Edwards: 'I got my butt kicked'

[TwilightZone]

If nothing else, John Edwards deserves credit for brutal honesty!

After a crushing loss in Nevada's Democratic caucuses Saturday, presidential candidate John Edwards said Sunday that he hopes "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

Edwards placed a distant third in the vote, with just 4 percent of the vote, behind Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

“I got my butt kicked. That is what happened in Nevada,” the former North Carolina senator told Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s Late Edition. “And the job for me now is — I have learned this from my whole life experience, is when you get knocked down, you have got to get up. You have got to get up and start fighting again…

More....

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/20/edwards-i-got-my-butt-kicked/

[Evergreen Emerald]

1. I wonder what happened in Nevada. He was expected to do better.

[cobalt1999]

10. Caucus voting is just hard to predict.

Always has been.

[TwilightZone]

14. I think that the viability "rule" had a lot to do with it.

He was hovering around 15% in the polls. That's just barely on the edge of viability.

Precincts vary, of course, but for the sake of argument, let's say that his average viability level was slightly lower, like 14%.

14% in a precinct is essentially zero, so if that scenario was repeated often enough, it would partly explain the result.

[bigwillq]

2. I saw that

and liked his honest response.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. There are still a couple of states left that haven't voted. :-) nt

[MaineDem]

27. A few. :)

I still have some hope.

[ronnykmarshall]

4. I'm still shocked at his low numbers.

[DURHAM D]

20. Me too -

but then I remembered that he pulled his staff out of Nevada early on. He removed them months ago and sent them to Iowa and N.H.

He front loaded and it did not pay off.

Have you read the blog on hillaryhub from an organizer who describes their year long work in Nevada. It is very interesting to get that inside peek at what is involved.

I dare say most of the folks that yap incessantly about their candidates here at DU have no clue as to the hard work involved in working for and running a campaign. I always smile about the "hard work of fighting on the internet" instead of making a real commitment and actually leaving the house.

[LiberalFighter]

23. I hope that doesn't mean he doesn't have staff in the states for Super Duper Tuesday.

I would had pull some of the staff from that group if possible to work IA and NH instead of NV.

If he doesn't have staff in those states then he is in trouble.

[DURHAM D]

30. I doubt he has much staff anywhere.

He just doesn't have the funds.

Those who think you can run a national campaign on a wing and a prayer are just not being realistic. Wish it was different but its not.

[TwilightZone]

24. Re: hard work

I think that you're exactly right. Being involved in a campaign - particularly one that is short-staffed - is an emotionally and physically draining exercise that doesn't let up for months, or in the case of this particular campaign cycle, years.

It's certainly different than arguing semantics and minutiae on a website!

[TwilightZone]

22. Viability, perhaps.

As I noted in #14 above, I think that the viability rule came into play for Edwards. 14% in a precinct is basically zero, and if that happened a lot, that would explain the low total.

[ozone_man]

37. Caucus requires 15%.

So a candidate with 15% across the state (mean value) will have an expected post caucus result of 7.5%. He gets to keep the results from caucus locations where he was over 15%, but gets nothing for the locations where he had fewer than 15%. Those votes went to Obama or Clinton.

He was probably going to get around 13% initially in order to arrive at 5% final result.

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. Edwards new campaign song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lJIjdajBww

[cynthia]

35. that's funny

:rofl:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

36. :-) I relate to John Edwards. Plus, there are a few states left, no?? :-)

I get knocked down but I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
(Repeat)

[libbygurl]

6. Go, Edwards! Would like him to stay in the fight, too, and hope SC gives him a boost.

In fact, I wouldn't mind too much having either Edwards or HRC as the nominee.

[OzarkDem]

7. That's the attitude we need in the WH

someone who keeps fighting for us. Not someone who will capitulate and try to cut a deal.

[ursi]

9. Go, John Edwards! A man of integrity and leadership

[Occam Bandage]

8. I will give him credit for not trying to spin 4% into a win, I suppose.

[libbygurl]

13. LOL! nt

[Little Star]

34. It was more honest than his claim to second in IA. The difference

between him and Hillary was so small I shuddered when he acted like him and Obama were the men!

[Armstead]

11. That's the kind of fighter we need

I wish somehow Edwards could break through the media filter. I think if he could, a lot more voters would like him better.

I was wary of him early on. But the more I saw and learned about him, the less wary I got. And then the more enthusiastic I got.

I believe he's exactly what the Democratic Party and the US needs right now.

[dionysus]

15. i like him a lot too...

the media doesn't really include him in their narrative of this race :(

[TwilightZone]

26. Unfortunately for John, it's a tough election cycle to run for president.

We have, of course, two potential precendent-setting candidates, and I think that they were always going to inherently get most of the media coverage. I think that John was always going to be fighting an uphill battle for coverage.

[Benhurst]

31. Yeah, precedent-setting candidates. After Nancy Pelosi, I surprised

people factor that in anymore.

Why not the best? That's a better way to go.

[Cha]

12. I like the way Edwards says

that and picking himself up afterwards..so true!

[no name no slogan]

16. One state does not a primary season make

He'll do a lot better in SC.

[kentuck]

17. I think a big part of Edwards showing in Nevada was because...

Hillary and Obama sucked all the oxygen out of the race with their battle over the union voters in that state. They were able to turn the whole state into a battle between the two of them. In the end, Hillary was able to get the most votes but Obama was able to get the most delegates. Unfortunately, there was nothing left for Edwards.

[mnhtnbb]

18. I just got a call from Edwards campaign office in Chapel Hill

asking if I could volunteer (I live in Chapel Hill). Unfortunately, due to my husband having hip replacement surgery in a week, and our ongoing fight with insurance/mortgage companies because of our house fire, I don't have time.

If anybody else is in the Chapel Hill area--you ought to call because they are looking for volunteers.

[Lucinda]

29. They are also looking for volunteers in TN

[senseandsensibility]

19. Great response!

Funny,too! Of course the corporate media will never admit that the Dems have a sense of humor. When Obama made his joke about how he should have said he likes to walk old ladies across the street, tweety and craig crawford looked like they were sucking lemons. Dems can actually make fun of themselves and aren't a bunch of uptight losers with inferiority complexes.

[question everything]

21. Good. Now it is time to change the appeal

Yes, take a cue from Obama. Not in praising Reagan, but in correctly analyzing Reagan's appeal as the sunny optimist after Carter's "malaise."

We all know that the middle class is shrinking, that the rich get richer and the rest are still hoping for the "trickle down economics." (Bill Maher was on Leno last week and commented that this term, even if were true, is offensive. What do you mean all we get are the trickles?) For you to keep harping on it just distresses your listeners.

Talk in positive sense, in actions that are not fighting and angry.

Talk about stimulus by investing in our infrastructure that can offer jobs at all skill levels and that cannot be outsourced. Talk about building high speed rail that connects major airports so that travelers for less than 500 miles have an alternative.

Point out the absurdity of sending people $300 or $600 so that they spend it on things that they not need like.... big TV in time for the Super Bowl?

Talk about investing in our veterans who may have hard time re-entering private life.

Invest in a real farm bill that aids farmers, not "weekend investors."

Bring back your sunny disposition from 2004, lay out facts and how you can better our lives.. but without the angry words. Yes, we know had bad things are, we can see it in our daily lives. But for a President we seek optimism and hope.

This is why Reagan won, and this is the appeal of Obama.

Now get moving. And come visit us in Minnesota and in other smaller states that will vote on Feb. 5th. We have not seen many candidates. If you will come and visit, this alone will generate publicity and mentioning in the local media.

[unc70]

38. Remember Reagan was saved in 76 by Jesse Helms, promoted in 80

Watch the new documentary "Senator No" when you can (I just did on WUNC-TV).

Everyone needs to refresh their sepia memories of Reagan. Reagan was ushered in on the strength of Helms and the Congressional Club. One of the first thing Helms introduced and Reagan signed massive cuts in Food Stamps.

[FogerRox]

25. Knr #5

[TwilightZone]

28. Thanks!

:)

[TwilightZone]

32. ..

:)

[sojourner]

33. THIS is what I want in my next PRESIDENT....freaking, unbelievable honesty!

[patch1234]

39. did JE have a 'John Edwards table', at every caucus site?

candidates with no organization should go home