Americans back Edwardses' choice

[RedEarth]

Source: USA TODAY

By Susan Page, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Americans by 2-1 support the decision of former North Carolina senator John Edwards to stay in the Democratic presidential race even though his wife, Elizabeth, has been diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer.
However, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds that 38% of the public is inclined to believe that Edwards eventually will have to withdraw from the campaign because of her illness. Fifty percent believe he will stay in the race.

The telephone survey of 1,007 adults was taken Friday through Sunday, just after John and Elizabeth Edwards held a news conference Thursday in Chapel Hill, N.C., to reveal her diagnosis and discuss their decision to stay in the presidential race.

The questions about Elizabeth Edwards, asked of half the sample, have a margin of error of +/- 5 percentage points. The error margin for the full sample is +/- 3 percentage points.

Edwards got a boost in the horserace of Democratic contenders, chosen as the preference by 14% of the respondents who are Democrats or lean toward the Democratic party. That's up from 9% in the USA TODAY poll taken three weeks ago.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-26-poll-edwards_N.htm?csp=34

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-26-poll-edwards_N.htm?csp=34

[underpants]

1. That's because they like him

For all the "scoreboard" politics of funding raising totals we will be getting at the end of the week Edwards has a lot of support in Iowa. The MSM trying desperately to not to have to pay his populace any attention won't last long-they will have to report on him.

[Dawgs]

2. I like him too, but I do believe he will eventually have to drop out.

I just don't have a good feeling about her diagnosis.

[CTyankee]

3. If she dies during the campaign, that will be so incredibly sad.

I truly think that he could be elected, not just because of sympathy but because of the courage and grace he displayed with Elizabeth at their press conference. I think people saw what a president could be, instead of what we've got, and they "woke up." If the election were held tomorrow and he was the Dem candidate, he would win handily!

[brentspeak]

14. But even if she doesn't die during the campaign, she's likely to just be getting worse

I hope I'm completely wrong about that, but I saw what happened when my mom's breast cancer spread to her bones: she was in great pain much of the time, and, in a couple of years, became mostly bed-ridden and was barely able to walk.

[Egnever]

4. I cant believe they poll this sort of crap

In fact the whole spectacle about his wifes cancer makes me slightly ill. This IMHO is a very personal decision and not one to be analyzed and hyped by the media.

I wont be voting for John in the primaries as I dont agree with him on a few things and there are others that fit me personaly better. His wifes illness plays no part in my decision whatsoever. I am glad to see him continue to run, the more ideas in these campaigns the better IMHO.

[karynnj]

6. Same here - Im creeped out by the questions

I also hope they asked the horse race question first. There the difference is no significant. Edwards has polled from about 9 to 14 since September - and most of the polls have this type of precision. It could well be that his real % is pretty flat - the only thing this likely rules out is that he was hurt by it politically - at this point in time.

[Beaverhausen]

5. The issues he brings to the campaign are very important- poverty, healthcare for all, etc.

I'm glad he is staying, and I support them both in their decision. Some of the issues he talks about I don't hear any other candidate bring up. This will be their legacy, no matter what the outcome.

[Bjorn Against]

10. Yes, he really is needed in this race even if he is not my favorite candidate...

He ranks as either my second or third choice depending on whether or not Gore is running. I really respect the man for his focus on poverty though, and he is going to make poverty an issue in this campaign. For that reason he is doing this nation a great service whether he wins the election is not.

And as far as Elizabeth goes, her life's dream is to see her husband to become President. We should not be telling a cancer patient to give up on her dreams when those dreams have a very realistic chance of coming true.

[ruggerson]

7. k and r

n/t

[Generator]

8. Yeah!

More good news in LBN. I'm off the Hillary thread!

[kath]

9. [pedant mode]Wow - someone at USA today actually knows how to use the word "Edwardses", AND

they then used it to form a possessive, putting the apostrophe in the right place and everything!
This reader of "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" appreciates that! I've really wondered whether newspapers and magazines have proofreaders anymore.

I think I've only seen it used here correctly once or twice. Even my intelligent mom, raised back when grammar and usage were actually taught, addresses packages to us as "The Smith's".

The easy way I remember how to write about a family whose name ends in "s" is to remember the hilarious Mark Twain story, "The McWilliamses and the Membranous Croup".

[K8-EEE]

11. Getting possessive...

The Edwardses is one of those things that is correct, but looks wacky since nobody ever does it right. That's kind of an English teacher thing.

But it drives me insane when people are always using the possessive when just good ole plural will do. The one sign that literally made me hang a U turn so I could write a note to correct it was at a banquet facility. One of those GIANT banner signs that you have made at Kinkos, can you believe nobody along the line corrected it?

YES, WE DO PRIVET PARTY'S!

ARGH!

[CTyankee]

15. LADIE'S SHOES were advertised here

in New Haven a few years ago.

[Lisa]

12. yes -- that was a pleasant thing to see before I left the office today

Besides the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have so much support, of course! I confess that I enjoyed that particular plural possessive. If a media outlet sets a good example, I respect that (unless they ruin it with shoddy reporting).

[ChazII]

13. Very good news n/t