Why hasn't Edwards endorsed either one yet? Do you think he should?

[Shine]

:shrug:

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. I think it is just fine for him to wait

He has a few delegates, and will have some power throughout the summer. No need to be hasty, he can wait and see who actually comes through on their promises to make poverty and his other issues prominent in their campaigns.

[Shine]

3. hmmm...you make a good point

still, as a supporter, I'm very curious to see which one he'll go with.

[DJ13]

2. "Why hasn't Edwards endorsed either one yet? "

Does he have to officially withdraw before he can release his delegates?

Doesnt an endorsement bring with it his delegates?

[Shine]

6. That's where it gets fuzzy for me. He's still getting delegates, so...

I guess you're right. Doesn't that mean he's got to endorse before the convention? Hmm...

[MethuenProgressive]

4. He wants AG, and so will endorse whoever he thinks will win.

That's the only reason he'd endorse.

[Kolesar]

7. Where did you get that information?

[onehandle]

13. From their ass. nt

[Kolesar]

61. Let's not ask him to "reveal his source" then

mmmm ok?

[MethuenProgressive]

16. I read the Edwards supporters posts after he quit.

They all seemed to be in agreement.

[Shine]

19. With all due respect, that doesn't mean anything much unless it comes directly from JE

the buck stops with him, imo.

[MethuenProgressive]

21. Then why post your question to DU if none of our answers "mean anything much"?

You do you none of us are John Edwards, don't you? :eyes:

[Shine]

26. The point I was making is that it's all speculation unless it comes directly from him.

no need to be snarky and no offense was meant, either. Jeez.

[Kolesar]

32. I posted the question to y.o.u. and the answer is that you are making stuff up

...wah...

[Shine]

8. AG...Attorney General??

Do you know that for sure? :shrug:

[onehandle]

10. Did he tell you that? nt

[jsamuel]

39. I really hope if John endorses, he gives Clinton a fair shake.

UHC is a good reason and there are more.

[pauldg0]

43. Empty headed..........

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS !!!!

[book_worm]

5. Maybe Obama's comprehenive plan to rebuild New Orleons will help

[Shine]

12. hmmm...could be

it'll be interesting to see where he swings, regardless.

[NOLALady]

9. Maybe he has a chance for a VP spot.

If that's the case, he shouldn't endorse either.

One can only hope.

If he's on the ballot, I will vote for him Saturday.

[Shine]

14. He was on my ballot and I voted for him.

a VP spot would be great! :bounce:

[Catchawave]

17. I hope not....he can make a bigger difference for economic justice

without his hands tied in the EOB. Much like Gore has done for the environment.

[Shine]

20. EOB? sorry, I'm lame

:shrug:
I get your point, though. If he DID get the pick and he DID actually agree to go for it, though, there would be NO WAY the media could continue to ignore his message. :thumbsup:

[Benhurst]

24. E.O.B. = Executive Office Building -- the big Victorian building next

to the White House -- The vice president's office, among others, is located there.

[Shine]

30. Got it, thanks!

:D :hi:

[Benhurst]

36. You're more than welcome.

The acronyms get confusing even to those who have worked in Washington for many years. It's not unusual to draw a blank.

:hi:

[Catchawave]

38. Executive Office Building, I think that's where the VP's office is?

His message was pretty much stifled in 2004, I'm not sure if that's the campaign or media's fault, but I don't think he wants to go through that again.

But I love your optimism. His message will get out, especially if Obama and Hillary are only separated by 25 delegates :evilgrin:

[Shine]

40. Yeah, baby!!

:bounce: I'm all about optimism. It's my nature. :D

:hi:

[no name no slogan]

11. If he hasn't done it now, he won't do it until we have a clear nominee

Which, at the rate we are going, may not happen until the convention.

[Shine]

15. Isn't the convention a deadline, of sorts, for him? In terms of releasing his delegates?

I get a bit fuzzy on all that stuff....

[no name no slogan]

27. He can go to the convention with his delegates

He could go into the convention with his delegates, as there's no rule saying he has to release them even though he's no longer competing in any primaries.

AFAIK, he can "release" the delegates or endorse somebody else, but his delegates are not bound to support his endorsee. Usually the delegates follow the endorsement of their pledged candidate, but there's not a rule that requires them to do so.

I imagine he's seeing the possibility of a brokered convention, or is waiting until the last minute to make a deal. Which is a damn smart political move on his part (VP or AG, maybe?).

[Shine]

35. hmmm...is a brokered convention a good thing for the party, though?

I wonder....

[no name no slogan]

51. Probably not, which is why nobody likes them

Howard Dean has been making overtures to all sides that they should work out some sort of compromise so we have a nominee picked before the convention.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing a brokered convention. We haven't had one since 1960, IIRC. The conventions are such a farce these days anyway, they're little more than pep rallies for political junkies.

I doubt we'll have a brokered convention though. I have a feeling we'll probably have a nominee within a couple weeks.

[Shine]

52. Maybe we should start up a DU betting pool for when we'll have a clear nominee!

:D
I think we'll know by mid-March sometime...

[no name no slogan]

53. I think that's a great idea

You're probably right on with mid-March. Of course now that I've said that there's no way in hell it will happen (my luck with betting sucks)... :P

[frazzled]

18. I don't know that it matters much anymore

It might have made a difference before Super Tuesday, but at this point it doesn't seem like it would make much difference. His supporters seem largely to have split themselves between Clinton and Obama, and as time passes, the weight of any endorsement from him decreases more.

Besides, I thought endorsements were not important.

He'll endorse the winner.

[readmoreoften]

22. Except that he earned 10% of the vote in California and Oklahoma, and large numbers elsewhere.

No one is noticing the high numbers of protest votes from Democrats who couldn't care less about either candidate.

[Shine]

Yeah, it's the same ole, same ole from the M$M

:eyes:

[Benhurst]

28. They'll have to notice those votes if we get to the convention and neither

candidate has a majority of the delegates. If that is the case, each will be in the awkward position of having had the majority of Democrats vote against him or her in the primaries.

[Shine]

23. I wouldn't necessary throw out the value of his endorsment to his supporters

Yes, I'm in CA and have already voted. He was on my ballot and I voted for him....BUT, if he'd come out and endorsed one of the other ones before the vote, it would have made a big difference to me.

There are many states that still have voting to do. It's not done yet.

[polichick]

25. You're right, it wouldn't matter now...

And his silence makes me think he's looking out for his own political future, and doesn't care about giving his supporters the explanation they deserve. Huckabee is still in the race, with less money, so Edwards broke his word WHY??

[frazzled]

31. Huckabee has won 5 states

Or is it 6? That's a whole lot different from having won zero states, and having no prospect of winning a state. That is why Huckabee dares to remain (for a VP slot, or coronation as Conservative King or whatever). Edwards had nothing to gain and everything to lose by remaining in with no wins.

[polichick]

41. Well, I still think he should contact those of us who supported him...

I'm starting to think people were right when they said he was just an opportunist. He DID promise to stay in until the convention.

[Shine]

44. hmmm...I've sometimes wondered why I haven't heard from them (him)

36 hrs before he dropped out, I was getting almost daily emails from his campaign about how he was going all the way to the convention, fighting hard, blah, blah, blah...He was coming to San Jose on Friday and I was planning to go hear/see him in person. I was soo excited....then, overnite, he's out. :wtf: I'm convinced something fishy went down, but we'll never know for sure what it was. We can speculate til the cows come home, but the bottom line is: we lost a great candidate who had a great message.

Anyway, back to my original point: it would have been nice to have rec'd a "good-bye and thanks for your support" type of email from his campaign, after he'd dropped out...especially since we'd been getting so many on a regular basis.

Sigh. Oh well. :(

[polichick]

46. Yeah, I heard from them almost every day too...

The silence says a lot ~ I'm no longer sure he WAS a great candidate, or an honest one either.

As you say, Oh well ~ time to move on!

[Shine]

49. IT's been empirically shown he wasn't given a fair shake by the M$M

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/01/the-corporate-1.html

[Virginia Dare]

29. I think he wants some negotiation power going into the convention..

if he hasn't already, he will endorse by then. Assuming we don't have a Hillbama ticket by that time.

[frazzled]

33. I don't understand

What negotiating power does he have by the time the convention rolls around? He has only 26 delegates. I doubt it's going to come down to that--but if it did, that would be even worse than having the 800 Super Delegates decide it.

[Virginia Dare]

34. I'm just guessing that at this point..

he's leaving all options on the table. Lots of things could happen in the next month or so. I don't blame him for staying neutral at this point. Nobody knows how this is all going to play out.

[harun]

37. I think he should wait and I hope he is AG (n/t)

[Shine]

42. I guess he'll play his cards accordingly

we'll see what happens.

[tritsofme]

45. The time has passed where his endorsement would make a significant difference.

Most former Edwards supporters have found a new home.

An endorsement now would have a much smaller effect than the day after he dropped out.

[Shine]

48. Well you may be right, but it could still make a difference to those who haven't decided yet

it would make a HUGE difference to me if I lived in one of those states who haven't had their primary yet.

For the record, I live in CA and I voted for him on Tuesday. :D

[poppysgal]

47. Why?

:think: He doesn't need to, has Al Gore endorsed anyone?

[incapsulated]

50. The time to endorse was just before Super Tuesday

When his supporters hadn't made up their minds.

A bit late to make much of a difference now so I don't think he planned to.

[poppysgal]

54. Doesn't Matter

I voted for Edwards anyway..why because I could.

[Shine]

55. I voted for Edwards too

:hi: welcome to DU, poppysgal! :toast:

[incapsulated]

56. Well, you wouldn't be effected by an endorsement but others may have

Not all Edwards supporters are going to vote for him anyway.

At this point, they would just be pissed off if they went to the "other" candidate he didn't endorse, there is so much hostility.

[Tektonik]

57. here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4463480

[AnnieBW]

58. None of the former Prez candidates

have endorsed yet. Why should JE be different?

[cgrindley]

59. I'm thinking now that perhaps he had a slip and fall and broke his brain

perhaps he could sue some asphalt manufacturer and then donate the proceedings to a home for old personal injury lawyers.

[nonconformist]

60. Because Edwards cares about the Democratic party and this country, above all else.

Obama says that his supporters will only vote for HIM, not the Democratic nominee. But Edwards is a Democrat. He won't endorse until we have a nominee, and I'm glad.