Edwards Leaves the Presidential Race
John Edwards has dropped out of the Presidential race. While I may not have agreed with some of his policies, I had serious respect and support for his decision to run for 2008. First of all, he had plans, which is saying a lot considering many of the other candidates' vaguities. He was the only candidate of the lot of them who was still publishing policy documents during his candidacy. You could see it in his eyes that he wanted not the fame and the status of president, but honestly wanted the job.
If he had stuck through Super Tuesday, he might have picked up enough votes to be kingmaker at the convention in a few months. I suspect that ahead of Super Tuesday (where in some states he would only have to win in a specific district to get its delegates) that Howard Dean and the DNC gave him a kick in the pants and told him to get out of the race. With those hypothetical delegates going instead to Obama or Hillary, one of them could get past the delegate threshold needed to be nominated.
Time Magazine seemed to have had his obituary pre-written... Why did Edwards never catch on? I'll give you one reason: underrepresentation in our sensationalist, starving, cable-shifted, 24-hour-news-cycle media complex. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC... and to an extent all of their affiliated broadcast and print outlets, forgot to cover issues because they are too focused on the historical, the barely existant racial/feminist undercurrents, the crying, and the former president who's willing to call them on their lack of focus on the issues (albeit with a hint of "crazy eyes" and cotton ball hair).
Edwards WAS issues (again... policy documents, anyone?), and cable news didn't care, in an election where the issues are supposed to be more important.
RIP Edwards Campaign. Some got to know you. Cable didn't help you. I hope you get a nice cabinet or VP slot.
If he had stuck through Super Tuesday, he might have picked up enough votes to be kingmaker at the convention in a few months. I suspect that ahead of Super Tuesday (where in some states he would only have to win in a specific district to get its delegates) that Howard Dean and the DNC gave him a kick in the pants and told him to get out of the race. With those hypothetical delegates going instead to Obama or Hillary, one of them could get past the delegate threshold needed to be nominated.
Time Magazine seemed to have had his obituary pre-written... Why did Edwards never catch on? I'll give you one reason: underrepresentation in our sensationalist, starving, cable-shifted, 24-hour-news-cycle media complex. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC... and to an extent all of their affiliated broadcast and print outlets, forgot to cover issues because they are too focused on the historical, the barely existant racial/feminist undercurrents, the crying, and the former president who's willing to call them on their lack of focus on the issues (albeit with a hint of "crazy eyes" and cotton ball hair).
Edwards WAS issues (again... policy documents, anyone?), and cable news didn't care, in an election where the issues are supposed to be more important.
RIP Edwards Campaign. Some got to know you. Cable didn't help you. I hope you get a nice cabinet or VP slot.