| Why? Because John Edwards is indisputably the most progressive candidate in the race. I'm not arguing voting record or history, but what the campaign has been run on and what issues he's focused on for the past four years. His focus on the working family, health care and taking on the moneyed power in this country has been a revelation, and has dramatically pulled this race to the left.
If he drops out, that voice goes away and the pressure on Obama and Hillary to stay progressive lessens. Frankly, neither has shown a personal affinity for progressivism as part of this campaign. Hillary is the DLC candidate and the favorite of the establishment Democrats, and Obama has his bipartisan, don't piss the right wing off because we need to work together thing going.
If there is a brokered convention for the Democrats, then having Edwards with a good sized handful of delegates means that he will be able to horse-trade for platform planks and speaking positions -- and speakers -- at the convention. It will mean that the most powerful voice against the corporate power over our government and for universal healthcare will still be heard at convention time.
He's not going to win the Presidency in a brokered convention. The only way he was going to win is through the ballot box and that didn't happen. Of course, they said Lincoln couldn't win either, and look what happened then.
This is not to suggest that if you think Hillary or Obama are the best candidates that you shouldn't vote for them. This is advice just for Edwards folks who may be thinking of abandoning ship before Edwards does. It's a nomination system and you should back the ones you want. But if you still have questions about the frontrunners then maybe backing Edwards may not be a bad idea.
A brokered convention might not be so bad. Those states with late primaries will still be able to weigh in on the race and the issues as the candidates -- top tier and otherwise -- fight for delegates to strengthen their hand. I don't know if we can take it for that long, but there would be excitement about the race throughout the spring and summer when usually all the candidates are doing is raising money.
It also looks like the Republicans may be heading towards a brokered convention of their own, so the damage done by not having a candidate in place early and saving money is muted. If they are still fighting in August then there is a chance that their money will be gone and we'll still have our pockets full since our fundraising is going through the roof and theirs is drying up.
If Edwards supporters maintain their support through all the primaries it strengthens the progressive hand in the event of a brokered convention. It helps if Hillary or Obama wins outright, but even more so with a brokered convention.
Most delegates have not been officially dedicated yet, as we learned from Nevada yesterday. Even though Obama claimed he won 13 national delegates to Clinton's 12, Joan Walsh of Salon.com reports that Nevada's delegate awards aren't for months and don't necessarily mirror the caucuses. Edwards "won" delegates in Iowa, but could lose a few if he is gone from the race since they haven't been officially declared yet.
So the only way to protect any delegates Edwards has already won is to keep him in the race. Obviously the only way to win some more is to keep him in the race. So the idea, if you believe in the positions John Edwards has taken and want them in our platform and as part of our party, is to keep voting for Edwards and not to abandon him now.
And if you are a Richardson, Dodd, Biden or other partisan and have serious questions about Hillary or Obama then it makes sense for you to move over to Edwards as well. Keep this thing as open as you can as long as you can and push the party to make some serious changes during convention as they fear everything falling apart.
All you Gore supporters out there (and, by the way, I've always said I would drop Edwards in a heartbeat if Gore got in) this is your last chance. Gore's only chance is to be drafted at a deadlocked convention, which would be -- to me -- just about the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my three decades in politics.
The frontrunners will be making deals with the establishment Dems, the big money donors, the powerful folks over the next few months to be sure they win and win big. That is just politics, and I don't begrudge them that at all. It's what has to be done to consolidate their authority into the convention and their support for the general.
We need someone from the outside who has something -- say, delegates in their pocket -- who can be sure that the powerful aren't the only ones the frontrunners have to negotiate with. And the only person who has the potential for that right now is John Edwards.
This is an opportunity to make sure the bosses and establishment Democrats out there have to listen to the progressive wing, and not just give us lip service like the Republicans have the evangelicals. With Edwards holding a big pocketful of delegates he can give to one of the top tier candidates we have a chance to really break down the gates and make a difference. |
