John Edwards: Too Soon for Political Obituary

[helderheid]

January 13th, 2008

by Jayne Lyn Stahl

So, maybe the media has timed out on John Edwards. Maybe the pay for view press has decided to shrink the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination to two candidates, but this would be premature evacuation. Every contender with the stomach for it has the right to remain in the race for as long as he or she wants without the benefit of primetime postmortems.

Isn’t it bad enough that we try, and convict, those who are only suspected of committing a crime on our TV newscasts? Is this any way to run a democracy? Yeah, into the ground, I think.

If we, in this country, weren’t so insistent upon novelty, and looked instead to competency, John Edwards would be, by far, the clear leader as the nominee of the Democratic Party. Yet, in keeping with their time-honored tradition, the Democrats will instead show their uncanny ability to foul it up all just when a victory is most needed, and instead of delivering an end to a war which has lasted longer than Vietnam, we will, yet again, deliver a nominee who is guaranteed to pull an LBJ and keep fanning the flames of war in the name of bringing the boys home. The lies are the same; the only thing that’s changed is the calendar.

While it’s true that any Democrat nominated must secure as many crossover Republican votes as possible, if we think of government as a large ship, what happens when all the weight is in the center?

As long as any candidate places his, or her tonnage solely in the middle, the ship of state must sink. That was John Kerry’s problem; not willing to go out on a limb, sticking with the tried and true—is this what it means to be experienced? But, even more daunting for him, Kerry wasn’t a fighter. If Kerry were a fighter, he’d have held out for every last vote to be counted, in Ohio, and we would not have had a second term of George W. Bush who didn’t even deserve a first term.

Much more >>>

http://blog.pdamerica.org/?p=1627

[EFerrari]

1. If John Edwards drops out, I'm logging out for the duration.

I'm not a good enough person to handle it right now.

There have been too many blows in the last seven years.

[fenriswolf]

2. i know right.

if edwards drops out better to stop trying and enjoy whats left of america and your freedoms before the goose stepping starts.

[EFerrari]

10. I've sort of promised not to work a campaign but election protection instead.

But, it would be very difficult to do that.

Maybe I'm just low on B vitamins today. :(

[stravu9]

5. I'm With You!

I plan on registering as and Independent the day that happens.
I will for the 1st time in 50 yrs not vote for the Democratic Presidential Candidate.
I feel deserted by the party I have campaigned for all my life and plan on deserting them back.
It is no secret that the media hate him, follow the money corporations sign their paychecks, but it is time the party itself removed it's head from it's .... and worked to elect someone who can restore the hope brought by the NEW DEAL and THE GREAT SOCIETY!
JOHN EDWARDS IS THE ONLY ONE EVEN TRYING!

[EFerrari]

8. You can't log out, you just started posting!

Sorry to be a bummer and welcome to DU. lol

:hi:

[burythehatchet]

17. that was funny.

[kelligesq]

48. Stravu, my exact words and thoughts too.

:mad:

[saracat]

74. I certainly relate to that.I am not ina position to change registration but i will as soon as

feasible and I am painfully considering not voting in the Presidential Election except for the down ticket if JRE drops.I will write in his name anyway. I am aLifelong Dem. This is painful

[burythehatchet]

16. You been reading my mind again?

Seriously, this is a big turning point for an involved voter and political junkie of 30 years.

[EFerrari]

21. Hey, maybe I should get a fortuning telling license and set up shop.

The Clinton - Obama fisticuff threads just deplete and discourage me. It's like watching IBM try to clobber Microsoft. Heedless of the damage. I wish they'd get a room.

After digging in and working hard every day for so many years, it's damn hard to see what is coming down the pike. Corporate funded frontrunners, insecure elections, all promoted by a whore media.

F#ck me.

I really need John Edwards to stay in this contest. And, not as a token.

[burythehatchet]

24. I have a very deep intuition that JE will be able to trascend the media blockade

ALL the "right" people are against him and it is really motivating a lot of us.

[DaLittle Kitty]

55. Agreed... We WILL Overcome...

[CorpGovActivist]

97. .

[Yael]

23. He has stated that he is in through the convention

if he doesn't have a chance at the nom, he will have the delegates to play kingmaker.

I support him in this either way, because I trust that he knows what is best for this country, and he speaks from the gut.

I could be very wrong.

[Gloria]

91. But as "kingmaker" that still doesn't guarantee that whoever gets his

delegates will listen to anything he has to say in the long run. What's left are just manipulators-triangulators.

[OzarkDem]

34. Its very tempting

I shudder to think of where our country will end up if he does.

[SammyWinstonJack]

42. I'll do the same.

[be inspired]

77. You and me both.

If Democrats nominate the wrong person this time (and that would be anybody but John Edwards) they should not expect any help from me during the general. It would be a struggle to even force myself to vote for Clinton or Obama, much less work for them.

[JDPriestly]

87. Overall, John Edwards polls highest against the Republican contenders

With Edwards, you can vote your conscience and get a winner
.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/favorables/election_2008_democratic_candidates_running_in_2008_presidential_election

If you look at those polls and you realize that they have been fairly consistent for months and months, you realize that only a fool of a masochist would vote for Hillary. Edwards can win in November. Hillary can't. And I don't think Obama can either.

[frogcycle]

93. actually

There were too many blows in the preceding eight years, else we would not be in this mess.

:rofl:

[smokey nj]

3. K&R!!

[IDemo]

4. I was watching some talking heads on C-Span earlier

"And what about John Edwards?" was raised by the host, and the rest erupted in laughter. Seriously.

Is there a word to describe simultaneous disbelief and unsurprise?

[EFerrari]

11. Ballet? I heard the president of the Commission on Presidential Debates

saying out loud that he couldn't understand why everyone but Clinton and Obama doesn't drop out now.

This joint resembles more and more those Latin American (and US sponsored) dictatorships where the military academy is called "the school of Presidents" by the people.

/oops

[DaLittle Kitty]

56. So Many Are BOUGHT, SO FEW TO BE TRUSTED! Trust in John Edwards!

[frogcycle]

96. well, please join me in a rousing chorus of

Fuuuuuuuuck Theeeemmmmmmm!

[kentuck]

6. If Edwards could win SC..?

It would turn the political world upside down. The pundits would not know whether to shit or go blind.

[balantz]

33. That's what I hoped for,

But I understand South Carolina uses no paper ballots. BushCo has analyzed and manipulated our choices to the nth. They've got all the money and power to screw us and make the selection that keeps them in power.

Nevertheless, I still hold out hope for victory!

[waiting for hope]

58. I just got back from

phone banking for Edwards in the Myrtle Beach area - guess what, only 4 for Clinton, 1 for Obama and about 25 for Edwards and the majority still undecided - out of about 200 calls. That tells me that it ain't over, not by a long shot.

[Glimmer of Hope]

7. It is weird that the press seems to be able to cover more than two

Republican candidates.

[EFerrari]

12. Bingo. The only cuts to the herd that are being promoted

are to the Democratic one.

[gkhouston]

18. Yeah, but they're all so lame it takes two or three of them to add up to

a "full" candidate -- maybe that's the rationale? :shrug:

[fujiyama]

32. Convenient isn't it?

Edwards has a much greater shot of winning the Dem primary than Giulliani (or even Romney at this point) does of winning the republican primary.

But Romney has tons of cash, therefore he's viable and John Edwards does not exist.

[IdesOfOctober]

9. I think the Hillary folks were seen pre-planning at the undertaker.

How considerate.

Ides

[Blue_In_AK]

13. If Edwards drops out

I will permanently take up residence in the Photo Group where politics NEVER is discussed, and we only spend our time admiring and praising each other's beautiful photographs. It is a safe harbor in this stormy sea.

[EFerrari]

14. Hi there, Blue. That sounds like a great solution.

:)

[smokey nj]

19. Maybe I'll join you. Is being a good photographer a prerequisite for participation?

I've taken a few good photos in my time - but each one was purely accidental. Perhaps you could use a little comic relief in the group?

[Blue_In_AK]

28. We would love to have you,

and I guarantee you'll learn some things. I didn't know an aperture from a hole in the ground until I came to this group. Everybody is very helpful, very nice -- and best of all, NO POLITICS. Check us out.

[cgrindley]

15. Oh no it isn't

Edwards' career is over. It was over 4 years ago and it's still over now.

[Binka]

29. Don't You Someplace Else To Be A Pain In The Ass?

Go take a fucking hike dude.

[Marr]

41. Hillary supporters seem just like Republicans to me.

Much like their candidate. From the "get over it" election recount attitude to their oddly juvenile taunting, they just seem more and more like Republicans to me every time they speak.

I'm assuming you're a Hillary supporter based purely on your scent, of course. I could be wrong. Am I wrong?

[michaz]

57. And your opinion is worth what? Not much!!

[Patchuli]

65. How kind of you

to share your assinine opinion. Buh bye.

[Seabiscuit]

80. Ahhh...

the trolls are out in force again today - lots of "ignoreds" on my screen.

[elizfeelinggreat]

73. how interesting and positive that

the reactions to your post point out what's happening in our country right now - people are TIRED of the bashing.

If the dislike for this kind of behavior translates to the media and their treatment of Edwards (and Democrats in general) it ends up being a positive for him. Great!

[cgrindley]

75. Edwards will drop out this coming week

and you know it. He hasn't won anything and he won't win anything.

[elizfeelinggreat]

78. I know no such thing

and it seems I hit a nerve

[peacock]

82. Then we are toast! Edwards´s "career" is

taht of a statesman who is offering everything to do his best to serve our Country and the World.

Guess you think Gore´s career is over too!

[GOPBasher]

20. I wish Gore would endorse him.

That would be huge.

[frogcycle]

94. I have thought that for a long time

but I wonder if it is so?

and aside from "man am I ever glad I am not in that toxic swamp!" I wonder what Gore thinks of all this.

Just contemplate:

Don't want it or can't get it:
Russ Feingold
Al Gore
Joe Biden
Chris Dodd
Bill Richardson


Beating the living shit out of each other for it:
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama

TBD:
John Edwards

WTF?

[MissDeeds]

22. So glad I found this thread

Good to know I'm not alone in my despair and disillusionment. I honestly believe this country will continue down the road to destruction unless a very strong Democratic leader is elected - one who is from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. We do not need an appeaser, or one who panders, or one who tests the political waters before making a decision or taking a stand. This country desperately needs John Edwards.

I have given it a great deal of thought and I will vote for him in the GE whether he is the nominee or not. My vote will not go to place someone in office simply because s/he has a "D" behind his/her name. Have we set the bar so low? Until recently, LIEberman had a "D" behind his name, but he is no more Democrat than his good friend McCain.

Ultimately, if Edwards loses, we all lose.

[robcon]

25. I think he'll drop out soon.

If he drops out before Feb 5, he may give the nomination to Obama, since most of his followers will drift to him rather than Clinton in the Super Tuesday primaries. If he stays in until after Feb 5, the race between Clinton and Obama will incredibly tight.

[helderheid]

26. We've only had 2 states vote.

:shrug:

[robcon]

44. But he clearly sees the writing on the wall, IMO.

He won't drop out before NV or SC, but soon after, IMO.

He has a good staff, who know that he has...

very little money
no momentum
difficulty in getting either paid or volunteer workers for Super Tuesday states

He is very aware of his standing in the polls: third place in every state but one, where he has one point on Obama for second place.

[peacock]

84. Precisely! Don´t let the MSM decide

this election! We are the deciders.

[kelligesq]

49. He promised not to drop out-his ppl wont go to either - can WRITE IN EDWARDS and I will.

as an Independent, which I'll change to if he isnt the nominee

:bounce:

[bpeale]

60. i will too. i will not vote for Hillary or Obama. that much is certain.

[unc70]

52. Care to pass "that" around and share with the rest. Must be good. n/t

[kelligesq]

54. If Edwards name is not on ballot, even electronically, it can be written in.

And thanks, I dont indulge.

[peacock]

83. Dream on

Edwards is NOT going to drop out. And with the contual cracks like that it is NOT certain that Edwards supporters will support Obama.

[CorpGovActivist]

27. Kick! n/t

[SalmonChantedEvening]

30. Keep fighting John!

premature evacuation *snicker*

hiya helderheid :hi: :hug: :loveya:

[FlyingSquirrel]

39. I was gonna say, was I the only one that caught that phrase?

:rofl: :popcorn:

[postulater]

62. No you weren't

I caught it too, but to me no evacuation is premature. Any time I can poop, I poop. It's all good.
:silly:

[NastyRiffraff]

31. As an Edwards supporter, I hope he wins.

I mean I really REALLY hope he wins. I'll be bummed if he does not. However...I will support and work for the Democratic nominee. Any one of them would be thousands of times better than any of the Republican candidates.

[stravu9]

35. I'm NOT Giving UP On JOHN!

Tuesday is my payday and I'm sending him more money then!
They want us to be afraid and throw our support behind these ANOINTED CORPORATE MEDIA SHILLS who will , when the smoke clears not help the dis-enfranchised any more than a Republican would!
Remember, NIXON has been proven to be more progressive and LIBERAL than BILL NAFTA CLINTON!

NEVER surrender!!

Remember what "V" says: "People should not be afraid of their Governments, Governments should be afraid of their PEOPLE!"

UP THE REPUBLIC!

RUN, JOHN , RUN!!
Remember why we are all here!The things that really matter to us and this Nation and it's people, especially the poor and dis-enfranchised! Our environment and making sure we leave things better than we found them, not WORSE. We owe this to ourselves and we owe this to our children and we owe to our fellow citizens!

Don't allow them to take your FAITH IN GOODNESS AWAY FROM YOU!

KEEP SUPPORTING JOHN!

[MissDeeds]

37. Agree completely

I live in a red state and everyone I know supports Edwards. I really think his message is slowly but surely getting out there, in spite of the media's attempts to block coverage of him.

Give 'em hell, John. We're with you!

And welcome to DU, stravu9. Glad you're here! :hi:

[SammyWinstonJack]

43. ...

:applause: :applause: :thumbsup:

[peacock]

85. Yes! I will!

I´m voting for JRE in the TX primary.

[alarimer]

36. I haven't given up on him

Maybe all the mud being flung at Obama and Clinton by each other and their supporters will cause people to vote for somebody else and the likely other choice is Edwards. I can hope. Anyway, in terms of delegates he is not far behind. People get all riled up over someone winning and losing primaries but in fact, delegates go to the top three. In any case, only two states have voted and I am so tired of the fucking media deciding for us who should drop out.

[AmBlue]

61. I haven't given up either.

I think the rural states will really go for John Edwards and he could yet surprise us all. Republicans will vote for him and most all of their candidates are pretty dismal.

[pamela]

38. It's time for Revenge of the JEDNE

[FlyingSquirrel]

40. May the force be with him...

[Uncle Joe]

45. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, helderheid.

[David Zephyr]

46. I hope to the heavens that John stays in all the way to the last primary.

We've only had two contests. Two.

He's keeping the campaign to the left which I like.

Hillary copied his health care plan word for word.

He has a great influence and who knows what can happen in the next weeks.

John must stay in the race!

[helderheid]

47. exact;y. It's EARLY yet. Keep the support and donations coming!

[kelligesq]

50. If you're registered with John you can make phone calls for him - using

your cell is cheaper. Again if you're registered and prolly if you've sent him money before, they';; send you instructions. They do check you out, btw for those
who have any "funny" ideas. :)

[cali]

51. JE has a real opportunity hear

the more Clinton and Obama savage each other the more support I think he'll get.

[kelligesq]

53. I lost it in an email to CNN yesterday, and today he got more air time - so if you wanna

wrtite an off the wall angry e mail to NBC, MSNBC's, ABC, CBS feedback emails
this is what I wrote: (leaving out some of it which doesnt apply to any but Time -Warner and Bill Schneider ) and it did seem to get him more time on CNN's
"Ballot 08"


this was what I sent (you can tell I was really angry)

CNN on Sat. just gave JRE 2 mins of airtime twice, followed by poll not mentioning him -

I and 300,000 other democrats have read this message to you. WE will complain to the FCC and demand your license be revoked , those are public airwaves owned by us,and you dont give equal time and mention to Edwards which you give to Obama and Clinton.What mention you do give is negative.

We dont like YOUR choosing what candidates Americans have choice of by not giving air time to ALL candidates.

Schneider, (a neocon who signed a PNAC letter to Bill Clinton along with Cheney & Jeb Bush) followed Edwards appearance on CNN, who does the polls and gave the poll results of Obama and Clinton...no mention of Edwards even though polls show across the country Edwards shows as most electable...just mentioned Clinton was ahead .

You may be owned by Time Warner, but wherever your stations air, WE THE PEOPLE OWN THE AIRWAVES. YOU MAY HAVE COOPERATED WITH BILDERBURG FOR 60 YEARS AS DAVID ROCKEFELLER SAID IN 1992 THANKING YOU FOR KEEPING BIDERBERG'S SECRETS WHILE ATTENDING THEIR MEETINGS.....BUT AMERICANS DONT WANT ONE WORLD GOVT. AND YOU SHOULD BE SERVING AMERICANS, NOT FASCIST CORPORATIONS and Bilderburg Trilaterals desires to TAKe OVER OUR COUNTRY AND THE WORLD !!!@!!!

Bring Ted Turner back to manage this station. At least the news was more honest!!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Yes, I really sent that .
but it does seem to have worked - they showed a lot more time with him today :D

[ConsAreLiars]

69. Just for your info, it was a different Schneider who signed onto PNAC, but

the CNN one is certainly a stupid whore (in the bad sense).

(edit to add) You can check this out by looking up William Schneider on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Schneider

[Emit]

59. Wait a minute, has the Iraq War lasted longer than Vietnam? n/t

[redqueen]

76. No. I noticed that, too.

Maybe they meant to say it was more expensive. :shrug:

[Lugnut]

63. Go Johnny, go!

:kick:

[midnight]

64. I agree with the Media trying to shrink the pool. Why?

And John Kerry raised lot's of money to fight the decsion of o4, but then didn't. Where did that money go? So many questions,and so few answeres. Another question I have is about this site? who is acting as Treasury Sectretay?http://www.worldreports.org/news/109_henry_paulson_critical_after_being_shot_in_the_chest_

[Kurovski]

66. K&R. (nt)

[BigBearJohn]

67. John is going to fight for the middle class. I feel it in my bones. K/R!

He will also stop unfair trade practices
that are killing this country.

MORE POWER TO YOU JOHN.

I'm here all the way with you!!

[Plucketeer]

68. JRE

is in this til the final bell of the last round! :kick:

[watrwefitinfor]

70. Kicking & Rec n/t

[CorpGovActivist]

71. Kick n/t

[happygoluckytoyou]

72. DIVIDE DEMOCRATS DIVIDE

ITS WORKING...
---- OUR ATTEMPT TO BREAK THE PARTY OF DEMOCRATS INTO SPITEFUL HATE-FILLED PEOPLE IS WORKING...

---- WE WILL AGAIN BE ABLE TO CLAIM...

THE REPUBLICANS UNITE FOR THE ELECTION... AND DIVIDE THE SPOILS
THE DEMOCRATS DIVIDE FOR THE ELECTION... AND DIVIDE NOTHING

REMEMBER MY REPUBLICAN BROTHERS... DUE TO THE EXPECTED HIGH TURNOUT... IN 2008

THE DEMOCRATS WILL BE VOTING ON NOVEMBER 4
WE REPUBLICANS WILL BE VOTING ON NOVEMBER 5

[Seabiscuit]

79. Actually, it was Nixon, not LBJ who

"fann(ed) the flames of war in the name of bringing the boys home".

LBJ reversed JFK's plan to bring home our "advisors" from Vietnam beginning in December, 1963, and as soon as he took elected office in January, 1965 started sending hundreds of thousands of new troops to Vietnam. He never did it in the name of "bringing the boys home." He did it in the name of containing "communist" expansion.

It was Nixon who ran in 1968 on the promise that he had a "secret plan to end the war" (in a weird twist of history in 1968 the Dem candidate was seen as a warhawk for supporting LBJ's policies in Vietnam, while Nixon, the real warhawk, portrayed himself as the Vietnam peace candidate), who continued for years to fan the flames of war in the name of bringing the boys home. His "secret plan" turned out to be nothing more than a Kissinger buzzword, "Vietnamization" - i.e. gradually turning the war over to the "South" Vietnamese (which of course, never happened). Same thing we're seeing in Iraq today - "when they stand up, we'll stand down". Different buzzwords, same bullshit.

A minor point, but since you brought it up... :)

[On the Road]

81. At This Point, Obama Will Have to Take a Hit in the Media

for voters to look elsewhere. It is conceivable (look at McCain or Kerry in 04), but I am not holding my breath.

I will vote for the Dem nominee in November, but I'm really kind of shocked that Edwards is the only one even addressing the core issues of the Democratic base or talking about a political struggle rather than making nice.

[corkhead]

86. AND....FUCKING....HOW!!!

Discouraged and disgusted don't begin to describe how I feel about how things are going right now.

look at the shiny object...

[electropop]

88. On Caucus night in Iowa, Huffington & co declared him "out"

So let's get this straight: he was expected to come in 3rd, and Hillary was expected to win. So Edwards beats Hillary and moves up to 2nd place. And on that night, the very first night of primary season, the NPR pundits, led by Huffington, write him off totally? One assumes they must also have written off Hillary, who lost to him? Nope. Is NPR now a corporate whore?

[ooglymoogly]

92. Huffpo is a pretentious site that has its own agenda..

and while Arianna is right on many issues imo she is wrong on some. Huffpo is the agenda of Arianna and her adorers right or wrong. None the less I admire Arianna but have lost interest in the Huffpo site.

[electropop]

89. Crossover votes? phooie. We need EVERY Democratic vote

We don't need to sell out and back down any longer. The bottom 30% of the bell curve, the Bush Base, will never vote for a Democrat. There are many Repubs seeing the light, and if they have progressive beliefs, they are welcome to join the human race with us. If they don't, we don't need 'em. Their views, like their majority, are dead.

[Gloria]

90. Kiss is goodbye with any of the others.....

Seriously, I'll write in John in November if it comes to that...

Then, it's time to live and shut out all the crap. Life is too short....esp. if you're older and have
"seen this movie" before (to quote an old Elton John song)

[ClericJohnPreston]

95. if you're old enough....

My perspective would be, you would see the MANIPULATION of the MSM, and listen not only to what a candidate says, but what their record proves.

Unfortunately, I think you are witnessing a phenomenon which is at it's zenith at the moment, the MSM in ALMOST complete control of the Corporate narrative of this Election.

Based on a theme, the MSM is able to stage and direct an outcome. Sometimes the Corporate hand is clumsy and visible, see 2000 Florida and 2004 Ohio. Other times, it's influence is nuanced and almost transparent, see the invisible campaign of John Edwards ( pun intended ).

It takes a person of experience to navigate these waters, which is why you see the dichotomy between longtime Dems and new voters and who they support. One is prey to malleability, the other influenced by reality. That is a simplified generalization, but a cynical one from someone who realizes our last freedom is hanging by a thread, between real and illusory.

I don't think I'm alone in those beliefs and I'd bet Edwards supporters have the highest degree of cynicism in the fairness of this process.