Reply #12: I'll try this again

[Andrea]

I had responded to this post a few days ago, and as soon as I finished writing, my browser crashed. Yikes! So annoying. If it happens again, I guess it means I'm not meant to respond.

1) I think it means less chance of a brokered convention, since splitting the delegates two ways instead of three makes it more possible for one to get over 50%. The good news is that he keeps his delegates and may get more because he is still on the ballot in most states and an enormous number of Edwards supporters are going to vote for him regardless. They are doing this for various reasons, but some of the most popular are: a) to have a voice in the writing of the platform, b) to send a message, and c) to force a brokered convention. Many, many of the Edwards supporters that I have seen talking about a brokered convention are hoping that it will lead to a Gore-Edwards ticket. So how cool is that?

2) Yeah. Not a coincidence at all. Everything I have been able to find on the topic points to him being driven out, either by the DLC crowd with hopes of helping Hillary, or the Kennedy crowd with hopes of helping Obama, or by various nefarious people in hopes of helping the Republicans (since he was the most electable of the three in head to heads against all Rep possibilities).

3) I don't think he will endorse anyone because the other two aren't deserving of it. If he does, it will probably be part of a deal to get certain things in the platform.

Here's something else I wanted to run by you all:

Remember back in December there was that bipartisan conference in Texas? There were some big names going: Chuck Hagel, Sam Nunn, Christy Todd Whitman and others. The officially given reason for the conference was to work toward civility in DC, but most everyone in the media (and me and I'm sure some of you) thought that the real reason was to choose a third party candidate. Around that time I read somewhere that Bloomberg was thinking about coming in as a third party candidate, but was much more likely to do it if Al Gore gave him his blessing. I also read that someone close to Gore said that Gore would do that if and only if Edwards was not the Dem candidate. And we have all heard speculation about a Gore-Bloomberg ticket. Could it be that with Edwards pushed out, there will either be a Gore-Bloomberg ticket with Edwards somewhere in the cabinet, or a Bloomberg-Edwards ticket with Gore's blessing?

What do you folks think about that?