I just woke up. I haven’t hit the political websites or turned on MSNBC. Just heard on the radio that John Edwards is dropping out of the presidential race today.
Shocker! Who saw that coming? Nobody, that’s who.
So I wanna put my own amateur analysis out there... see how it stacks up against the real thing, which we’ll be bombarded with on TV all week.
Timing-wise, I suspect Edwards is quitting now to benefit Barack Obama on Super Tuesday.
Think about it. The 10 to 15 percent of voters who’ve gravitated towards Edwards have already decided they’re not wild about Hillary, they want to go another direction. Right?
Edwards steps aside now... to give Obama a boost in next week’s Big Throwdown. Allow Barack and Hillary to debate one-on-one. Right?
A hardcore feminist might call this a typical patriarchal move, ganging up against the girl. (Rapist! Footbinder!) Whatever it is, it changes the game in a fascinating way.
UPDATE (01/30/08): Washington Post political blogger Chris Cillizza reports this piece of instant punditry from Charlie Cook:
"While one can plausibly argue that Edwards withdrawal may unite the anti-Clinton vote, one can also argue that Edwards overwhelmingly white block of supporters come loose and might behave much as other white Democrats have done in the contests after Iowa, not vote for Obama. I don't know which of those arguments will prevail."
Actually, unless he aggressively turns his voters over to Barack (which they may or may not do), he actually frees up white votes for Hillary.
ReplyDeleteJust another way to consider it.
I would hope that he pushes his voters towards Barack (which I thought he should have did after New Hampshire, but anyway), which could really help Barack on Super Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteIt would totally depend though, on which candidate (Obama/Clinton) has approached Edwards with a VP slot.
Since Guiliani is throwing to McCain, I wouldn't be surprised if we found out who Edwards was throwing to in a couple days.
I'm not surprised. He's always faced an uphill battle against Clinton and Obama. He was never able to overcome their mass appeal and individual political resumes.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the shock is primarily due to the fact that he said quite vehemently that he'd stay in the race until the convention. But it was an inevitable move. The most definitive reason for his candidacy (that Hilary or Barack stumble along the way) gradually became less likely.
I think he'll eventually endorse Obama.
John Edwards for Attorney General!
ReplyDeleteEdwards leaving will probably help Hillary or a Republican. He did best with white men.
ReplyDeleteI heartbroken. I had intended to vote for Edwards since Richardson and Dodd dropped out. I had supported him in '04.
I was torn between voting for Edwards and Obama because although I'm not in love with Obama he had the best chance of taking her out. SInce I vote with PA at the end of April, I was going to wait and see how things played out.
If Edwards endorses Obama or keeps his mouth shut he could end up as attorney general. I see either Richardson or Biden as Sec. of State. I'd love to see the white, female governor (name?) who gave the state of the union rebuttal, or another female gov. be Obama's running mate. Steinem could shove that in her hat.
And, no, I'm not one of those women who hate successful women. I just don't like her, her views or her tactics.
This is definitely shaping up to be an interesting primary season. It's actually interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe conspiracy theorists are saying the McCain vs. Clinton run was decided 7 years ago, with McCain winning (which I think he would over Hillary). But hey, those people are all crazy.
I hope Barack pulls through and kicks Hillary's ass, since she is so frequently showing it these days.
I'd easily vote for an Obama/Edwards ticket.
Check out my post on Edwards withdrawal from the race, which I hated. I'm at http://peoplepowergranny.blogspot.com. Readers can also vote in my poll on what they think he'll do next.
ReplyDelete... he actually frees up white votes for Hillary.
ReplyDeleteHey Eric. I guess this is what's called the White Man's Dilemma, huh? Hillary or Barack.
I got a feeling that the hard-feminist undertones of the Clinton campaign could be more of a turn-off to white males than Obama's mocha complexion.
Since Guiliani is throwing to McCain, I wouldn't be surprised if we found out who Edwards was throwing to in a couple days.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Wanda, if he's gonna do it, it would make since for him to do it before Super Tuesday... so this endorsement could really count for something.
He was never able to overcome their mass appeal and individual political resumes.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Mr. Obenson. I must admit, something always rubbed me wrong about John Edwards. Not calling him insincere... but his populist, "class warfare" pitch struck me as a bit calculated. Inorganic.
I am sad to see Edwards go - I liked the dude (well, as much as Id like any politician I wasnt related to, lol)!
ReplyDeleteOne article I read in the Washington Post said that in SC, Obama got more white male votes and Clinton got more white female votes. To me, it looks like a toss-up. Unless we can figure out a way to "de-Blackify" Obama, hehehe.
L
Unless we can figure out a way to "de-Blackify" Obama, hehehe.
ReplyDeleteMichael Jackson can help him out with that ;^D
Honestly, if I thought it would do any good, I'd throw my vote to Gravel. He's a kook, but he's my kind of kook.
First, great site: I've been reading for a while.
ReplyDeleteEdwards dropping out of the race I feel will ultimately be a bad thing for Obama unless Edwards "actively" endorses Obama.
Words of support are great, but it will take Edwards actually hitting the pavement in support to really rally his supporters to the "O" train.
dez: Gravel is a cool kind of nutty. Whilst scanning YouTube for campaign videos, I came across this homemade item from Gravel, going after the Creationst/"intelligent design" crowd.
ReplyDeletePretty weird to see a major-party candidate shooting a campaign video using his personal webcam... but he talks sense.
JE: Welcome to my spot. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteI guess I shouldn't have expected Edwards to endorse right away. If he times it right, he could get pretty much get anything he wants from Clinton or Obama.
^If not Veep, then Attorney General, or so the speculation goes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Gravel link. I saw him on Bill Maher's show and just loved how honest he was. Which of course meant he had no shot in hell of getting the nom (okay, there are other reasons, but the honesty one is big).