Iowa breaks Edwards' heart, again

[question everything]

In 2004 Iowa put Edwards on the map. And he did not forget it.

He campaigned almost non-stop in Iowa. If no other state, Iowa was going to be his. It what kept him and Elizabeth going after the shocking news about her cancer. And we will probably never know how many of his supporters decided not to vote for him, being concerned about his priorities. Even on DU we have seen posts about that topic.

And then came an unknown Obama from nowhere. With Oprah rallying the ones who just love idols, with Illinois students being bussed to vote in the Iowa caucuses and, again, perhaps in the Illinois primary.

Edwards and Hillary were going to be the front runners, and from nowhere came Obama, with nothing much to show for as an executive or as a legislative, except for pretty face, charisma and eloquence and, of course "our time has come" racial point.

So Edwards must really feel that Obama stole what would have been his.

And now, again in Iowa, as we have been informed on these pages, many of his delegates switched to Obama, adding more salt on his injuries.

Yes, we are told that emotions do not belong in politics, except when they do, when Oprah is tugging on them.

Dear Elizabeth and John: I hope that we have not seen the last of both of you. You deserve better. You have been the conscience of this debate and I hope that once this election cycle is behind us, that you will come back, to remind us what is good and honest and noble in our country.

[saltpoint]

1. Edwards ran a tremendous campaign in Iowa.

Obama did too.

[ClassWarrior]

2. I seriously doubt he's that immature.

NGU.

[PetraPooh]

29. Perfect answer.

[leftofcool]

3. Edwards 2008!

[JoFerret]

26. Edwards 2008 and 2012

.

[lumberjack_jeff]

32. We missed our chance. If a HRC or BO wins 2008, 2016 is the best case scenario. n/t

[rurallib]

4. Enough with the 'illinois students' bullshit

If they are students in Iowa they had a perfectly legal right to caucus here. OK?
Edit to add that was and am still an Edwards supporter in Iowa. But there was nothing underhanded with students coming back to participate. It is actually refreshing to see students finally getting deeply involved enough to make a small sacrifice.

[MNDemNY]

7. And super delegates have a perfectly legal right to vote for who ever the choose.

Right?

[rurallib]

21. I do believe that is the way the rules have been layed out

And I believe the rules have been like that for nigh on 30 years. A super delegate may incur some political blowback, but that is the way the rules is writ.

[question everything]

24. Right. No arguments there

This is true for all of then, on national level. And if they are African Americans, they have a right to stand up to Jesse Jackson Jr. and to the Congressional Caucus "demanding" that they be part of bringing one of their own to the White House.

[wileedog]

34. Absolutely.

They can vote for whomever they want.

But if the are interested in keeping a Democratic party intact to be a Superdelegate in going forward, they would be wise to vote with the pledged delegates.

But by all means, they are free to blow the whole thing up and elect Hillary with no justification whatsoever. Democracy is over-rated anyway...

[Skidmore]

5. Give me a break!

Stop with the melodrama already. Edwards campaigned in Iowa, as did Obama and Clinton. We saw all of the candidates up close and in person for many months. Iowans voted. They chose Obama. Period. Had nothing to do with Oprah or anyone else. When you are done insulting Iowans with your emotional gobbledy-gook, perhaps we can have a reasonable conversation.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. Actually Edwards is still wondering how he came in second and lost

to Clinton who came in third. Since he withdrew from the race I hardly think his heart is broken over the switch yesterday of some of his pledged delegates.

[Little Star]

8. I agree 100%. k&r

[JDPriestly]

9. Thanks. But we don't know what happened to the Edwards

delegates in Iowa. We don't know why they switched to Obama. As a California voter, I am deeply disappointed that Edwards is not our candidate. I was thinking again today.

Obama is 1/2 white and 1/2 black. He is not more one than the other, yet he characterized Edwards as the white man.

Obama was raised by a mother with an advanced degree in anthropology. Both his parents went to elite American graduate schools. Obama never lacked a material thing. Edwards was born in a small town to struggling, working class parents, neither of whom went to college. Edwards is the real American hero.
Setting race and gender aside, Edwards is the change candidate. He is the real thing. How anyone could go for either Obama or Hillary is beyond me.

I am thoroughly disgusted with the fact that Edwards is not our candidate. The word disappointed does not describe how I feel. It is not strong enough.

[SoCalDem]

16. They switched because HRC and BHO are the only two still running

and their delegate votes are needed more for people who are engaged in a neck-and-neck struggle for dominance.

I'm sure Edwards will know who they are, and that they originally supported him.. but he only garnered 26 delegates, so it;s not like they had a lot of choices..

Somehow, I think Edwards is more concrned with E's health right now, and his family..than he is about a campaign he gave up on a long time ago... Maybe he can run for governor.. That might be a better fit for him.. or perhaps he'll end up as Atty Gen..

[Inspired]

17. I can't find the right word either.

Depressed comes close!

[Beregond2]

10. Edwards

Uh, Edwards is no longer in the race, or haven't you heard? What did you expect his delegates to do, throw their votes away?

[onehandle]

11. Edwards on his own would have put Hillary away Weeks ago.

There. I said it.

[grantcart]

18. some people think that behind the scenes the Clintons were having people

encourage the presidential campaign to split the Edwards vote. Talk about backfire.

[Orangepeel]

12. I have to think that Edwards is too mature a politician to think that Obama "stole"

what should have been his by running a better campaign.

Edwards should have won Iowa, given how hard he worked it, and his campaign wasn't able to come back from coming in a distant second. So naturally, he'd be majorly disappointed. But, as someone who supported Edwards since 2004, I'd be disappointed in him if he thought that Obama won unfairly.

[damndude]

13. how is

"our time is now" racial?

[question everything]

28. When "our" does not refer to, say, poor people

or vets, or people who lost their jobs to oursourcing, but to African Americans. This is what Oprah has been saying; this is what his supporters have been saying, on DU and across the country; this is how Jesse Jackson Jr. and the Black Congressional Caucus have been saying, pressing super delegates who have pledged to Hillary to switch, to bring "one of our own" to the White House.

Thus, people are told to vote for Obama because of his race and not because of his platform or his track record, of which there is none. As a matter of fact, he was encouraged by Kennedy and by Daschle to run now, before he has established any track record in the Senate that, of course, came back to haunt Kerry and Hillary and McCain.


Such calls have been documented here, on DU.

[frogcycle]

14. oh bullshit

this is not a fucking soap opera, despite all efforts to make it so

[theredpen]

15. Damn Obama and his uppity ass! Winnin' them elections from decent white folk!

:sarcasm:

[BeyondGeography]

19. "So Edwards must really feel that Obama stole what would have been his."

That's a grandiose sense of entitlement, one thing I would not accuse of Edwards of.

[K Gardner]

20. I could not agree more. The JE I know and that I supported would not spend time

in such machinations.

[guidod]

22. Yeah, I hope he comes

back as Obama's Sec. of Labor.

[Colobo]

23. I love it how you make it sound like Obama is an undeserving nobody.

[Oilwellian]

25. I was originally for Edwards...

and have to say I doubt very seriously he felt entitled to win in Iowa as you project. For those delegates who switched to Obama, what else are they supposed to do? Go to the convention and cast their vote for someone who dropped out of the race? Sheesh...your logic escapes me. They probably felt like I did after Edwards dropped out...at that point my choice was down to two...Obama or Hillary. I say kudos to them for realizing who would best carry out what Edwards wants. Don't you remember in one of the debates when Edwards referred to himself and Obama as being the real candidates for change and implied Hillary was the status quo who will always fight against it?

[book_worm]

27. Yes, Iowa put Edwards on map in '04 but it's also worth remembering that he also came in second

in Iowa in '04 just as he did in '08. Also Obama didn't win mearly by bussing in kids from Illinois. As for Obama being nothing but "a pretty face, charisma and eloquence" remember in '04 when Edwards first ran? he was only a first term Senator and that's all his elective experience is--a one term Senator from NC. Edwards is an intelligent and good man and he dropped out of the race--I doubt he expected his delegates to stick with him so I doubt it added any salt to his wounds.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

31. And Obama has more legislative experience than either Edwards or Clinton.

[Scriptor Ignotus]

30. I think you're way more bitter than Edwards ever was or ever will be

Edwards is a top tier politician with national prominence. I think he can take his lumps just fine. It's part of the game.

[olkaz]

33. Former Edwards supporter

I didn't realize I was putting salt on his wounds by voting for Obama!

"With Oprah rallying the ones who just love idols..."

Man, I hate people that go around saying everything is sexist, but that looks sexist to me.