John Edwards Endorsement Talks Underway

[Klukie]

Former Sen. John Edwards "met with Hillary Clinton Thursday in North Carolina, and is meeting with Barack Obama Monday, to discuss a possible primary endorsement." CNN reports:

The Thursday meeting, which took place at Edwards' home in Chapel Hill, was followed by a Saturday night session during which the former North Carolina senator and several longtime advisers discussed many issues, including which candidate he should endorse. <...>

At a Chapel Hill party yesterday for Edwards supporters, he gave no indication who he might endorse, or whether that endorsement is imminent. Some advisers are encouraging him not to endorse.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/11/john-edwards-endorsement-_n_85997.html

[flyarm]

1. don't do it John ..Please don't do it!! eom

[bdamomma]

4. he doesn't have to do this does he?

[karynnj]

8. I assume that he (or Eliabeth) has followed what has happened with

endorsements thought to carry some weight. If he has a strong believe that one candidate will be far better taking the country where he sees it needing to go, he may feel that as he can likely make a difference in an extremely close race, he may. If he reals that strongly, staying silent would be wrong. He would do it, knowing that many of the people who admire him more than anyone else have already made there choice - and some may find his choice inexplicable and confusing.

It is because he has influence over a group of people disappointed because he is out, his endorsement could help. That is why he wll get flack no matter who he endorses - unlike the lack of flack for Bayh or Menendez.) He also has his list, not as big as Kerry's, but a list that likely has a higher percent of people still uncommitted - as he left the race only recently.

I think this is a case where he has to follow his conscience and endorse if he feels one is better than the other.

[ginnyinWI]

14. Why not?

Why shouldn't he pick one of them if he feels strongly about it?

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. I second that!

[shireen]

20. i agree

this endorsement thing that so many politicians and celebrities have done is kinda ridiculous C'mon, are you that important that people are going to follow your lead? Hmmm ... i suppose there are enough mindless out there who would use logic like "Oprah likes him, so I'll vote for him" or "my senator endorsed Hillary, so i'll vote for her". I guess endorsements are a good thing for lazy irresponsible voters.

[shireen]

21. dupe

sorry, accidently hit "return" twice

[lame54]

26. I'm with you - Please don't do it John...

Neither of them will make REAL changes - they will be status quo and play the game

[flyarm]

2. dupe

[LakeSamish706]

3. I hope he doesn't endorse either. If were going to endorse, he should...

have done it before Super Tuesday, not now.

[sharp_stick]

11. But it could be kind of funny

I mean, look at all the people around here slamming Clinton or slamming Obama and claiming that "their guy" John Edwards was the only "real progressive" in the race.

No matter who he endorses I will get a major kick out of watching people on the other side turn on him like he was Tom DeLay or James Dobson.

[CoffeeCat]

5. I think we'll be able to tell by watching Obama today...

He'll either have a spring in his step...or not. And it will be obvious.

I noticed at the JJ dinner, that Hillary looked like someone drove a truck
over her. She's always sparkly and she always looks great. She looked
like hell that night. She wasn't unattractive. She looked really defeated.

Yes, she just lost those races, but those were expected to go to Obama.

I could be reading into those things. However, I noticed that she looked
preoccupied and more tense than I'd ever seen her at the JJ dinner--and it looked obvious
to me, even before I knew about the Edwards talks.

We'll see...

[karynnj]

12. I think she might have been unprepared for the margins

I thought she spoke better than usual. I saw the "less sparkly" as calmer and I think that would have been better from the beginning as befits a person offering herself based on her resume confidently thinking it stands her well.

[GalleryGod]

13. "WORK the Difference" Sage advice,always.

[Shine]

19. That's a great picture!

:thumbsup:

[Yael]

22. I LOVE that picture!!!

[jsamuel]

6. John Edwards should endorse. He has made a point of saying what he believes and I don't think this

should be an exception.

[still_one]

7. I would be surprised if he endorsed anyone, but if he does, I don't think it will make

much of a difference at this stage

It might have been before super Tuesday

[still_one]

9. I would be surprised if he endorsed anyone, but if he does, I don't think it will make

much of a difference at this stage

It might have been before super Tuesday

His delegates are very valuable now

[Thrill]

10. The news is going to make it look like he is selling his endorsement

[waiting for hope]

15. selling his endorsement?

Really, I think it is a push for his platform, one that many here agree on and believe to be the backbone of the Democratic party. I hope he endorses neither, because both conflict with his message. But if he does, he'll be doing it in trade for having some of his policies adapted. His campaign has never been about him, it's been about doing right by the American people. As a NC resident (sometimes I really doubt that) - and by the way his ran his campaign, that should be obvious.

[Thrill]

23. Sometimes you really doubt? What exactly does that mean?

If you mean because I'm not a big Edwards fan? You're mistaken. Trust me. I'm far from the only Democrat that is not a fan of Edwards in NC. I worked tons of hours for him to get elected to the Senate. And to be quite honest like many people around here. We were disappointed in what he did once he got there. We rarely saw him again, and he wasn't very good at responding to mail and calls to his office. And he certainly didn't work hard to push for things that were important to people in this state.

The Edwards on the campaign trail this election season. Certainly wasn't the one that was in the Senate.

[blindpig]

17. If he endores either...

then he betrays the entire premise of his campaign.

What? You say that he will extract promises from the beneficiary of his largess?

Ha. Haha. Hahahahahaha!

[thevoiceofreason]

18. How is Barack in two places at once -- isn't there a rally in Md.?

[Clark2008]

24. In other words, he's making a power play for his 50-some-odd delegates.

I can't stand that man. He is far too manipulative.

[Clark2008]

25. Dupe.