggers and writers on sites like the Huffington Post). Clinton's message appeals to working class Americans and that's why she will earn a slight majority of Edwards voters.
More upscale Edwards supporters will probably vote for Obama, but quite frankly there weren't many of those to begin with.
The hatred the so-called progressive wing has shown for Hillary Clinton is frankly astonishing and astonishinly stupid. They have fallen in love with Obama and are blind to his faults. When Hillary wins a clear majority of the Feb. 5 states, hopefully liberals will return to earth.
I blame MSM for the lousy coverage Edwards got. I think he was the best of the lot, after Kucinich. But the coverage was PATHETIC. Almost as pathetic as the American voter, who probably knows more about Britney Spears than about any of the candidates.
Obama? He sounds like he is ready to roll over and play dead for the GOP. I am not sure if knows what "fight" means.
Hillary? Sure she is polarizing and triangulating, but against the GOP, maybe that is a good thing.
Obama's not as bad as Hillary, but that ain't good. The change part of the change election is officially over.
40% of Americans do not make enough money to owe income tax - which is why Democrats in Congress argued with Bush that they too should be allowed to be part of the economic stimulus bill.
70% of Americans make less than $50,000 a year in income.
95% of women make less than $50,000 a year in income.
The majority of the "poor" in America and any other era in human history in any nation on the earth are women and children.
The majority of women are supporting Hillary Clinton. If Edwards supporters want to help the "poor" they would choose to help women and children now living in poverty, many of them single mothers, and the majority who are supporting Hillary Clinton.
Why? Because Hillary Clinton has spent her life working towards legistlation either in Arkasas or in the Whitehouse or in the Senate on issues that relate to women and children, and the poor know this.
John Edwards has not been relevant for months. Nationally, he was barely getting 1 out of 10 Democrat votes. He had to win Iowa or he knew his campaign was dead on arrival.
There's nothing "progressive" about losing.
Mr. Edwards can throw his support wherever he wants, including down the toilet, because he makes no difference. Neither do the few people who wasted their time supporting the loser.
We're at war. Lead, follow or get out of the way. "Progressive" at this point means thinking one or two steps ahead and getting on board to actually moving things forward a notch.
Edwards talked a good game. Too bad that everything he championed in this election he voted against when he was in the Senate.
I don't know that Edwards couldn't be trusted, I've just had too many bad experiences in the past with candidates who promised the moon and then failed to deliver.
I don't agree with every little thing Obama has voted for & I still want a single-payor health insurance (not even Edwards was willing to fight for that). Obama, however, seems genuine in that he appears to be running a general election campaign in the primary & won't need to veer right once he has the nomination. Obama is a progressive who can bring in independents, moderates and even plenty of GOP votes. He's the left's answer to Reagan.
"But with six days to make the case, Edwards supporters have some reading to do."
Why the hell would you assume we had not already read and reviewed Obama's policy statements? I know all I need to know about him. THAT is WHY I was supporting Edwards. So, now what? Compromise? Too old and too tired to do it again.
I'm sorry but now we will see your true colors - progressive or other.
Here's what Lincoln Chafee said about those who voted for the war:
http://www
Worth reading.
Why would an Edwards progressiv
This Progressive is voting Nader '08.
I don't think Edwards can endorse Hillary -- he'd lose too much credibility if he did. I also think that he might well lose credibility if he were not endorse Obama. Edwards can't call for real change in Washington and then stand aside -- making no endorsement -- when there's someone in the race who can change the calculus of politics in Washington. Whether Obama could, if president, really bring really big changes I don't know (I think he could), but what is clear is that a Republican party in chaos and lobbyists on both sides would have to recalibrate on so many levels if he were to become president – and that, in itself, is a major change.
As a John Edwards supporter who voted for him in the Florida primary this is a sad day indeed. I hope that Edwards doesn't disappear from public life and continues the fight against economic injustice the same way Al Gore has championed the environmental cause. Edwards was the only candidate who had the desire to put the interests of the average American ahead of corporate greed. It pains me to have to choose between the "lesser of two evils" this November but I can't see staying home and letting the Republicans win the election and keep us in Iraq indefinetely.
I hope that Barack is endorsed by John Edwards before the tuesday vote as hillary is just bush in a dress. She is so devisive she went into Fla knowing she had signed an agreement not to campaign there and campaigned. Her private parties and surrogates who held get togethers as well as those who flooded the internet with the lies about obama should show her for who she is. Her "victory" celebration post vote made me hurl as if she won something when she was the only person who campaigned. The democratic party has let her get away with it twice now and the pandering she has done along with the bill said that I didn't is just too much for me but like I have been told, so many people don't pay attention to politics and will vote for the name they know or they think the twin desks in the oval will mean getting back into the black with the budget. Sad that I hope so much hope as I did last time when I was sure so many must have seen through the lies and actions of bush but no stupid people do stupid things. I shudder to think how it might turn out this time for if hillary wins we will have another republican president. Too much can be said and done againest her with the I hate clintons crowd.
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