John Edwards

John Edwards’ endorsement of Barack Obama matters because the media is treating it like it does. Twenty-four hours after Hillary Clinton celebrated a 41-point landslide victory in West Virginia, the press now has fresh reason to speculate about a final death blow to her campaign, creating a narrative that could unleash the decisive superdelegate flood the Obama campaign has been waiting for.

But, really, is this huge—or even surprising—news? Obama was going to win the nomination with or without Edwards’ backing.  read more »

I asked Joe Trippi, a former senior adviser to John Edwards, why the North Carolina senator decided to endorse Barack Obama today.

He said he didn't know the motivations. He wanted to talk impact.

"I don't know why, I just know it's big," he said. "I don't know what other endorsement you'd really want right now. He is Mr. Blue Collar. His whole life has been fighting for blue-collar people."  read more »

The news of John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama was reported as Hillary Clinton addressed her top donors in her Washington, D.C., home today.

"It actually broke during the meeting, and I was passing my BlackBerry around when NBC confirmed it," said one donor in the room. The reaction of the fund-raisers in the room was mixed, according to the bundler. "Some people said, 'Shit, now we have to deal with this?' Other people said, and I agree with this, 'Who cares? Maybe if he did it two months ago. But now who cares?'"

Someone in the room sought to inform Clinton of the news by declaring out loud "Edwards has just endorsed Obama," according to the donor.  read more »

Appearing on Sunday’s “Face the Nation” in a pre-taped interview, the latest stop in his reemergence tour, John Edwards explained his rationale for exiting the Democratic race in late January after finishing third in his native South Carolina.

“I had concluded I could stay in the race, keep getting significant numbers of votes, keep accumulating delegates,” he said. “But the overwhelming likelihood was I would not be the nominee.”  read more »

Edwards spokesman Matthew Nelson just sent over this response to a question I asked about the assertion in today's Times story suggesting that Elizabeth Edwards was pressuring John Edwards to endorse Hillary Clinton:

"Unless you're hearing from John or Elizabeth themselves, and not unnamed sources, I wouldn't put much stock in it. Information is currency in politics, and there is a lot of fake currency floating around out there.  read more »

The Obama campaign just announced, conspicuously, “the endorsement of 49 prominent supporters of John Edwards—including Ed Turlington, Edwards' former National General Chairman.”

But not Edwards himself.

It seems fair to ask whether the Obama campaign could have assembled this coalition without Edwards' tacit approval or at least knowledge, particularly when they likely did so with the upcoming North Carolina primary in mind.

 As Ralph Nader becomes the Harold Stassen of the 21st century and a running joke to everyone except Al Gore, we sometimes forget that a generation ago (When Stassen was our perennial candidate for President), Nader was a founder of the consumer and environmental movement. How does someone evolve from one of the most credible policy advocates in the country, to a punch line on late night television?

When you buckle your seatbelts and when your air bag deploys—saving your life—you should thank Ralph Nader. The Clean Air Act, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act are at least partially due to Nader’s skill as an advocate in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

I mention the history because Nader did not build his reputation as a consumer and environmental advocate by pushing symbolism at the expense of results. He must know that his popularity is trending down.  read more »

As devastating as it was to her party, it was—in purely political terms—good news for Hillary Clinton when John Kerry finished inches short of George W. Bush in the 2004 election.

Ms. Clinton had opted to sit out the '04 race, a decision that placed the fate of whatever White House ambition she harbored in Mr. Kerry's hands. A Kerry victory in '04 would have taken the Democratic nomination out of play until 2012, by which time other Democrats—like Vice President John Edwards, for instance—would likely have emerged and eclipsed her.  read more »

Democrats

Barack Obama:

At a minimum, Obama needs to keep the overall delegate count relatively close, so that even if he falls behind Hillary, he won’t be in a position where he needs to sweep the rest of the primaries and caucuses to catch up. Even though delegates are given out proportionally at the district level, Obama also needs to win multiple states in different regions to make a statement about his national viability.  read more »

Earlier today Michael Bloomberg praised Rudy Giuliani, who is widely expected to end his presidential campaign officially in a few hours:

“I said yesterday I respect Rudy for mounting an effort," the mayor said of his predecessor during a press conference at the Empire State Building. "I don’t know, whether he ends it today or continues, that’s his decision to make. But rather than sit around an complain, Rudy’s been out there and trying to tell people what he would do, what he thinks this country needs.”

Bloomberg, who was there to talk about a public awareness campaign to encourage paper recycling, went on, “When he was mayor of this city, he left it better than he found it. He gave us things to build on. Hopefully we will leave things for our successors to build on.

More after the jump.  read more »

John Edwards is suspending his candidacy, as opposed to officially dropping out, because it will allow him to hold onto the 26 pledged delegates he has accumulated—plus any other he might pick up with his name still on the ballot across the country.  read more »

Dave "Mudcat" Sanders, one of Edwards' consultants was just on MSNBC. Asked which of his opponents Edwards is most likely to endorse, he said:

"Being a southerner, being an American who has been devastated by the trade policies of the Clintons, I'm going to do everything in my power to see that he doesn't endorse her."

A few points on John Edwards' decision to drop out:

1) It's been clear since New Hampshire that Edwards had been reduced to playing -- at best -- kingmaker at the convention by collecting enough delegates to tip the scales to Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama in the event that neither of them collected a large enough majority during the primaries. But his awful showing in Nevada (four percent) and his demoralizing finish in his native state of South Carolina (19 percent), suggested that, in 2008, there is room for only two candidates on the Democratic side. Even cracking 15 percent -- the threshold to collect delegates in congressional districts -- was looking like an uphill climb for Edwards in the remaining states. He leaves the race with just 26 pledged delegates.

2) The most immediate consequence of his departure is that Democrats will finally see a one-on-one debate between Clinton and Obama, who will square off in Los Angeles tomorrow night. Edwards' presence, and his efforts to shame his opponents for criticizing each other, seemed to keep the two at bay during portions of the last Democratic debate. But tomorrow, the stage will be theirs alone.

More after the jump.   read more »

In theory, the idea of John Edwards as the kingmaker of the Democratic convention makes sense: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama finish the primary season essentially tied for delegates, with Edwards running far back with 400 or so of his own. Then, with both front-runners short of the 2,026 delegates needed to win the nomination, Edwards could essentially pick the nominee, in exchange for some kind of concession--Attorney General, maybe?

But it’s unlikely to happen. Right now Edwards has only 26 pledged convention delegates (14 from Iowa, four from New Hampshire, and eight from South Carolina). He also has support from an estimated 32 super-delegates (elected leaders and party officials), but they can back out at anytime. Chances are that his total is not going to get much higher.

To add to his pledged delegates, Edwards needs to get at least 15 percent in every state yet to vote (not necessarily at the statewide level, though, since delegates are apportioned by district). But his failure to break through in the first four states is making him less relevant to the Democratic race every moment. He was always overshadowed by the Hillary vs. Barack storyline, but now he's utterly eclipsed by it.  read more »

A memo yesterday detailed the Edwards campaign's hopeful "new plan" of making the Democratic primary a race about delegates. Here's another, showing how that plan will be applied specifically to New York State.

It notes that in 2004 "John Edwards won at least 15 percent of the vote in 23 of New York’s 29 congressional districts" with a message that resonated "with blue-collar and rural voters."

Full memo:

TO: Interested Parties  read more »

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When Bill Clinton pointed out yesterday, while talking about Barack Obama's South Carolina victory, that Jesse Jackson won the state in 1984 and 1988, the former President got plenty of attention.

Clinton seemed to be encouraging the perception that Obama won because of support from black voters, and that his victory was more about racial allegiances than substance.

He was also misrepresenting history.

It's true that Jackson won South Carolina in '84 and '88. But Clinton failed to mention several key points. For one, the state held caucuses back in those days, not primaries, and they attracted only a fraction of the participation that yesterday's primary did. Also, Jackson is a native of Greenville, South Carolina, which gave him an extra advantage. Finally, and most importantly, no one campaigned against Jackson either time, and the contests had nowhere near the same significance to the race.  read more »

COLUMBIA, S.C.—John Edwards arrived on the small stage here at Jillian's eatery at 9:30 on the dot with his family. (I think he got a haircut! When did he have time for that?) "The three of us move on to February 5th," he said. Okay then! On the TV, which is playing him with a delay (what, is he going to suddenly start swearing?), it looks like he's in a big hall just like Barack Obama! But he's not!  read more »

COLUMBIA, S.C.—We've just been informed that John Edwards did not actually win the South Carolina Democratic Primary! Some other people (who are not at the Edwards not-victory party) may have heard about this by now from Wolf Blitzer. From the front of Jillian's restaurant, a plaintive wail went up: "Joe, please come to the host, your dining table is ready." This is a very sad moment here, for those who are not actually at the Edwards party but instead are here to celebrate birthdays or, you know, to just eat. Wait—we're just hearing that John Edwards will not place second either. Worse, John Edwards is not here—he is with his family, we hear, but campaign adviser (and internet visionary!) Joe Trippi is now with us in the dim press room. (Apparently he was not the Joe being seated for chicken wings.) Edwards himself will speak circa 9:30 p.m. EST.  read more »

COLUMBIA, S.C.—Yes, can you hear me? Hello? It's just BEDLAM here at John Edwards VICTORY PARTY HEADQUARTERS 2008, as a number of people casually dine on what look like chicken wings in Jillian's. We are in this large watering hole not far from downtown—and from the parking lot you can hear Barack Obama's fans yelling, awaiting his concession speech. (Right? I can't quite see the numbers under Wolf Blitzer on the T.V.!) Oddly enough—Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up" is playing here inside Jillian's. That is the song that Barack Obama often plays after he has concluded a speech.  read more »

Columbia, S.C. -- A strong lack of excitement characterizes the downtown of South Carolina's capitol city. On the street near the statehouse, there are a few youngsters with signs, begging cars to honk. But that is about it.

Hillary Clinton will be leaving the state as the polls close: She will deliver her remarks from Tennessee tonight. The John Edwards party is at a downtown bar--all are welcome, no charge, begs his website. Barack Obama is having the party of the night, natch, in a big shindig at the convention center.  read more »

The John Edwards “surge” has been the Loch Ness Monster of this primary campaign. There have been unconfirmed sightings of this elusive creature in the closing days of Iowa, New Hampshire and even (to a small degree) in Nevada, where he actually ended up getting just four percent of the vote. Now, based on a couple of polls that show Edwards within striking distance of second place in South Carolina, some people are saying they see the surge for real. Today, the lead sentence of a story in The State, the daily newspaper in Columbia (regrettably the article is nowhere to be found online): “Watch John Edwards.”

This morning, Edwards cited the surge rumors at a rally held in a crammed convention center conference room in Columbia. He told his audience, mostly college students, that he saw an “opportunity for a surprise” tomorrow. Edwards was energetic and impressive, emphasizing issues that were of interest to his young audience—many of whom wore t-shirts emblazoned with slogans like “I Vote For Darfur”—while taking care to strike notes that were also palatable to social conservatives, whom he’s clearly hoping to court in this devoutly religious state. When one young woman asked about threats to Roe v. Wade, Edwards only fleetingly reiterated his support for a woman’s right to choose, before going into a long and eloquent speech about the “need to be very inclusive and respectful” of those who oppose abortion. “There are very good people who have a different view about this,” he said. “Nobody made me God.”

More after the jump.  read more »

GREENVILLE, S.C.—Sounding more like a general election candidate than a woman locked in an attritional battle for her party nomination, Hillary Clinton accused the Bush administration of having "delivered a foreclosure notice on the American dream" in an appearance that has just finished.

Clinton's economy-themed remarks here at Furman University, one of Greenville's two colleges—the other being Bob Jones University—included sharp attacks, as well as her characteristic wonkish level of detail.

At one point she asserted that progress would have to wait "until the two oilmen leave the White House."  read more »

Warming up a crowd for John Edwards yesterday in Lancaster, S.C., the bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, a slight man with a shock of white hair, stood alone at a microphone on a flag-bedecked auditorium stage. “I’m death I come to take the soul,” he sang, in a husky a capella warble. “Leave the body and leave it cold … O, Death / O, Death / Won’t you spare me over ‘til another year.”

As campaign anthems go, Stanley’s Appalachian dirge—made famous by the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack—wasn’t exactly “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow.” But in these last-gasp days, Edwards is striving to convey an authentic cultural connection to his audiences in South Carolina, and sometimes southerners can get pretty gloomy. Especially these days, as the candidate is telling audiences in a bus tour across the upstate that he’s dubbed his “Back Home, Back Roads Barnstorm.”  read more »

Before John Edwards let David Letterman mess up his hair on the Late Show last night, the former Senator was at a private fund-raiser in midtown Manhattan, also attended by Kevin Bacon, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Alex Forger—one of the co-executors of the Jackie Onassis estate.

A reader who attended the event—held in the Fifth Avenue home of Edwards contributor Joseph Bondi—emailed me last night with this report of Edwards' remarks:  read more »

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.—Surely no other state has so many cars left at the side of the road, even on the appropriately uptight Strom Thurmond Highway.  read more »

Supporters of one Democratic candidate or another may insist that their man or woman won last Monday’s debate in South Carolina, but in their hearts most viewers could only have been disappointed by its childish tenor and puerile content. Unless those viewers happened to be Republicans, of course—in which case they could only have been delighted.

With a worried nation edging toward financial panic and dragging down the world economy—thanks to foolish ideas and bad management—the Democrats seem strangely preoccupied with petty snarking.

A debate is supposed to be a discussion of policy, but this last was nothing more than a blather of insults. It diminished both Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, while former Senator John Edwards only emphasized his irrelevance with glancing blows at both contenders.  read more »

John Edwards, casual in jeans, spoke this morning before a crowd of maybe 200 in a cold and empty former peanut factory.

"I hope y'all got to see the debate last night," he said by way of introduction.

He seems to be working to distance himself from the scuffling between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and is speaking very gently and calmly.

He took questions from the audience about healthcare and foreign policy, and went after what he called the current administration's belligerence and bellicosity.

The paradox that is Barack Obama came into sharp, almost painful, focus tonight: He is, at once, one of the best television candidates in political history and one of the more underwhelming.

Obama’s political star was launched when he delivered a dazzling address on national television at his party’s convention in 2004. His oratory was mesmerizing, his message inspiring, and his appearance and manner made him an instantly likable figure to millions of Americans. That Obama—Big Speech Obama—is tailor-made for television.

But then there’s Debate Obama, a hesitant, stuttering, easily rattled and mostly unsmiling public performer who litters his platitudes and “uh’s” and misses countless opportunities to throw his opponents’ taunts back in their faces. Debate Obama unwittingly affirms Hillary Clinton’s suggestion that he lacks the seasoning to withstand the scrutiny of a fall campaign and leaves those who have only seen Big Speech Obama wondering, “Is this really the same guy?”
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COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Shortly after noon, Barack Obama spoke, delivering a truncated version of the new speech he's using. He had a slow warm-up, went on to invoke both Selma and Jena, and then launched into the winning "moral deficit" stumper he delivered yesterday in the church in Atlanta where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor.  read more »

Jason Horowitz sends this photo of protesters across the street from Columbia state house where N.A.A.C.P. leaders are speaking and the Democratic candidates are expected to speak soon.  read more »

In breathtaking cold at 10 a.m., a few thousand people marched to the state Capitol building. The majority are African American and many are crying--from the cold. Barack Obama was at the front of the march. A helicopter circles; police are everywhere; sticks to hold up signs are forbidden. More than a few hold Hillary signs.

The "I have a dream" speech played at the Capitol as the crowd arrived; a quartet sang, then a choir. It was warmer in the crowd, though we stood deep in the shade of the Capitol.

Neal Jones of the Unitarian Universalist church delivered an invocation against the war, torture and the "illusion of security."

"Our government has been sold to the highest bidder," he said. Then there was an "amen." "That was a prayer?" asked some women in the audience.

More after the jump.  read more »

The Edwards campaign is accusing Barack Obama of hypocrisy a Nevada radio ad produced by UNITE HERE, a group of 440,000 textile, hotel and restaurant workers that has endorsed Barack Obama. The Obama campaign had condemned such groups as "shadowy" when Edwards was benefiting from their help in Iowa.

Here's an email I just got from Edwards deputy campaign manager Jonathan Prince: "When Senator Obama says turn the page, he obviously means turn to whatever page is most convenient. He loudly and repeatedly attacked independent ads by unions in Iowa as the product of special interests. But when a different outside group starts running ads on his behalf in Nevada, there's not a peep from him or his campaign. It must be because he's burning up the phone lines calling the head of UNITE HERE personally to demand he pulls the ads down right away."

John Edwards tried to rally donors today by arguing that the media was actively ignoring him and that people needed to send in their checks to remind the press that he was still, you know, running.

But it's not clear the money will be there for him.

I spoke to one of his fund-raisers in New York today who said that the well of enthusiasm for Edwards among proven givers had in large part dried up.

"Let's face it, I don't know that people coming in behind the front two are able to raise money as successfully as the front two," said the bundler, referring to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The fund-raiser also expressed aggravation with Democratic voters for overlooking what the Edwards campaign has presented as his superior electability. "It seems like we Democrats think we are picking not the nominee but our president," the fund-raiser said.

The Edwards campaign has used what they consider unfair media coverage to raise money in the past.

Their latest appeal, though, is a significantly more precarious one, as they are essentially arguing that it's unfair for the media to deem John Edwards irrelevant.

It's not clear if this "Media Perception vs. Reality" video is the best way to rally the donors.

Release after the jump.  read more »

Brian Williams and Tim Russert came to tonight’s debate prepared to moderate—or perhaps to instigate—an argument over the role of race in the Democratic presidential campaign and the matter of who first introduced the subject.

But Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton wanted none of it. And neither did an unknown member of the audience in Las Vegas, who interrupted the proceedings about 20 minutes in with loud castigations of the moderators and their “race-based” questions.

Williams and Russert devoted the first segment of the debate to various facets of the race question, which has dominated news coverage of the Democratic contest for the past few days, and they were anxious to force both leading candidates to address the way the subject has been used by their own campaigns.  read more »

As expected, this morning at 8:03 a.m (PST), Judge Charles Thompson of Clark County District Court in Nevada signed an order forcing MSNBC to include Dennis Kuncinich in tonight’s Democratic debate.

Citing the “timing” of Mr. Kucinich’s exclusion, the “importance of the caucuses,” and the “obligations of the media,” Judge Thompson ordered MSNBC to include Mr. Kucinich or face a shutdown of the debate:

“[T]he Court finds that the harm to Plaintiff and the public if this Order is not granted outweighs any conceivable harm to Defendant from granting the Order.”

The judge also ordered NBC Universal to pony up a $1,000 bond.

Follow the jump to view the original document.  read more »

This morning, the Media Mob caught up with William McGaha, who is serving as Dennis Kucinich’s lawyer in his battle to be included in tonight’s MSNBC debate at Cashman Center in Las Vegas.

Mr. McGaha said his client’s case was based, in part, on two e-mails the Kucinich camp had received from Jennifer Backus, a political consultant for NBC Universal. The first e-mail, according to Mr. McGaha, spelled out the criteria by which candidates would quality for the debate.  read more »

A Nevada judge ruled yesterday afternoon that MSBNC will have to include Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich in tonight’s debate—or face a possible injunction halting the televised event from occurring.

“The judge called it a matter of fairness and said Nevada voters will benefit if they hear from more than just Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards,” the AP reported Monday afternoon.  read more »

John Edwards achieved just enough in the first two contests of the 2008 presidential campaign to justify pushing ahead. But now it's getting hard to see the way forward: He failed to post the breakout showing (like, say, winning Iowa or beating Hillary in New Hampshire) that might have fundamentally scrambled the Democratic field. He's stuck.

Conjuring an Edwards nomination scenario at this point is sort of like devising a road map to the national championship game for a three-loss college football team: It’s theoretically possible, yes, but it requires a large number of improbable conditionals to be met.

The sad part in that it could have turned out very differently for the former North Carolina Senator, who pursued a very smart strategy in his second White House bid, and who executed it well. But the plan was undercut by a development that no one anticipated in the early days on the ‘08 campaign: Barack Obama’s candidacy.
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In introducing John Edwards to the stage to give another concession speech, Elizabeth Edwards gave no indication that her husband planned to bow out.

“Today we have taken steps, steps not as big as what we had wanted,” she said, adding “The goal is still in sight, and what is that goal? To make as our next President of the Unites States John Edwards.”

John Edwards was defiant.

“Tonight I congratulate Sen. Clinton and Sen Obama,” he said. “Two states down. 48 states left to go.”

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Hillary Clinton won.

Not only did Barack Obama miss an opportunity to put the race for the Democratic nomination away with a second solid win over the erstwhile front-runner, but he’s now going to be on his heels for a bit as he seeks to explain how he fell so far short of expectations.

And Hillary, with an against-the-flow victory—as of this writing, her margin over Obama was 3 percentage points—has exactly the “comeback” narrative she was looking for after her disaster in Iowa.  read more »

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—It was the day before the New Hampshire primary, and reporters on the Clinton beat were venting.

“Putting an emotional and physical distance between us and her can harden the heart,” one reporter, who covers Hillary Clinton for a major daily newspaper, said to a few colleagues over coffee and notebooks in a coffee shop, where Mrs. Clinton was about to make an appearance.  read more »

DOVER--Hillary Clinton is back on stage, this time at a high school, taking questions and hitting her opponents for she says is their failure to stand up to special interests, achieve health care reforms and or take consistent positions on the war in Iraq.

There's more of the hardwood gym floor visible than usual behind the small crowd of 250, which is listening to her slam her rivals.

"No matter how beautifully delivered a speech is, when the words finish, it is over," she said.  read more »

In yet another post-Iowa press conference, Hillary Clinton answered reporters’ questions in Nashua for 19 minutes, talking about everything from her vote on the war in Iraq, her meeting with Rudy Giuliani on the stage between debates last night, the cross on her bracelet, her refusal to look back at Iowa and Barack Obama’s “four pollsters.”

She shrugged off a question about her statement at a campaign event here only minutes earlier that she would not have gone to war if she had been president, saying “You know I’ve said that many times.” She added, “Clearly at the time that vote took place I said it wasn’t a vote for preemptive war.”

She once again attacked Obama and John Edwards on what she said has said is a rhetoric that does not match reality, and when asked why she waited until after losing Iowa to make those contrasts, said, “I thought it was time to draw the contrast.” New Hampshire voters, she said, were famously independent, and “They want to know answers.”

When asked how she could stand up to a movement like that surrounding Obama by running a campaign based on “Mark Penn poll-tested talking points,” she responded, “I don’t know, but I think Senator Obama has four pollsters.”  read more »