MSNBC Article: What if its Obama v. Edwards

[TeamJordan23]

What if it's a two-man Democratic race?
New Hampshire may leave Clinton on the ropes, reshaping the contest
By Tom Curry
National affairs writer

HAMPTON, N.H. - Imagine a whole new race for the Democratic presidential nomination: a two-man contest between the 2004 vice presidential nominee, John Edwards, and the rookie phenomenon of 2008, Sen. Barack Obama.

If Hillary Clinton were to suffer a defeat of large proportions on Tuesday night in the New Hampshire primary, and if her star were to fade in the succeeding contests in Nevada and South Carolina, she might either quit the race or cease to be a dominant factor.

Edwards would remain as the only person standing between Obama and the Democratic presidential nomination.

Edwards and his strategists are already planning for a two-man contest.

Elizabeth Edwards, the candidate’s wife and most outspoken campaign advocate, pressed the critique of Obama on Monday at a stop in Bedford, N.H.

“Sen. Obama, when he was in the state Senate in Illinois, took money from the health insurance industry at the same time that he was suggesting an amendment that was favorable to the health insurance industry and was unfavorable to the people of the Illinois,” she told a small crowd.

She also slammed Obama for having a lobbyist as co-chairman of his New Hampshire campaign.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in response to Edwards that Obama "has done more than any candidate in this race to curb the influence of money and lobbyists in the political process and, as president, he will institute some of the most sweeping ethics reforms the executive branch has ever seen."

'A superhuman rocket ship'?
Joe Trippi, who piloted Howard Dean’s candidacy four years ago and now serves as a strategist for Edwards, has the experience of seeing one candidate, Dean, implode.

Some in the Clinton camp think sooner or later Obama, too, will implode.

If so, Edwards would be there to benefit.

“I grant you, one scenario is that this guy (Obama) is a superhuman rocket ship that is never going to come down,” Trippi said as Edwards spoke to a rally in Hampton on Monday night. “The other scenario is that every time you have had one of these rockets go off, every time it becomes clear this guy is about to be the nominee, everybody steps back and reassesses it.”

“On Wednesday morning, people will wake up and say, ‘Jeez, this guy (Obama) is going to be our nominee,’” Trippi said. At that point, Trippi said, a closer examination will occur: “The world is going to say, who the hell is this guy?”

He acknowledges that Obama would start on Wednesday morning with a substantial advantage, having won Iowa and New Hampshire.

Continue Reading: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22545660/

[still_one]

1. She won't quite the race, but it will come down to Obama and Edwards I believe

Hillary has made too many mistakes, and I don't mean by showing emotion either. I don't know who is running her campaign, but if they advised her to play following:

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jB8n288YSUL-mMk3_2pTlq43xjoA

They just blew it big time

[Cha]

10. hillary is the queen of

fearsmearmongering..something to be proud of when she contemplates how she got off the fast track.

[Quixote1818]

2. Edwards can attack Obama in ways Hillary can't

Hillary has to be careful on the special interest stuff because she does it too. But Edwards can attack Obama and not worry about being attacked back on that issue. Obama will probably then go after Edwards on his War vote. It could get ugly.

[geek tragedy]

3. Clinton will stay in the race, so Edwards will continue to get

blacked out by the media.

[silverojo]

11. You got that right. n/t

[Triana]

4. Wow. From MSNBC - they are one of the ones I wrote email to griping about lack..

...of Edwards coverage (and the fact that it was Edwards, NOT Clinton who won second in Iowa). Not saying that's necessarily what brought this piece about. Probably not.

Anyway, I think if it is an Edwards/Obama race, it would make for a very interesting election year. My preference is for Edwards. I like Obama but have serious doubts that his edict of 'negotiating' with entrenched corporate interests and their lobbyists in Washington will work. After all - this has been tried.

And tried.

And tried.

And tried.

And it has resulted in big corporations having a historic stranglehold upon our government and its ability to properly address the issues facing this country. IT DOESN'T WORK.

And it's REALLY hard to do when you've also taken a lot of money from them.

Beyond that concern, I like Obama fairly well.

However, polls show that Edwards is the one candidate who can beat all the Republicans, too, and that is another factor for me.

That said, I'd be happy with a two-way Obama/Edwards race and would consider that a good thing.

[Thrill]

8. Edwards had six yrs to fight in the Senate

and never did much of anything. And he certainly hasn't fought for anyone here in NC. We barely see the guy.

[zalinda]

15. Maybe because he hasn't been a Senator since 2004 n/t

[Horse with no Name]

18. That pesky republican Congress hampered things a tad n/t

[AshevilleGuy]

5. Then the corporate media would stop at nothing to knock Edwards out.

They are ignoring him now, but it could easily morph into all out attack, to rescue their baby (Obama).

Actually, John is fighting one of the biggest corporations now, the repuke media. I want to be optimistic, but I have seen unelectable candidates foisted on us before.

[frazzled]

6. Well, given that Edwards will refuse to quit

I guess it will boil down to that. What will happen? He will lose.

That is what he did last time: stayed and stayed though he won only his native states, even though Kerry was sweeping the nation by huge margins. I don't get him. Let him stay ... he has nothing better to do, right?

[silverojo]

12. He also became Kerry's running mate

So in the end, his efforts weren't all in vain. :eyes:

[sandnsea]

7. I'd go into hiding

DU would be unbearable.

:yoiks:

[Cha]

9. Somehow I don't see Obama

"imploding". hillary deserves to.. but that, too, remains to be seen.

[depakid]

16. Unfortunately, Obama is bound to say or do something stupid- again

Inexperience and naivity has caught up with him before- and now that the spotlight's really on, it won't be ignored so easily the next few times around.

Let's just hope it happens during the primaries- and not during the general election.

[Cha]

17. Yeah, Obama isn't perfect..

but intelligent people can understand that we're working for a common goal and we won't get bogged down because we trip.

[Kahuna]

13. I'm beginning to believe that Edwards could become Obama's

main challenger.

[RogueTrooper]

14. or his pick for VP

[gkhouston]

19. Wow, that was a pretty short half-life on the "Obama is inevitable" story. n/t

[ozone_man]

20. That would be the best of all outcomes.

If we have an Obama vs. Clinton contest, that diminishes the debate to being between two corporate candidates.

With a Edwards vs. Obama contest, we get to have a debate on corporate interests. As the economy weakens, that will become especially interesting. I hope we get to see a one on one, but even a three way contest to the convention would be nice. All states should have their say.

[cloudythescribbler]

21. Not happening -- HRC has too much reknown & money to drop out

Her strength is such that when the campaign goes national, it will be hard for either Obama or Edwards (JE won't long outlast Tsunami Tuesday (TT) if he's in that long) to compete on an equal footing, unlike Iowa, NH, S Carolina, where concentration of election stuff gives candidates more time to make an impression.

[tinrobot]

22. But does she have the votes to stay in?

I think that's the more pressing question.

[frogmarch]

23. If it comes down to Edwards and Obama,

Edwards will stand a much better chance of being heard. That would help him a lot! I hope it happens.