Saturday, October 28, 2006
Obama Hurts Edwards
Robert Novak argues that a potential Barack Obama presidential run would hurt John Edwards, not Hillary Clinton. He explains, "Former Sen. Edwards's campaign strategy is focused on the South Carolina primary, but Obama figures to do well with African-American voters comprising about 40 percent of that state's Democratic primary vote. Obama also could threaten Edwards in the tip-off Iowa caucuses, where polls have shown Edwards leading Clinton." Not to mention, that Obama's life story is more compelling than Edwards. So much for that "Two Americas" stump speech.
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Former Sen. Edwards's campaign strategy is focused on the South Carolina primary
How does Novak figure that? I mean, *obviously* Edwards has been spending all his time in South Carolina recently... *eyeroll*
Yes, Edwards won the So. Carolina primary in 2004 -- but to assume that a candidate as savvy as Edwards would expect history to automatically repeat itself, and therefore he'd need only rest on his laurels there, is preposterous. With so many potential candidates on both sides, nothing is a "given" or even a "sure thing." *Everyone* should -- and will -- be out there, campaigning hard, because expecting anything to come easily in a wide-open race is naivete.
As a side note, since when do right-wing pundits ever give the benefit of the doubt to a progressive? In my view, having an inherent conservative bias, they tend to lean toward and champion the more centrist or conservative candidate, no matter what the party affiliation. IOW, I just don't see Novak as a reliable spokesperson for the Democratic party. *shrug*
Novak seems to be getting a bit lazy in his dotage. It doesn't sound like he has heard Edwards on the stump for candidates in '06. He is also ignoring Nevada, where John Edwards long standing fight for the right to organize in the service industry ... well before it became a political advantage in the presidential primary race ... will win many fans.
Most importantly, though, he is imagining that Edwards, Clinton and Obama are occupying the same space on the political spectrum, and its only a matter of personality. However, in reality it is Obama and Clinton that would be fighting for the same terrain of centrist compromise with Republicans to get bills through ... Edwards is standing up for working Americans with the minimum wage, card-registration Union recognition, and universal health coverage without weasle words and "sound alikes".
And beyond that, the discussion of the SC primary involved whether Edwards could win over black voters who were supposed to by enamoured of Hillary because of the Clinton name. If Obama enters the race, it could very well be that he takes more votes away from Hillary than from anyone else in Iowa and Nevada and South Carolina, leaving Hillary with only one of the first four that she has a strong shot at winning.
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