In a move that reaffirmed a prediction I documented in an earlier post (scroll down if you doubt me), Fox News is now reporting: Former Sen. John Edwards, in his first public speech since dropping his White House bid two months ago, praised Democratic rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama on Saturday, but declined to endorse either candidate. I said it before; he will ride the fence until he knows which way this is going to go.
He’s been cultivating this “elder statesman” image of late, fashioning himself after Al Gore. Best definition I can think of for what qualifies you as a democratic “elder Statesman” is this: a failed Presidential bid of your own. The thing that Edward’s fails to realize is that his endorsement may actually go a long way in swaying voters. His support, I believe will have more impact now, in light of the generally unflattering relationships of Obama’s that have come to the forefront.
Polls are showing that Obama has been hurt by certain associations. Middle America is most of the country, they still hold certain values and they’re certainly not along the lines of “God damn America.” His lack of experience during war and tough economic times are also issues that cannot be overlooked. Nor can they be compensated for with flowery speeches touting hope and revolution that appeal primarily to aging baby boomers and today’s youth.
These new revelations that have come out about Senator Obama have slowed his meteoric rise because they've finally caused a break in the momentum, created a moment for people to stop, step back and ask, “Who is this man? What has he done that qualifies him and what do we really know about him, anyway?” To which the answers, if we're being honest, have to be: “Who knows?” to the first question, and “Nothing much” to the final two. Hardly rousing endorsements. But Edwards wants the Vice Presidency so bad, he’s unwilling to commit, for fear his words won’t carry enough weight and he’ll endorse himself right out of a job.
The Fox article goes on to quote the former Presidential candidate as saying, “I have a very high opinion of both of them,” Edwards said at the Young Democrats of North Carolina convention. “We would be blessed as a nation to have either one of them as president.” If that’s not sitting on the fence, I don’t know what is. The story concluded by saying: Pressed by reporters to detail any endorsement plans, Edwards declined to say if he would even endorse a candidate before North Carolina’s May 6 primary.
Regardless of an Edwards endorsement, Senator Obama tends to feel that he’ll have the whole thing sewn up by June anyway, well in advance of the August convention, thanks to the superdelegates. Today, he aligned himself with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean in calling for uncommitted superdelegates to endorse a candidate soon after the final June 3 primaries in order to wrap up the race. Clinton, on the other hand, isn’t giving up. She’s arguing that the candidates owe it to voters to keep the campaign going.
Senator Obama is leading Clinton by 157 pledged delegates, but it’s still statistically impossible for either candidate to gain enough pledged delegates to lock down the nomination. That’s why he’s calling on all uncommitted delegates to endorse a candidate soon after the June 3rd primaries in order to wrap up the race. Obama is so cock-sure that he can’t lose and the numbers coming in after his most recent scandal do nothing to dispel the image he’s developed of political invincibility.
I just don’t think the democrats should get too comfortable with him; I’ve got a feeling this Jeremiah White thing is just the tip of the iceberg. What I do think is that if Edwards really wants to have a role in this election, he better get off the fence and help shape it. He needs to throw his support to Hillary because I just don’t know if Senator Obama’s personal life/ties/beliefs are going to hold up real well under scrutiny.
original post at http://politicalpatrol.blogspot.com
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