Crunch Time: John Edwards Needs To Step Up For Barack

I'm glad Richardson is endorsing Obama. It would have been nice if he had done it before Texas. Was the Obama campaign so confident back then that they wouldn't guarantee the job Richardson was asking for? The fact that the endorsement is coming now tends to confirm my gut feeling about the current situation.

I am very nervous. The polls are beginning to show the impact of the Rev Wright sound bites. They will be endlessly recycled. "God damn America" -- that's pretty much all it will take in western Pennsylvania and beyond, in the absence of some heavyweight offset.

Obama's speech on race was extraordinary -- but it took more than 15 minutes to deliver. Will that match the Wright sound bites over the long haul? I fear not.

Hence Big Dog Bill's latest foray into the gutter of innuendo. How bracing, he tells us, a Hillary/McCain face-off would be -- given that these are two candidates who love their country. Such slime. You want to take a shower after you watch him.

John Edwards heard that Obama speech on race. He's smart enough and real enough to understand the depth of promise it represented. He can talk to white working class voters in western Pennsylvania and beyond. Bill Richardson's endorsement is nice -- but John Edwards could turn the tide.

Ask Elizabeth for advice on this one, John. Time to step up. History is knocking on your door.

Comments

[Mrbaja]

Mr. Edwards was my choice for the nomination. Since he dropped out of the race, he made it easier for Obama. He doesn't need to endorse anybody. He probably has been called upon from both camps. Why alienate either candidate when he could be a key player in the next cabinet or better yet-VP.

[CAPTAIND]

Amen. Being from New Mexico I can tell you Richardson is a wannabe politician and he and Obama are made for each other. But what about the pledge of superdelegates voting for the primary choice. New Mexico democrats selected clinton.

[Cougarkj]

I grew to respect John Edwards throughout the early stages of this historic election, but his unwillingness to come out and publicly endorse Barack Obama at this juncture or even before is not only disheartening it diminishes Edwards credibility in my eyes. He vehemently spoke out against Hillary Clinton throughout his own nomination bid repeatedly referring to her as "the status quo". His delay now in endorsing Obama paints him as a bit of a sellout--someone who despite everything he once said is operating absolutely in his own best interests.

[Teritt]

I beleive Edwards is just holding out to see which candidate offers him the best position in their administration. He's got nothing else left - it's his last power play. He knows there are only 2 choices left and he should state which he believes in NOW. I see no other reason for him not to announce which one he endorses. Unless he's just covering his butt because he doesn't want the Clinton's turning on him if he chooses to back Obama. And that isn't exactly admirable.

[citizenxyz]

I agree with your comments Teritt. Edwards stated he was against special interests and he knows very well that the Clintons are all about courting special interests, owing and returning favors to the rich and powerful... He does not have the integrity he purported to have when he was campaigning. Obama has the capacity to transcend some of the old conflicts and... he will need the support of others to do so. What about it Edwards???

[MrAxes]

I'm of the camp that sees little value to Edwards endorsing Obama or Clinton. I think he has his doubts about both candidates, and is willing to let the primary process proceed without taking sides. Endorsement means more than voting in the general election. It's more than "If I were asked to choose between the two, I'd choose the one speaking with Senator Whitehouse over there." And if he doesn't feel it, he shouldn't jump just to climb on the bandwagon.

Your premise is that if enough people say to Hillary, "Look it was a wonderful dream, but it's over", she'll listen. I think you're wrong, because it's just too close, and whatever else she might be, she's not a quitter.

[Robin08]

MrAxes -- I have to disagree with the what you state as the "premise" of Mr. De Zengotita's piece.

[ProudLiberalDan]

I'm glad Edwards hasn't endorsed either of these DLC-to-the-bone candidates.

Obama will be the nominee. But his health care plan is weak and non-universal and incredibly disappointing. Hillary's unacceptable on Iraq. I may not be a majority, but I'm disappointed all the genuine progressives were dismissed early by the media and the voters so we can have this beauty pageant to make token history as the first "whatever" president.

I'm sure he will endorse and vote for Obama after he's become the nominee, but if he doesn't do it before, he represents the Democrats like myself who are very disgusted with what this contest has degenerated into.

Much ado about identity politics and nothing actually progressive on offer.

[BWStuart]

I agree completely with Proud Liberal Dan. I am very glad that John Edwards has not endorsed either candidate, especially Obama. Just because the media has done nothing but boost Obama on to a pedestal during the entire campaign is no reason to elect him. I personally don't care for either of those candidates, and I see no reason for anyone to vote for Obama or Clinton just because their first choice candidate dropped out. This truly has been nothing more than a "beauty pageant" campaign, and it's sad that at the time when Democrats really need to control the White House, we're left with two inferior candidates.

[ProudLiberalDan]

I qualify "inferior".

I think Obama is a stellar campaigner and a candidate obviously and Clinton is better than most people give her credit for.

It's that when the windy rhetoric has blown away and you look past the surface of identity politics, they are both so DLC-to-the-bone. BOTH. Neither will restore the balance to our democracy and economy that is currently weighted to corporations. We know all about calculating, triangulating Hillary. Obama's health care proposals tell me all I need to know about how "progressive" he really is.

Many on the left are so angry at having been triangulated against by the Clintons, that they are projecting onto Obama this hope that he will rescue the Dems from the DLC and corporate control.

Vote for him as I will in November, but please don't delude yourself about what you are actually getting.

I may be disappointed, but compared to John McCain and the frightening thought of 4 more years of conservatism, I will be voting and rooting for Obama in the general -- but not a moment before he gets the nomination.

[chandler02]

His healthcare plan is not "weak". It is the only one offered that is attainable. Just like when Hillary over reached 10 years ago...if you ask for too much you get NOTHING. If she had been more realistic in her last attempt, millions of people would have benefitted.

Obama's plan would reduce costs MORE than Clinton or Edward's plans, and it is attainable.

People who pretend that Obama's policy ideas aren't as strong as his speaking skills have not done their research.

[Hope42]

@ProudLiberalDan

[jay1975]

As an Independent who is leaning towards Obama, I personally couldn't care less about who Edwards endorses. To me, he seemed the most phony of all of the Dem candidates. Maybe it is my dislike of lawyers, but you can see him turn on that $20 smile every time he realizes a camera is running and it makes me trust him less and less. He is an opportunist looking for the best deal. If he really wanted to get away from the "Two Americas" he would do more for the common man. He is just another corporate crony looking for more.

[PioneerKing]

John Edwards couldn't step up for his own campaign how the heck do you think he's going to step up for Sen. Obama. There is no there with Edwards, he's nothing but $400.00 haircuts and hairspray and lacking cojones.

[gba]

This will indeed help to get the remaining Edwards supporters to embrace Obama

[rojo7449]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/us/politics/30obama.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&sq=Reverend%20Jeremiah%20Wright&st=nyt&scp=11

The link above is the April 2007 article in the NY Times about the controversial relationship between Obama and Rev Wright. Whether you are an Obama supporter or a Hillary supporter doesn't matter. This is an article everyone should read. It won't change anyone's mind, in fact it will probably solidify each person's viewpoint, but it begs the question why it didn't play out then. Is it because TV news didn't pick up on it and add the video clips to sensationalize it? Was it because the Republican nominee wasn't yet known? I heard on some broadcasts that it was the McCain camp that put it out there.

[kikiva]

He might as well go ahead and endorse Obama since the part y powers that be have decided that Obama is the next nominee. It won't make a difference in my vote as I'll be voting for the candidate I feel would make the best president. I just hope Clinton doesn't listen to all the 'drop out' tripe coming out of the mouths of the party apparatus so at least I can vote for her in my primary. Although it won't make a difference, at least I can say I told you so when Obama loses in November.

[chandler02]

The "Party Powers" didn't decide Obama would be the nominee. That would be the millions of voters in 30 contests that decided that, with many huge wins in those states. He has nearly 2 MILLION people that have donated to his campaign.

To pretend that Obama's support has not come from the will of the people is to ignore the facts.

[PaulLoeb]

I gave more money to Edwards than any political leader in my life (before he dropped out and I switched to Obama). I would be severely disappointed if he supported the slash and burn politics of the Clintons. I wish he'd go ahead an dsupport Edwards

[roncraw]

Why should he endorse Obama , Hillary is getting is working class white voters

[combatveteran]

Why, because he is smarter.

[mojomagic]

You know this for a fact. No one doubts that Hillary is intelligent, and Bill has an IQ I think in the l80s. People who know them both say she has the real brains in the family...........

[moodpost]

I agree. A failure to endorse now looks a lot like other democratic party actions in the past year. Dems seem to think that doing nothing is less dangerous than doing something. I think it's important to take some action. Stop sitting on the fence. It's stuff like this that got us into Iraq.

[rojo7449]

Interesting headline. Edwards can vote for whomever he wants. It isn't time for him to step up and endorse either candidate if he doesn't want to. I guess it's pretty clear who the journalist is supporting, though.

[olderdem]

We've been hearing over the last few days that Hillary's new strategy is to try to win North Carolina.

What I fear is that Edwards could be induced by Hillary to spring an endorsement of her after the Pennsylvannia primary, before North Carolina -- espectially if she can get close in the polling -- to tip the primary to Hillary. What would Hillary offer? Anything and everything that it takes to get his endorsement.

[rojo7449]

Since when is trying to win the primary in any state considered a New Strategy by either candidate. No wonder you hate her.