UPDATE: I’m going to take back my criticism of John Edwards on this particular post. I mistakenly confused the recent AARP convention in Boston with the AARP forum in Iowa. While Edwards did not attend the one in Boston and Hillary did, he will attend the one in Iowa. While technically most of my argument will still stand, (i.e. people aren’t blasting him for having missed the AARP convention), I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.
September 8, 2007 at 9:25 pm
[...] “John Edwards Not Held Accountable On AARP Forum Absence” [...]
September 9, 2007 at 11:53 am
I have been thinking about this too — and that image you posted of Edwards and Hillary huddled together at the debate keeps coming to mind. John Edwards has had a long association with the Clintons via the DLC and up until Obama entered the race he was running a standard democratic campaign.
Fire-breathing populism will not work in the general election and maybe Edwards would move back to center if he managed to get the nomination. But the words he is currently using will come back to haunt and will assure that he really has no chance unless the democratic establishment is deliberately planning to shoot itself in the foot again. So his actions may only serve one purpose — delivering the nomination to Hillary by knocking out the real progressive and threat to the status quo — Obama.
Here is the Edwards game plan:
1) Courting the progressive vote by appearing farther left than Obama.
2) Syphoning off the white working class and rural vote by playing up his whiteness and electibility.
3) By exploiting the issue of race, he frightens African-American voters to make the “safe” choice with Hillary.
Edwards’ attacks from the left on Hillary are all things that actually serve to make her more appealing in the general. She gets to look tougher and more “sensible” in the end — which is the image she is most trying to cultivate, Every strategy Edwards is employing, ends up helping Hillary.
Either Edwards is deluded and thinks he has a chance, or he’s decided he has nothing to lose and simply doesn’t care what damage he reaps as long as he gets to play — or maybe he and Hillary really are working in concert. In which case, what is the quid pro quo?
No matter what the intentions, ultimately Hillary will reap the reward if Edwards successfully knocks Obama out. So, how to stop them? I think exposing the Edwards/Hillary relationship in every forum we can is a good place to start.