Edwards Throws Support to Obama

Hillary Clinton hardly got a chance to enjoy her crushing victory in West Virginia before former presidential candidate John Edwards stole the headlines by backing Barack Obama for president. The endorsement is no doubt welcome in the Obama camp as it brings in a few more delegates and a stamp of approval from a populist in tune with constituencies that are hesitant to back the Illinois senator. By the same token, had this come two months ago, it would have spared the nation and the Democratic Party no end of pain.

At an Obama campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, John Edwards showed up and said, “"The reason I’m here tonight is because the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I. There is one man who knows and understands that this is a time for bold leadership. There is one man that knows how to create the change, the lasting change, that you have to build from the ground up. There is one man who knows in his heart there is time to create one America, not two ... and that man is Barack Obama.”

He threw Mrs. Clinton a bouquet as a consolation, “What she has shown ... is strength and character, and what drives her is something that every single one of us can and should appreciate. She is a woman who, in my judgment, is made of steel, and she’s a leader in this country not because of her husband but because of what she has done.” This journal respectfully begs to differ.

Had the Edwards’ endorsement come during the February Obamafest, when he won 12 races in a row, the former senator could have helped put more working class white votes in the Obama camp earlier. While the Reverend Wright and “bittergate” would still have deflated the Obama balloon a bit, the endorsement from the campaign's true Southern populist might have swung Texas and Ohio for Obama. That would have ended the race right then and there.

Precisely why Mr. Edwards delayed is a matter of speculation. That delay, however, diminished his leverage in the process, and it prolonged the agony that is the Democratic race for the White House. The lesson is clear for those who would learn it, that the power of a losing candidate is greatest at the moment of withdrawal, and thereafter it diminishes. Mrs. Clinton should take note.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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