Why I continue to support Edwards

[floridablue]

He is gaining delegates, and if he stays in the race we will have a campaign through the primaries after February 5th, right up close to the convention. And when he gets there, he will be in position to be nominated as the compromise candidate between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama. The current published polls show him beating the Republican field.

[Fovea]

1. The primaries are preliminaries

and the convention is a whole different ballgame.

So now is time for Edwards to re=-think single payer healthcare upfront.
Now is the time for him to re think how many military bases America needs around the world.
Now is the time for him to really hammer stem cells, medical pot, public education, remaking transportation.

This is an opportunity to use platform to strengthen the progressive wing, because I think we are heading toward
stalemate in status quo land.

[Clarkansas]

2. That will never happen.

Edwards will not be a "compromise candidate" with Obama and Clinton taking a lion's share of the delegates.
Reality time folks. Edwards will come in third everywhere.

[midlife_mo_Jo]

4. No compromise candidate

but a voice at the convention, and a little arm twisting along the way to the convention.

He's my candidate, and I support him all the way.

[HeraldSquare212]

6. for what, platform positions?

I honestly don't think either would make him part of their administration.

[Clarkansas]

8. He is my candidate, but I reside in reality.

His best bet is to make a deal with Obama. Otherwise Clinton will win this and she will have nothing to do with him.

[midlife_mo_Jo]

14. I think that's the arm twisting along the way

[Two Americas]

20. not American Idol

It is the message that is worthy of support, and that is what is important, not advancing personalities into various positions of power.

I don't want Edwards to win, I want the people for whom he is speaking to win.

I want the traditional principles and ideals of the Democratic party - that have always brought the party its greatest electoral success - to be heard.

[Clarkansas]

33. That sounds nice and all but

if Clinton wins, the resounding message will be "Democrats want a centrist, status quo candidate."

[Two Americas]

35. not in the least

People cannot support messages they do not hear.

Why does DU not reflect the general population in the straw polls here? Because DUers hear a broader range of messages.

I strongly believe that were the general public getting the same information that DUers get, that the general public would vote the same way that DUers do.

The job, then, is to get the message to the public, not to beat up on each other, not to advise caution and centrism, not to discourage and malign each other, not to tell people to "accept reality" or "be practical," and not to roll over and wallow in right wing propaganda myths about politics and the general public.

Otherwise, the resounding message will be that we - WE right here - once again failed the American people.

Blaming the public is the problem, not the solution.

[nancyr]

3. He is our best choice.

[BridgeTheGap]

5. If we end up with a "brokered" convention, anything can happen

way too early for the "top tier" to bail.

[cascadiance]

16. With the primaries behind us, who knows, maybe Al Gore will have a change of heart!

[Two Americas]

21. anything can happen

All of it good.

[BridgeTheGap]

24. Hey, like I said: anything can happen! n/t

[aquart]

7. He was my choice.

Then he joined the throng in beating up Hillary. And something in me went dead.

[weeve]

9. He never beat Hillary up.

Get real. He stated the obvious, about needing a strong leader. Her tearing up (and/or the Diebold tabulations) seemed to have achieved their goal in NH. I wouldn't even be surprised if that IRON MY SHIRT thing was (yet another) plant, knowing that it would galvanize support around Hillary ... poor Hillary.

sheesh

[Clarkansas]

10. I like your sig. I hope you recognize the low appeal of Hillary to independents.

I hope voters wake up.

[Armstead]

11. Please explain

Yes he spoke strongly against Hillary as the status qup candidate during the debate. That's what debates are about, and she fought back.

Yes he may have made an inappropriate comment regarding her "emotional moment" in response to a question. But he was tired too, and he softened that later on.

How would these things make you change your mind? Is there something deeper? I hope so.

[Dhalgren]

12. I had much the same feeling. I was so disappointed in his joining in

on that shameful spectacle. I am left with no one to vote for. I am a Kucinich man, but he isn't even on the ballot in my state (it's Alabama, so I don't blame him), so I was strongly leaning Edwards, then the nastiness in NH... I cannot support Obama, because I don't "get it" - whatever "it" is. He is preaching too much reconciliation for my tastes. It's like "Fired up! Ready to compromise!" And I just can't see supporting Clinton, because I disagree with so much of her policies and stands on the issues and politics. Now that I am so disillusioned by Edwards, I am just not sure...

[Two Americas]

23. no nastiness

There just wasn't. Have you seen the video of the remarks that Edwards actually made? Reporters were trying to stir things up and get him to attack Senator Clinton. If anything, he defended here and he certainly dismissed the idea that there was some big story there.

[redqueen]

13. I'm continuing to support him because IMO he's the best candidate...

AND because he seems to have the best chances of beating whichever repuke gets the nod.

:bounce:

[cali]

15. um. no that's not in realm of reality.

odds are that he comes in third in every state. There is no indication he'll do better than that. Furthermore, some states are winner take all, and the only person garnering delegates will be the winner. His run is bordering on the quixotic now. After Feb 5th, it will be full blown quixotic.

[cascadiance]

17. The question IS, does Obama want to win or not?

Does he want to get the voters voting for Edwards or not? If he does, then he negotiates with Edwards to incorporate some of what Edwards' supporters are concerned about into his platform. Then he has a shot at winning, as Edwards voters are more apt to jump to support him than Hillary. But most of us now are going to continue to support Edwards, as he hasn't made any significant move in that direction yet.

THAT is why Edwards should continue to run, even if he can't win more states. That is ALSO why Jesse Jackson continued to run when he ran for president, and arguably he helped build the Democratic Platform for the election then to address his concerns, even if he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the nomination.

[cali]

19. I suspect you're not aware of Obama's positions

He's spoken out about corporate abuse and has plans to curb it. And really, it's not like you can speak for most Edwards supporters. You no more know where they'll go if they start to peel off from Edwards than I do.

Edwards can, of course, continue to run. But his influence will continue to wane as he continues to lose primaries.

[Two Americas]

27. love to discuss that

We don't hear his positions discussed very much. Obama may well be the most economically conservative major candidate for the presidency that the party has fielded in a long time. That is fine, if that is what people wish to support. However, it is a perfectly valid and legitimate reason for others to support another candidate.

I would like to see more in-depth discussion about the candidate's positions on economics.

[cascadiance]

29. Tell me how his support for liquified coal and the coal industry lobby is progressive!

He doesn't talk about it a lot, but he is a proponent of their interests, coincidentally along with Dick Gephardt (which also surprised me too).

[Two Americas]

25. not the right measure

You fight first for what is right, not for who might win.

"Third in every state' - as a worst case scenario - is still a win, for all of us.

THAT is "in the realm of reality." I don't want to live in your "winner take all" reality, and the day is rapidly approaching when one way or another the people will no longer be forced to live in the "winner take all" reality. If Edwards should fail, that battle - the battle for soul of the Demoicratic party and for the future of the poeple in this country and in the world - will go forward.

[montanaliberaldem]

26. I think predicting a 3rd place finish in each primary is extremely premature.

I am stunned that there are so many people who believe that Hillary has even the remotest chance of winning. I have many republican friends - very diverse, well-educated, with varying opinions on most things with the exception of both Clintons. They hate them equally. Hillary would be the Republicans best chance to win because she will get the GOP faithful to the polls. Obama is smart and nice, very articulate. I prefer smart, tough and tenacious and Obama simply is not blunt or fearless enough for me. That's why I support Edwards and will continue to do so. I think 2 states are not sufficient to decide the outcome.

[cali]

30. Actually, it's not.

Edwards has no chance in NV or SC. He's not on the ballot in MI, and anyway MI and FL delegates don't count. If he goes into Super Tuesday with nothing but third place except for Iowa, he won't be able to place better than third then. And look at the Super Tuesday states: Illinois, NY, CT, NJ, NM, MA, AL, AK, AR, CO, DE, GA, CA, D.C., ID, KA, MN, MS. The schedule this cycle works against JE.

[jackson_dem]

31. He can win at least Oklahoma and Georgia on Super Tuesday

He almost won them in 2004 and by targeting them could carry them. There are so many states the campaigns will have to budget their resources and I doubt Clinton or Obama will target Oklahoma. Georgia may be different since it is a big prize. He could also pull a surprise in some southern states or Minnesota.

Kucinich had a few second places with over 20% of the vote in 2004. It is unreasonable to think Edwards will do worse than Kucinich did in February.

[cali]

32. not Georgia. It has a large AA percentage of dem voters.

I suppose he could conceivably win OK, but even that's unlikely. And this year's schedule and candidates are different. Dean dropped out. Obama and Clinton won't.

[jackson_dem]

34. Oklahoma is likely

There are over twenty states voting on Super Tuesday and it makes no sense for Obama or Clinton to emphasize a state like Oklahoma. Edwards should target it. The last poll had Edwards in a strong second there. Targeting it should be enough to put him over the top.

We'll see about Obama and Clinton. Dean didn't drop out until the middle of February after Wisconsin, which Edwards almost won. If one does poorly on Super Tuesday they may not last much longer after Super Tuesday. Edwards is in until the convention. Edwards can't be pressured by party leaders to quit the race because he has nothing to lose by forging on. Obama and Clinton still have much to lose, especially Obama.

[judaspriestess]

18. I am supporting Edwards till the end

second choice is Clinton. After that I'm not so sure

[AlertLurker]

22. Doesn't strike me as a particularly compelling reason to support Edwards...

The same thing could be said about either of the other two...

[Two Americas]

28. "continue"

The OP is talking about why we continue to support Edwards. This is in response to the "he should drop out" chatter. The OP does not claim that it is the reason to support Edwards originally.

[liberalla]

36. I'm not giving up until John Edwards does !

I can't believe people think it's time to throw in the towel already! :wtf: is wrong with people?