And then there were two…
Former Senator John Edwards has dropped out of the presidential race. He will not endorse another candidate just yet. From the AP:
Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters’ sympathies but never diverted his campaign, The Associated Press has learned.
The two-time White House candidate notified a close circle of senior advisers that he planned to make the announcement at a 1 p.m. EST event in New Orleans that had been billed as a speech on poverty, according to two of his advisers. The decision came after Edwards lost the four states to hold nominating contests so far to rivals who stole the spotlight from the beginning _ Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
The former North Carolina senator will not immediately endorse either candidate in what is now a two-person race for the Democratic nomination, said one adviser, who spoke on a condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement.
Edwards waged a spirited top-tier campaign against the two better-funded rivals, even as he dealt with the stunning blow of his wife’s recurring cancer diagnosis. In a dramatic news conference last March, the couple announced that the breast cancer that she thought she had beaten had returned, but they would continue the campaign.
Their decision sparked a debate about family duty and public service. But Elizabeth Edwards remained a forceful advocate for her husband, and she was often surrounded at campaign events by well-wishers and emotional survivors cheering her on.
Edwards planned to announce his campaign was ending with his wife and three children at his side. Then he planned to work with Habitat for Humanity at the volunteer-fueled rebuilding project Musicians’ Village, the adviser said.
With that, Edwards’ campaign will end the way it began 13 months ago _ with the candidate pitching in to rebuild lives in a city still ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Edwards embraced New Orleans as a glaring symbol of what he described as a Washington that didn’t hear the cries of the downtrodden.
….
The loss in South Carolina was especially hard because it was where he was born and he had won the state in 2004. But Edwards performed well enough to pick up 58 delegates.
We can’t say we’re heartbroken, especially because we never really considered him a real candidate.
Alexa
I’m not heartbroken, but I’m not happy. Given the choices left, I may not even vote on Tuesday. Is Gravel still in? You never hear about him but I don’t recall him dropping out either.
I hope this is just politics and not because Elizabeth is having health problems, I haven’t noticed her around as much recently.
ajax
I’m heartbroken. This is a smart man who looks to build a better US and a better world. This is a man who looks to truly empower everyone to have the tools wo pursue life, liberty, and happiness. If I had a child who chose John Edwards as a role model, I’d be very proud. He’s also the ONLY candidiate who consistently beats all three top Republican candidates in polling. Corporate interests squashed Mr. Edwards’s candidacy and the media overlooked him because the Clintons and Mr. Obama made better soundbites. I’m truly saddened at all of this.
Confused
Are we picking a president or Miss America?
Edwards has just about no experience. Same with Obama. I, like the rest of us, do want someone who can inspire, but that should not come at the expense of substance. You may not like Hillary–hell, I’m not so excited about her–but she’s really the only legitimate candidate we’ve got. She has Washington experience, she has international experience, hell, she’s been around the block. All this BS about needing a Washington outsider to shake things up is bogus. We may not like how the game’s played there, but electing someone who doesn’t know how to play it is like choosing a high school outfielder to pitch the first game of the World Series. [Sorry, couldn’t help the sports analogy. ;)]
Voting for the Dem, regardless of the candidate, is more important than anything. Please vote. The reason we experienced these last 7 years of hell is that Florida lefties thought they’d be better off voting for Nader than Gore. Look what they got–the exact opposite of what they sought.
Alexa
Confused, are you always so insulting with no knowledge to back it up? I supported Edwards because of his policies, which I agree with far more than either Clinton or Obama, both of whom I have some major problems with. I am also sick of so many people jumping on the Obama bandwagon because the media has dubbed him the new wunderkind when he has very little real experience and much of his support comes because he is charismatic. And I worry about Clinton winning against McCain (who seems likely to be the GOP candidate now) because so many independents hate her and won’t vote for her.
Edwards, to me, was the logical choice, because I agree with his policies more than the other two, and because most polls showed he was the most electable of the three, and it is so important that a democrat wins this election. Whoever wins the nomination will get my support and my vote in November, but that doesn’t mean I have to compromise my values and vote for someone I don’t want to win in the primary.
ben
I’m still going to write in Dennis Kucinich
leomoore
I think the Republicans are pretty much set to nominate McCain. That is what the Democratic party should be considering. McCain will carry the South, most if not all of the West and Northwest. Much of the Midwest will fall in line with McCain with the possible exceptions of Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
The only scenarios where this might not happen are either the Democrats nominate someone not currently running who can compete with McCain’s mostly undeserved aura of principle or Iraq and Afghanistan overtake economic concerns, again. If the Republicans nominate any of the other candidates, the Democrats might win.
Like it or not, that is the way it falls. I know women won’t vote for Clinton just because of gender. Obama has a lot to overcome not only because of racism but also because of the perception of inexperience.
Gravel is still running. Edwards should wait another week before making a decision.
ajax
Alexa, since I can’t marry my boyfriend, will you marry me?
Bob R
I too am not heartbroken, but I am very disappointed. Edward’s got little or no traction because the power brokers in the military/industrial/corporate complex control the press and feared an Edward’s candidacy. So now I feel as though I have no dog in this fight. Clinton repulses me and I just don’t trust Obama. Against McCain, polls show a possible win, but it’ll be close enough for the Republicans to steal again. My hope is that if either of them get the nomination and win (and winning the general election is a very big if right now), Edward’s will be asked to be AG. Right now I have to decide if I can vote for the Democrat or just stay home. I fear that McCain will finally make it to the WH and continue the destruction of the nation started by Reagan and carried out so successfully by Bush/Cheney.
afrolito
He’ll endorse whoever wins big next tuesday. He wants that V.P slot badly.
Confused
Alexa,
I did not intend to offend you. My apologies. I just think we get so wrapped up in wrapping that we forget that not only does this person need to support our values, but he/she also needs to be prepared to lead the country and lead in Washington.
I, too, am scared about McCain (though he’s not socially conservative enough to rally the Christian right and may be enough of a war monger to turn off the middle). I agree that Hillary is polarizing. I’m just afraid that we may elect another Bush-like character because we like him more as a person.
M Shane Walsh
Without any doubt, the reduction of options is directly related to Americas’ blind submissive compliance with the oppression of the military/industrial complex. The pathetic aspect of this pervasive stupidity is that Americans don’t have a clue about who really calls the shots in every aspect of their lives.
The DFL/GOP distinction has ceased to exist.
The GOP with the help of what was the Dem farm/labor part saw to that With the devaluation of the dollar, and globalization , we see that not only do other countries own our corporations, but that we no longer produce anything: we just consume our selves into non-existence.
We do have to glamore of pseudo-choices which mean nearly the same thing. We don’t have someone who can maneuver substantive changes. All democracies have commited suicide. Guess our time is about up.
M Shane Walsh
A relvant fact which I passed by recently is that China where most of our clothes etc are made, spends 1 billion dollars /day on American stock. Bush arranged a huge multi billion dollar purchase by China from a company which has been huge in donating to him.
What happens when China owns controling interests in all of our companies. Do we then “belong “to them? We can sit in sweat shops and sew piece goods for the Asian countries.
(??????)
leomoore
McCain doesn’t have to be a foaming-at-the-month conservative to be get the social conservatives. He just has to be conservative enough. As long as he continues to oppose abortion rights, he will get their votes. The social conservatives have the same problem as social liberals. In general terms, social conservatives always have to look for someone who is the least liberal, and social liberals have to look for someone who is the least conservative.
I am pretty pessimistic when it comes to American politics. The Big Lie has become accepted as truth all through our society. Bush is rightly despised as incompetent, stupid, stubborn, and ignorant. To some extent, I can see how some have latched onto Bill Clinton’s personal indiscretions as reason to hate him. What did Hillary Clinton do to warrant the animosity directed at her? I have a tendency to react negatively to her on an emotional level, but I couldn’t say why. Maybe, 15 years of right wing propaganda against the name Clinton has conditioned me even though I was a strong supporter of Bill Clinton in two elections.
Lone Ranger and Tonto
Yes, there is no doubt that the MIC and the corporatist global elitists decide which nominees we can select from. Like the old USSR, which Communist will win a seat in the Presidium?
It matters little which “political party nominee” wins the day. Both are merely puppets for the true regime leaders. They want prestige, and their corporate handlers have the power.
Billie
Hillary Clinton is neither capable nor experienced, and I am in her district. She sat out the draconian bankruptcy bill, that is partially responsible for where we are financially right now. That bill disallowed people from declaring bankruptcy, although more than 50% who did, did so because of medical debt. Obama voted against it. She is the only senator who did not vote at all. She voted for the war. She failed to read the intelligence on the war, which was only 92 pages long. She has gotten more money from pharmaceutical companies than all of the democratic candidates combined, and still claims to have the answer for healthcare reform. Why do I think her answer is in the pockets of big pharma? Because that’s how she rolls. She claims she was a great fan of Martin Luther King. But she was a Goldwater Girl when the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were passed. Goldwater voted against both.
She is not what she claims to be. At this juncture, those who like to think she’s “ready on day 1”, haven’t looked at her for the years that precede it. I will not be voting for miss thing. She’s no different than a nutcase republican to me. Here’s hoping for an Obama/Edwards ticket.
Steven
I was surprised after the last debate there wasn’t more talk about a Clinton Edwards ticket. At certain points he seemed to almost be defending Hillary.
The pundits have all talked about Edwards potentially being the “king maker†with enough delegates after Super Tuesday to potentially decide the election, so if he really wanted the VP slot I suspect he would have stayed in the race till after Super Tuesday.
hisurfer
After reading some of the inside stories on the last election, I don’t think Edwards is someone anyone would want as VP. I think he’d be great as an attorney general, though.
Michael Bedwell
Attention, Billie: I’ll spell this out in your hand since you’re clearly deaf:
Hillary was a “Goldwater Girl” when she was SEVENTEEN! Do YOU want the rest of YOUR life judged by what you did when YOU were 17? Besides, HARVEY MILK was a Goldwater Girl, too, as it were. Shall we start villifying him?
As for Edwards, this is sad—and foreboding. Edwards never got a fair hearing once the media got a whiff of Hillary and Barack’s panties. Politics has long been a popularity contest, but the goddamn media have turned it into “American Idol.” She was already a “celebrity,” and they made Obama one, too. Thus, any candidate’s position on health care, Iraq, global warming, unions, whatever is treated like what Britney wore [or didn’t] to court yesterday. If you think I exaggerate, recall the nonsense about whether or not Hillary was trying to flash her breasts during a US Senate session. “Who did your hair, Hillary?” “Who designed your tux, Barack?” Their treatment of them is no deeper than that of those walking red carpets instead of the road to the White House. Too bad Hillary’s too old to gossip about a “baby bump” but who is Baby Dannielynn endorsing? Too bad Obama will never do a nude scene, but who is Snoop Dog endorsing? Paris? Martha? Carson? The Beckhams? Madonna? Mika? Reichen? Amy Whinehouse? Tom Ford? Jessica?
As we’re bounced around and around, manipulated and masturbated by the hydra-headed theocracy/punditocracy/celebocracy, and the Cardinals of the Church of Conspicuous Consumption [Obama is just another of Oprah’s favorite things like her Favorite Bedsheets and her Favorite Designer Shoes; he’s wedged between the HDTV Refrigerator with Weather and Info Center and the Williams Sonoma Perfect Endings Cupcakes], I’m hoping we haven’t seen the last of John Edwards or his wife on the proverbial political stage.
As I’m hoping Sen. Clinton gets the nomination, I’m hoping he will be her running mate [though for various reasons I don’t expect it]. Some have suggested him for US Attorney General. That would fit. Just as Secretary of Housing & Urban Development would better fit Obama based on his passion for community work with the poor in Chicago.
Whatever happens, I’m not sorry for trying to get people listen to some of the unique things he was saying, including about gay issues, or for the money I contributed to his campaign, though I am more sorry now that I didn’t attend that gay pride breakfast with Elizabeth after I bought a ticket. May she live long and well.
MEMO TO JAMES DENTON [“Mike” on “Desperate Housewives” and a tireless and articulate Edwards campaigner]: call me, I’ll make it better.
John
In my opinion, John Edwards was the best candidate, but the best candidate does not always win. I just hope the Democrats don’t blow it.
bigdawg
Unfortunately, this is just another election from the media, by the media, for the media, Edwards was never given equal time, even in the progressive markets. Not even the Debates were even, They made us focus on nothing but the Clinton-Obama dog and pony show. If this was truly an election based on the issues that plague America we would be watching John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, and Ron Paul leading in the polls. The Democratic vote at this point has nothing to do with who would be the best candidate, with the best solutions, it has been stripped down to simply race and gender. Do you want the first woman or the first arifacan-ameircan. nothing else.
What we don’t need is more of the same, But that’s just what we’re going to get, and it’s what we deserve for buying into the corporate media bullshit.
hisurfer
“Edwards was never given equal time, even in the progressive markets. ” There’s a simpler reason than looking for a media or corporate conspiracy for all this: Hillary and Obama are more exciting. Not better, not more qualified, just more exciting. You want evidence? Just look how many comments any of them garner in this or other web forums.
Side to bigdawg: How can you lump Edwards with the Crazies?
blackiemiko
I was shocked when Edwards dropped out. I think, hopefully we will know who our candidate is.
I understand that everyone is entitled to their right and to their opinion. However, I CANNNOT stress enough that we have 3 Supreme Court Justices who are ready to retire after 2008. Please understand the President appoints these Judges. McCain is almost equal to Bush on every possible front.
Think about this election as the future of the country we live in. I would like to see Obama/Clinton, however, I’m pretty sure it will be Clinton/Obama. The very thought of Clinton at the top of the ticket in the West and MidWest scares the living daylights out of me.
The only thing we have going good for us so far is that with every primary and caucus we’ve had so far on the Democratic side we’ve smashed old turnout records.
I know everyone is entitled to do whatever they chose, however, if our Supreme Court is going to be stacked with 3 new Relgious Right Conservative Judges, we may as well just be in Nazi Germany.
yalesing
In my opinion, John Edwards was the best candidate, but the best candidate does not always win. I just hope the Democrats don’t blow it.Unfortunately, this is just another election from the media, by the media, for the media, Edwards was never given equal time, even in the progressive markets.i am a gay and my profile is on gaysinglehunt.com where i look for gay partner