And the pony he rode in on.

—————————————————————-
“We must separate loyal party members from counter-revolutionaries. The first shall inherit our glorious future. The second must be purged from us and history” -Mao Zedong

the “winner.” Or the person he believed would win. He pulled the trigger now because he can still get some credit for it.

But then I’m someone who admired Edwards’ policies and rhetoric more than I admired Edwards. I never really bought his transformation from centrist democratic senator to man of the people. I don’t dislike him, but as far as I’m concerned the best thing about Edwards was always his wife.

Well, some people are probably incorrectly but legitimately concerned that a long primary season equals less time to Define The Other Candidate, regardless of whom is running. A lot of this concern is disingenuous, but some of it is genuine. Perhaps Edwards falls into that camp.

it’s not related to this post

but

jeralyn merritt at TALK LEFT has a very important post up entitled

“another electibility argument regarding caucuses”

with regard to those fabulous caucus majorities obama rolled up,

merritt’s post discusses the importance of taking into account the votes of the elderly, especially elderly women, in assessing whether obama should get the demo nomination.

at MSNBC, and Tweety is now all loving Edwards—ugh

Top story—not Hillary’s giant win.

Obama always distracts after a loss—this is it for WVa.

to kill Clinton’s news cycle.

I wonder if Elizabeth will endorse? It’s pretty clear that Obama isn’t getting hers right now.

But you know the MSM will just downplay it.

edward’s endorsement today was hurriedly arranged, and, i would guess, was intended to redirect the evening news shows away from discussions of senator clinton’s big win in west virginia and of obama’s weakness among working class voters.

Just to give Obama some working-class cred, too. What a disappointment; Edwards is another pander bear.

Seriously? How? Even his demeanor towards the working class betrays that.

God, please have Elizabeth endorse Clinton or, at the very least, stress that she’s not endorsing Obama.

I thought it was funny how many news accounts had that in it.

That they voted differently.

Yea Elizabeth!!

Bill Clinton for First Dude!!!

my theory…

If Obama is so damaged by the time the Convention comes around that SDs are going to nominate Clinton instead, Obama will step aside and throw his support (and his campaign organization) to Edwards.

But now he’s supposed to win the general? I don’t think so.

Though your idea solidifies in my mind about the ABC part of the party. And think about it, if your right, the party would have to be willing to deny women their first real candidate for president, in favor of ANOTHER white guy.

We need a National Women’s Party, NOW.

Bill Clinton for First Dude!!!

she just said—and precisely to kill the pro-Hillary news.

He doesn’t win Democrats Obama needs, and the media mocking and utter dismissal of him ensures he won’t help win non-Dems either, i think.

it’s funny—on the one hand, Obama pretended WVa didn’t happen until now, and now Edwards proves how devastating it really was and they knew it.

they just said—Elizabeth is explicitly not part of endorsement and not traveling to appear with Obama—that’s good at least.

because he was shut out from media coverage. I think he’d make a good candidate, however…

but the optics will be horrible if I’m right, and another man in nominated instead of Clinton….

i can’t see Obama simply giving up—they’ll be pretending they can actually win in November no matter what—all politicians do.

And the DC Dems won’t let him give up—it makes them look terrible, and they’ve all invested in him.

Now Obama can declare victory once again and then Edwards can sign up to run as his VP. That way Barry can take the summer off to go wind-surfing while the RNC sharpens up their buzzsaw.

Isn’t it nice how all the other Dems jump in to help Barry every time that girl gives him a thrashing? Poor baby.

Kennedy, Kerry, Richardson, Dodd, Leahy, McGovern, and now Edwards - all “Losers” for Obama.

Stuck pigs squeal. For a guy who didn’t think WVA mattered, he’s sure trying to cover over the results.

and this is just their latest attempt to stop the bleeding—just like the flagpin, and “America” stuff, and bar visits, and bowling, and bus tour, and Casey attached to him all thru PA, etc…

wanna add this to your post? it’s the NYMag “obama blew it” story— http://nymag.com/news/politics/powergrid…

or whatever cabinet post he wants.

But why not promise univeral health care?

Edwards is dead to me now.

———————————————————————
“We must separate loyal party members from counter-revolutionaries. The first shall inherit our glorious future. The second must be purged from us and history” -Mao Zedong

he already was a loser w/Kerry, and didn’t go along to get along.

has to be Cabinet—maybe Obama promised a Cabinet level poverty seat? Otherwise it’s Health, i bet. (or whatever the old Health, Education, and Welfare seat became)

I can easily see Obama giving up — I mean, he’s given up on the working class, he’s given up on discussing issues of importance to Democrats, and he’s never had a tough campaign in his life — and he’d rather give up than suffer a humiliating defeat.

I mean, if there is ANY politician that would give up the nomination rather than fight on against insurmountable odds, its Barack Obama. He would be lauded as a hero, and as putting the interests of the nation and the party before his own ambition, etc. etc…. and he could blame the media for what happened.

I mean, I know you’ve been paying attention… when the going gets tough, Obama withdraws…

They can dust off the “Breck Girl” and “f*ggot” bits and put them back in their routines.

———————————————————————-

“We must separate loyal party members from counter-revolutionaries. The first shall inherit our glorious future. The second must be purged from us and history” -Mao Zedong

but i bet not.

Edwards had the VP slot once before and it would be supremely stupid to take it again. But after today, what do I know?

Jeralyn Merritt noted that “Coincidentally, John Edwards sent out a request for money today for one of his causes, College for Everyone.” The e-mail went to everyone who got e-mails from his presidential campaign; I didn’t get one yet. And I’m sure that’s no coincidence.

Just ask John Kerry

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

and he has the entire DC Establishment pushing him, and most of Wall St, and the media too—no one would give up with all that on his side, no matter what.

I think they’re trying to counter Bill’s successes recently too, and will send Edwards out just like Bill is.

Is that under that scenario, Elizabeth would be backing Obama, too. And I know she’s hinted earlier that she preferred Clinton, but since when does consistency have anything to do with politics. If anything, Edwards is setting himself up for access to Obama’s money machine. That could be helpful in 2012 or even 2016. And it’s always better to endorse a winner, especially at a moment when he needs you.

I agree that Obama is not prepared for a long fight or the potential of a humiliating defeat, but I also think that even for a politician he has an enormous ego. One that may not permit him to envision a humiliatiing loss.

so the report of the endorsement opened the news, but apparently the timing wasn’t right to get Edwards’ speech leading the news.

Heh.

at least it’s wholly non-Obama related.

we’ll have to see what he sends trying to encourage us to go Obama.

ugh.

seriously old politics—

and Obama’s in a packed stadium which they said they wouldn’t do anymore.

I want to express my joy at this wonderful news.

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

must have it.

That said, I just recently posted that it wouldn’t effect me or my thoughts about Edwards if he were to endorse Obama now that North Carolina had voted.
Edwards did not try to sway the outcome of this election with his endorsement, and that is a credit to him.

Truly. Edwards endorsement is as meaningless as all the others, except this one appears to have been quickly arranged by the Obama camp. While I don’t know what it was, clearly they did something to move Edwards today. But why did they need to? What is it they’re hearing from SDs? For a guy who has this whole thing sown up, he seems to be moving as fast as he can to paper over the rough spots. And if the GE were his only concern, he wouldn’t be flailing around like this.

The other good thing is that given the last minute arrangements, I’d say Obama needed Edwards because he’s out of any other big news. While I never believed there was some huge SD block just waiting to join the O-bandwagon, this cinches it. Because Edwards is nice, but a lot of SDs would be nicer.

they keep doing all these media-tailored and purely visual and symbolic things but never the tangible and practical things and issues these voters want dealt with.

As one of the four founders of Corrente, I am embarrassed by this comment thread as it is developing.

You guys want “fuck you” language, well, now you got it, and from me, the sane one, the old-fashioned liberal who voted for Obama but refused to join with those Obama enthusiasts who seemed to want to crush the critique going on here at Corrente, despite the sometimes disparaging words for this blog I have found myself running into on other blogs, ones for which I have real respect.

The reason I held out is that for the most part, the critique being carried on here, and a concomitant defense of the Clinton campaign against the incessant attacks from both the press, the Obama campaign and the OFB was well founded and well argued, and happening at very few other places.

Corrente was informally an Edwards blog. But
it didn’t take any of you more than a minute to start to maintain various versions of “he’s dead to us now.” Some respect for those of us who bring you this blog might have suggested that you take it just a little bit easy.

Don’t you people get it? You are doing exactly what you continually complain about the Obama Fan Base doing. What many of them did to Krugman, for instance, the minute he said something mildly critical of a specific Obama position, and mildly supportive of a Clinton one.

I understand your disappointment. Despite the fact that I voted for Obama, I don’t share the same deep fears about an Obama presidency that some of my colleagues do, but I am sufficiently fond and respectful of both Clintons to feel how much this must hurt.

I do not include Lambert in this condemnation; he reported an important development and asked for a discussion, exactly as he should have. I was in the process of doing the same thing before I noticed that he’d already got it up. I was going to add a caution that commentators try and deal with their understandable disappointment in ways other than attacking Edwards, until they’d given at least some thought to where we are in this campaign.

It is as ridiculous to call John Edwards a panda bear considering the issues he chose to run on, and the populist approach he took, as it was and continues to be to call Bill Clinton a pander bear, who ran in 1992 on a promise to raise the taxes of top income earners, and was unafraid to make a frontal attack on Reaganomics, and not just because it was a failed economic theory, but because it promoted an economic policy that was fundamentally unjust. That’s running as a liberal.

This is a potentially important turn in the campaign. But an even more important turn has been taking place under your noses and you don’t seem to have noticed it. Hillary Clinton is making a graceful attempt to wind down her campaign, while not giving up, and by making sure that she remains a viable candidate, right through to last primary. There are all sorts of signals the campaign is giving out that this is what is happening. And frankly, some of you are as oblivious to it as the fucking SCLM, who have to ignore those signals in order to continue to keep writing their dime-store narratives about the Clintons.

I have deliberately not aimed this at any particular commentator. Because I like and admire all of you. Even when I disagree with you. All of you have helped to make this blog a force in the blogisphere. There have been costs associated with that, but I still feel proud of what Corrente has been about through-out this campaign season.

But an insularity has begun to creep in, at a time when it’s as clear as dust on a piano that we need to think about the fact that we’re entering a transitional phase as surely as the Clinton campaign is. I’m not proclaiming that her candidacy is dead. Her candidacy has always been about more than her winning the nomination. I’m not even pronouncing her chances of achieving the nomination over. They are importantly damaged, however, even after W. Virginia.

I can’t tell you how disappointed I’ve been that there has been so little productive discussion here about Hillary as Vice-President.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have started this discussion with a comment instead of a post; I will be posting more on the Edwards endorsement and its multiple meanings, so perhaps I should just leave it here.

This was definately done to change the news cycle. I’d be suprised if all the SDs don’t start to suddenly flow to Obama. It looks pretty bad when the supposed nominee gets his ass kicked royally. I think they’ll largely come out before Kentucky gets to vote. To me, it makes him look weak for the party to have to protect him from further drubbings, but I can understand why my ex-party would do it. My ex-party. 36 years…

weird—Edwards is talking walls and divides, not “unity”.

I don’t dislike Edwards less for it. The only way that will happen is if he starts lying or saying hypocritical things.

Elizabeth wouldn’t play this kind of political game. And while she’d be happy to see John as President, she’s gotta be ambivalent about the idea because of her medical condition.

And if/when SDs start deserting him as his numbers against McCain go down, he won’t have to envision a humiliating loss, it will be explained to him — either lose to Clinton at the convention, or concede gracefully now.

he’s just not a fighter — and his ego would require that he take the opportunity to be the “hero” rather than be humiliated.

I’ll send my opinion snail mail, that way I can remain anaoymous.

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

I really believed in John Edwards.

.
This SUCKS.

that’s why many support Edwards. The candidate talking his issues now is not at all Obama—that’s why this is so disappointing.

Edwards spoke of fighting and helping people and the excessive power of the rich and corporations—he was partisan and divisive. Obama is not at all emphasizing any of those issues, and even trotting out Edwards instead of changing his messages and policy to attract those voters.

I was being honest in my feelings.

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

he has too much ego and “he’s the one we’ve been waiting for”, etc —he believes all that shit.

entirely.

will she endorse hillary?

i’d always figured that edwards’ populist turn could be credited to elizabeth, and i voted for john edwards because i wanted elizabeth edwards in the white house.

I think a lot of us are disappointed in Edwards because this endorsement to us looks like a betrayal of everything we liked about Edwards in the first place.

I mean, Edwards was the guy that both Clinton and Obama stole their health care plans from, and he endorses the guy who watered down his proposal to the point where it meaningless? Edwards was the guy who talked the talk about being a fighter — and he endorses the guy who refuses to address challenges in his primary campaign head on? And Edwards was all about “the little guy”, and he endorses the candidate who has dissed the working man, and is glorifying the “creative class” as the future of the party?

The person who is endorseing Barack Obama is not the guy that I wanted to be President five months ago. I don’t know who this guy is, but its not the guy I supported.

No further significance. Except if you’re worried about John having to sleep on the couch for a while.

…for the rest of us

I was for Edwards from the start and canvassed for him in New Hampshire. To me there is no question that he is a smart man, but I really don’t understand his endorsement.

Two groups of voters: working-class men and working class women. He’s just pissed off the women and is it clear he can deliver the men? I don’t see that this helps Obama; I don’t see that this helps Edwards; I don’t see that this helps the Democratic Party.

If this move has a negative effect on Hillary in the Kentucky and PR primaries and results in her being shut out of the possibility of the nomination, then I see the fracture of the Democratic Party as being complete.

Buchanan, and that more of them and DC will now get w/Obama.

and that KY is far more important bec of the giant loss in WVa.

that’s pretty bad.

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

John Edwards, MAJOR Disappointment…NARAL/Obama Doesn’t Surprise Me, A Perfect Fit

http://insightanalytical.wordpress.com/

What must Kate Michelman be thinking now?
She endorsed Edwards and now he endorse a piece of sexist crap who calls women reporters “sweetie.”

NARAL,we know about them

win (or lose) with Hillary.

Thanks….

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

is all that “how can a rich guy with a giant mansion and 400-dollar haircuts care about people?” and all that stuff now down the memory hole? Now Edwards is supposed to help Obama with the workingclass ???

funny.

and an Obama endorsement gives him the boost he hopes he can get.

I didn’t hear them in her WV speech last night.

This changes the count, for sure — 30 delegates for Obama, unless he freed them. I think that’s the most important aspect.

But to me what this translates to is that it was cheaper for Obama to do this than, say, to fix his universal health care plan. Which would have been a real way to ask for my vote. It’s always been about shoving the Overton Window left, with me, or at least preventing it from sliding further right, so from that perspective, this announcement is at best a wash. I have very little faith in promises on policy except from the person who’s going to have to execute them as President, because he’s the only one to be held accountable.

So, from an issues and policy standpoint, I’m non-plussed. And the timing for the evening news makes it all look just a little tactical, does it not?

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

… It’s all crap, but that won’t help in the general, amberglow.

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

So they’re now officially Obama’s?

That reeks

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

that I - an Edwards skeptic - seem the least upset by this turn of events. But then I’m also not surprised. I thought for awhile Edwards would go with Obama, he was just waiting to make sure Clinton wasn’t going to pull it out (if she had, he’d be endorsing her right now). He’s a politician and this is smart move for him to make so he made it. The idea that he’d endorse the person who probably only has a 10% chance of winning because of policy is very unrealistic, IMO (and that goes for all politicians, not just Edwards).

lambert, this reminds me of Kennedy’s endorsement. Obama is having trouble with hispanics in California, send Ted Kennedy! As if that’s the same thing as Obama reaching out to hispanic voters with policy ideas. And this is why I have little hope for him in the GE, he doesn’t have any idea how to fix his problems. He has no second act.

both Edwards and Obama have been protrayed as elitists and out-of-touch with the heartland and they on and on said Edwards’ talk and policy and messages had to be unbelievable coming from him because of his millions/mansions/haircut/lawyer stuff.

and now Edwards is gonna help Obama with all the millions of workingclass voters who actually are voting on those issues that they said Edwards was disingenuous on?

i’m betting they’ve already ensured Hillary won’t get her full share of MI and FL…

didn’t Brazile mention something just yesterday about the Rules Committee.

and refusing to get practical—i think they think that going bread-and-butter will not work now, so are just doing all these symbolic and visual changes instead of simply changing his talking points and messaging to be not about “change” and “unity” but about tangible stuff.

They know how to fix his problems but are not doing it. Fixing his problems starts with the issues that voters care about. Instead, he’s running as if he’s Reagan or Dubya—-it won’t work. Optics instead of issues.

As one of the four founders of Corrente, I am embarrassed by this comment thread as it is developing.

You guys want “fuck you” language, well, now you got it, and from me, the sane one, the old-fashioned liberal who voted for Obama but refused to join with those Obama enthusiasts who seemed to want to crush the critique going on here at Corrente, despite the sometimes disparaging words for this blog I have found myself running into on other blogs, ones for which I have real respect

Especially the part about how much this place is starting to sound like dKos in every detail except the choice of targets.

And she also has a sharper ear than y’allz do if you haven’t picked up on HRC’s “winding down” comments today. She’s had a “one on one” with everybody from Katie Couric (and i assume the other national anchors as well) to Wolfie Blitz and said the same things in every one.

Oh, I forgot…lots of folks are too “pure” to own a TV set or see what information the great unwashed is getting. Never mind. :)

I wanted to add that many of you have added comments while I was writing mine, so my previous comment may seem curiously inappropriate to some of you.

I also wanted to add some observations.

Of course today’s event was meant to change the narrative from Hillary’s WV win, and Barack’s loss, especially in regards to questions it raises about his ability to attract the white working class. That is allowed. It isn’t a dirty trick. And yes, it could indicate a certain desperation on the part of the Obama campaign, although I doubt how real is that perception.

Another way to look at today’s development is that Obama and his campaign realize they’ve got a problem and they are working on ways to reach out to the working class of whatever color, especially the working poor, who are the people that both Elizabeth and John Edwards been at the most pains to make us aware of. Isn’t that what you should want to see Obama doing? And Lambert, yes, why not universal health care? Just because Obama has not yet changed the particulars of his health care plan doesn’t mean he never will, or that he will never find himself having to. The fact that he has needed this help from Edwards means that much of the triumphalism expressed by Stoller and Bowers was probably a bit hasty.

One more observation; I haven’t yet had a chance to look at how this is being talked about on cable news, but I doubt that it will not be noted that Obama has made public a worry that Clinton has been highlighting. It is also quite possible that Edwards’ endorsement will raise the stakes in a place like Kentucky, and that Obama will be forced to try and win there, or cut down Hillary’s win, and Edwards might be part of that campaign.

Most of all what this shows is that this primary isn’t yet over, just as Hillary has been saying; Obama hasn’t won it yet, and she hasn’t yet lost the nomination. I still maintain that she’s preparing herself, her campaign and her voters for her note being the candidate, and she’s showing us that she meant what she said about the need to unify the party in its effort against McCain presidency and for a Democratic congress with a real majority.

And once again the SCLM pundits were wrong. Remember when they kept wondering why Edwards didn’t endorse, Clinton or Obama, but do it, he was told, before no one cares about your endorsement. Well, today, I can assure you that everyone cares about this endorsement.

Sarah, hold on, my sweet, this might just be an exciting development that will allow the Edwards to add some of their excellent input into the campaign and the next administration. I know you wish it had been an endorsement for Hillary, truth to tell, so do I; she needed it more than Obama, and I bleed inside whenever I start believing that it isn’t going to be Hillary, even having voted for Obama.

he releases them, and then they’re free to go with anyone—all he can do is tell them he wants them to go Obama.

The “hate-fest” I’m running just keeps me too, too busy!

UPDATE :-)

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

Head to head, I would imagine.

UPDATE As BTD said. Three minutes after me. You read it here first…

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

Especially when it was pointed directly at me, despite disclaimers.

There is also a big diffence between “What many of them did to Krugman, for instance, the minute he said something mildly critical of a specific Obama position, and mildly supportive of a Clinton one” and being angry at Edwards selling out and endorsing Obama for personal gain.

And let’s not forget that the first time Obama played the race card he played it on Edwards.

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

He was #2 from the bottom on my list (above only Obama). Records matter and Edwards record in the Senate was not at all populist or like anything he campaigned for president on. It’s rare to have a transformation like that as suddenly as Edwards did.

Let us not forget that Edwards, along with Obama were the two who started the sexist comments on Hillary, thus giving the press free reign to join in the fun. I’ve been quite consistent in my critique of Edwards. I’m disappointed, but not at all surprised.

—isn’t that exactly how the Obama campaign has been acting tho? And the media? And his supporters everywhere?

And what is this endorsement and the reason for it happening now if not an admission of “premature acclamation”—something that further derails his post-NC “general election”, running against McCain instead of Hillary strategy, just as Wright derailed his strategy, and “bitter/cling” derailed his strategy, and so many other things have so easily done so?

And that’s ignoring the issues entirely (which shouldn’t be).

And do you really think any of this makes him a stronger candidate in November? and why?

… Well, I don’t accept any part of the narrative, or the people who are busily constructing it. Or, as Jeralyn says:

Update: My take having heard the speech: The party leaders are concerned that Hillary’s win in W.Va. and her anticipated win in KY, although it won’t be by the same margin, is causing people to conclude Obama can’t win in November against McCain. They want to cut that argument in the bud and by rallying behind Obama now, they’re hoping to redirect the conversation.

As I said… I think the key things are the 30 votes (assuming Edwards did not release them, does anyone know) and whether Edwards campaigns with Obama in KY. The narrative… is at least partly ours to construct, eh?

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

hiring stand-ins?

no. that’s no what i want to see him doing. I want to see him in Kentucky, listening oo the concerns of actual people who will be going to the polls next week — and apologizing to them for his own neglect of their concerns, and the actions of his supporters.

My problem with the Edwards endorsement at this point is its cognitive dissonance — it doesn’t add anything to Obama at this point, merely subtracts from Edwards. And doing it in Michigan, instead of in Kentucky, sends the message “You’re votes, not people. I’ve got the nomination wrapped up, and if I cared about more than the votes of people like you, I’d be in Kentucky campaigning even though I don’t need their votes to win at the convention.”

I cannot figure out what is going on. As I said in an earlier post, I put Obama’s chances at being the nominee at about 90%. I cannot envision the democratic party I have come to know and cringe at standing up to the media narrative and choosing Clinton. If they had that kind of spine the media narrative wouldn’t suck so badly for them.

Yet, if Obama has the nomination sown up, as everybody says, then he should be able to wait three lousy weeks. He should be willing to go and campaign in WVA and KY and risk the loss. He should lead in seating Florida and Michigan. All of that would help tremendously in his GE efforts. Instead, we get round after round of trying to force her from the race. Which only makes sense if he’s still fighting for the nomination.

My own opinion on what’s going on has changed over the last few weeks. I think what Obama fears is losing the popular vote. So he’s not only trying to show SDs that he’s aware of his weaknesses, but also trying to use the media narrative to suppress turnout and make it harder for Clinton to top him in the vote count. I’ve always thought Obama’s hold gets a lot iffier if Clinton wins the popular vote, only because most Americans still believe that elections are decided by who get the most votes (cute, aren’t they?). That memo his campaign sent out a week or so ago about how using the popular vote was the same as using voters’ heights was the tell for me. Why trash a metric you expect to win? If SDs are worried about Obama’s electability, the easiest way to justify nominating Hillary is “she got the most votes.” You can argue with that, but it puts you on the wrong side of the American myth.

I don’t think Clinton is sending signals that she’s giving up, I think she’s smartly trying to walk a very thin line. Obama is the favorite, she is not. If she looks like she’s going to damage him, the party might step in and stop the race. So what she’s doing is making her argument for why she should win, while trying to reassure the party that she’s a team player who isn’t so set on winning she’s going to take everyone down with her. I thought she did a good job of that last night.

As for Edwards, I think it’s a mixed bag for Obama. It’s always good to get an endorsement and will be even better if he gets Edwards’ delegates. However, endorsements haven’t meant much in this campaign and so I suspect when Obama gets pasted in Kentucky next week, the press will be worse because he was supposed to have addressed his problem. Just as Ted Kennedy was supposed to have addressed the latin@ problem in California.

Seriously, many of the Supers and big shots were supposed to stay “neutral” to make it look like Hillary had a “fair shake”.

HRC’s strategy is the same as it has been since late Feb: win the popular vote and important states and make the case to the supers. Nothing has changed and she’s well on her way to winning the popular vote. Make no mistake, Obama’s loss in WV was humiliating and a massive repudiation of him and all his supporters. Record turnout and the anointed nominee could barely get over 25%. Another 2-to-1 loss and Obama is out, there is no question about that. Edwards was hastily paraded in front of the world to stem off another embarrassing loss in KY and to help him hold onto Oregon. Edwards nor Obama wanted to do this, but its a necessity since Obama’s electability argument is now out the window with another loss. Obama had done well with white men and indies but hasn’t recently. His base, with the exception of 95% AA support, has evaporated. Anything to get white men back.

trust that he would act in accordance with his stated issues? or general trust that what he said was anything more than bs?

Because i think he was the only one talking poverty/class issues when no one else was, and whether he was honest or not or meant it or not, he alone injected important things into the race.

like—i trust that Hillary will actually act on the issues she’s made a priority during the race and i know what they are—but i don’t think i’d say i trust her as a person—i only trust that her priorities are actually tangible and actually issues government can help with—and that she knows that the job of president is actually a real and very practically impactful job, and not simply a figurehead thing or symbolic post.

if you’d explained why you actually supported Obama, rather than coming here and reciting pre-digested anti-Hillary talking points, we might have some reason to respect Edwards decision —-

but you were asked for POSITIVE reasons why you supported Obama, and remained silent. So if you can’t come up with good POSITIVE reasons to support Obama, why should we see what Edwards did as anything other than a betrayal of everything that he claims to have stood for?

Edwards sold his.

What happened to my Democratic party?

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

that’s what i’m thinking. He’s the only big fish left.

Leah says “signals,” Xan agrees, BDBblue disagrees, but it’s all meta because nobody’s citing to anything.

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

BTD at TalkLeft has a good point:

“The Kentucky contest, previously a foregone conclusion for the Media, now becomes a test. For Barack Obama. He needs to go in to Kentucky, WITH John Edwards, and fight for their votes. He needs to show he cares about the voters of Kentucky. Particularly white working class voters. An interesting development indeed.”

Kentucky is now a must win for Obama, or his strategery failed and Edwards’ career is toast.

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

Again.

And once again, we return to the contested narrative!

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

Hillary said she’s not giving up.

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

and every endorsement is a gigantic thing that will help every candidate who gets it, and they want her out, and keep painting her as either wanting veep or 2012 or anything other than to actually win…they’re all saying the same thing—as always.

TalkLeft is right about Hillary being careful now and talking up how the party will come together—she’s been doing it for a few weeks now—also she continues to make it a point to say that her voters shouldn’t go McCain too—she gets no credit for any of it at all.

here’s the transcript from that unbelievable last night’s coverage at MSNBC — http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24616478/

other MSNBC transcripts here — http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3719710/

I hate the pissing contests that go like “I did such and such so I know what such and such people think”, but I grew up in the hood. The trailer hood. Not poor by any means, but had friends who were. (best friend grew up in a place with 9 members that was smaller than my ROOM is now and it aint that big.)

Edwards populism never really resonated with workers and the lower because it fundamentally misses the mark. Where I grew up, we didn’t care if companies had large profits—we all wanted to be billionaires. The populism that resonates is simple: give us the tools to compete and we’ll take over from there. I mentioned it on a previous thread, but Obama and the OFB have a “savior of the masses” mindset while Hillary is more of a “referee”. Edwards is of the “savior” variety populism which just doesn’t fly. In an abstract sense, lobbyists may contribute to structural inequalities but they are not evil in and of themselves.

When Edwards was in, he attracted much of the same “creative class” as Obama does now (though perhaps not the brutes). He did OK in Iowa, but not as good as he should have if he really had credibility. He got trounced in Nevada—the workers rejected him almost unanimously. They also repudiated Obama who only made it close because caucuses are rigged (I was there and know that).

But I digress.

Especially since KY is a “won’t win” for Obama, no matter how much Edwards campaigns, and how much the local media jumps behind him(it’s bad).

He might win here in Lou-Uh-Vul(I’ve seen more Clinton yard signs, but more Obama bumper stickers got hope? Yeauch), or in Lexington, but he will lose badly in the rest of the state, and another 40 point win could be possible.

Bill Clinton for First Dude!!!

i guess you can’t see how this fight has descended into childish, fact-free name calling and rhetoric. i haven’t even read all the comments, they’re too depressing and i’m about to leave my own blog to go somewhere else, i’m so sick and fucking tired of the unthink that happens here these days.

how can i say it simply? in the Beltway, for Big Time politicos with a Media presence, this “makes sense” and is in keeping with what Edwards is, and always was. that is: you don’t fucking know what made him do this, nor will you, so long as you continue to believe/react to the SCLM narrative about ’what this means.’

Edwards is a ahem, “johnny come lately” to the progressive cause. he calculated, wrongly, that he could get more traction by being ’different’ than the other ’major’ candidates, and took a progressive line in his policy proposals and speeches. it was ’good enough’ for people like me, solely and realistically because i think progressive talk is better than fascist talk, and even if he was disengenuous, it was still the direction i wanted the nation to go in…but cmon, can we control the brainless vitrol? the stupidity, the hypocrisy? let’s all understand: politicos don’t care aobut us, even the ones who try to make a career appealing to us. i don’t know edwards personally, i’ve met his wife and she seems Cool, but she’s not him. sooner or later, *every* major or national dem is going to have to ’choose one or the other.’ edwards made his choice, and none of us know exactly why. i do know: like all other ’viable’ national dem figures, his choice has to do with things that relate to him, in this moment, politically and in the media reality.

anyway, i’m really disgusted with the progressive blogosphere right now. it’s like people have no memory, nor critical ability or analysis. it’s rather pathetic too, that we of the “new media” class have become little more than a reactionary echo chamber bitching and whining about how peanut butter is better than chocolate, or vice versa. hello, approaching Depression, monetary collapse, endless occupation/war, environmental apocalypse, anyone? no…let’s all get excited about a speech instead. that will put food on our families for the next 20 years. whatever.

simply because Hillary’s platform is closer to Edwards’ the Obama’s.

happily immune to all religious indoctrination

If Obama has this sewn up with the supers then why is he trotting out John Edwards? I’m hearing rumors of even Al Gore feeling the need to save him by endorsing him. Even if Clinton gets the popular vote count but the supers jump for Obama, no one in the media will call them out on it so what gives?

I can’t help but think the supers will give her the nomination if she leads in the popular vote. What else can explain this obsession with ending the race?

Someone clue me in, because I think this fight is going to the convention.

Evidence and reasoning plus feelings (or vice versa!) — That’s the ticket.

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

I think this is over the top:

Don’t you people get it? You are doing exactly what you continually complain about the Obama Fan Base doing. What many of them did to Krugman, for instance, the minute he said something mildly critical of a specific Obama position, and mildly supportive of a Clinton one.

People vent. The question is whether they settle down afterwards. The very word “Krugman” is a trigger to the OFB to this very day; it’s like the bozo bit got flipped and never got flipped back. I’d be surprised if this continued 4-evah, with Edwards, unless there were analytical support.

Commenters rise or fall in an organic process. Some improve and become better writers and analysts and move onto being valued posters, which has been one of the really great features of this primary season. Others don’t grow, and die. I would expect anyone whose comment you were really worried about to fall into the latter category. Natural attrition takes care of a lot, and everybody has to start somewhere.

(Nor do I feel comfortable being the only person exempted from the strictures in your comment.)

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

one giant reason people aren’t given “the tools to compete” and don’t have opportunities to move up anymore is precisely because of a govt. devoted wholly to big business, and to rewarding those who already are on top, no matter how it affects the rest of us. I don’t think it’s “savior” behavior to accurately pinpoint why no one moves up anymore, and to want to redirect our money and our govt’s focus towards the bulk of us.

Hillary promises a shift of the focus to doing stuff for us without emphasizing blaming and punishing those who hurt us and who our govt values most. And even so, she’s not the establishment’s choice either, as Edwards wasn’t. Their choice is the one who doesn’t emphasize doing specific things that help the majority, because giving people “the tools” costs money that then wouldn’t go to the ones who currently get it.

… I think the differences between the Democratic candidates are marginal but not insigificant. Until the contest is decided (and not by “the math” or the press, either) I will continue to advocate forcefully for my candidate, exactly because I think that I and people like me will do a little better in the coming shitstorm if my candidate wins (because when you’re at the margin, even a little counts).

I’ve never assumed that candidates “care” about us; that’s not required. What’s required is that they have to satisfy me, to some degree however small, if I’m part of their constituency. (If the Democrats end up in bed with labor, and the Republicans don’t, and you want pro-labor policies, vote the Democrat.)

And when the nomination is decided, I will indeed move on to more interesting things.

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

and today he’s endorsing Obama.

What changed? Hillary obliterated Obama in West Virginia.

The voters in WV decided to support Hillary, and now Edwards changes his mind? The voters in Kentucky are poised to do the same, but Edwards intervenes. Could it have something to do with Edwards new fundraising project? money changes eveything.

Then there’s this:

KING: Obviously, you deserve to. What do you think about Florida and Michigan?

EDWARDS: Well, I think we can’t disenfranchise the voters in those two states, particularly in Florida after what happened in 2000. So I think the DNC is scheduled to deal with this later this month. I think they will find some fair middle ground resolution that allows the delegations from those two states to be seated. I suspect there will be some division that slightly favors Senator Clinton but doesn’t have a great impact on the race.

He goes to Michigan to announce his endorsement. That adds insult to injury.

I started out supporting Edwards. Now I’m pissed at myself. Fuck him.

————————————————————————
“A true friend stabs you from the front” -Oscar Wilde

Here it is:

I want to begin by thanking each of you for all of your support and commitment over the last year. It has meant so much to Elizabeth and me. We have been very busy since January working on the causes that got us into the campaign in the first place — helping to build the One America we all believe in.

You may have heard me talk about one of those programs called College for Everyone — a scholarship pilot project that Elizabeth and I started a few years ago in Greene County, North Carolina.

The program is based on a simple promise to students: make good grades, work at least 10 hours a week, and stay out of trouble — and the program will help pay for your first year of college. Since we launched this effort in 2005, the percentage of Greene County high school graduates attending college has increased from 54 percent to 74 percent.

As I write you, 165 high school seniors in Greene County are set to graduate in May and 94% have been accepted into N.C. colleges and universities. Most of these young people are doing just what many of us did — sitting around the kitchen table with their parents, wondering how they will pay for tuition.

Every parent wants to give their child the opportunity that comes with a college education. But for too many American families, the dream of a college degree is just that — a dream. Now, I need your help to make the dream of a college education a reality for some hard-working students in rural Greene County.

That’s why I need your help today — with a tax-deductible donation of $10, $25, $50 or $75, whatever you can afford — to bring us one step closer to our goal of College for Everyone. By contributing now, you will help fulfill the college dreams of deserving students in Greene County and show the world that if we work together on big and important issues, change is possible.

But change can only come with your help. Please contribute now and bring us closer to building One America where every child has the opportunity to go as far as his or her talents and hard work will take them.

Thank you,

John Edwards

P.S. Contributions made by Friday go towards scholarships for the students graduating in May. Please respond today.

Worthy cause, but why today?

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.