In the debate over which Democratic candidate he should endorse, John Edwards has finally given in. And in the most predictable fashion, he has chosen Sen. Barack Obama. During his official endorsement speech Edwards said, “…the Democratic voters have made their choice, and so have I.”
The aforementioned statement is surprisingly thought provoking. If one takes a closer look at it, he or she will notice that Edwards first points out the fact that the Democrats have made a collective choice. He then ventures to say that he has subsequently made his own decision (which appears to be directly in line with the “popular vote” among the Democrats).
It’s not rocket science: Edwards is playing political monopoly. He is erasing his past statements about Obama and positioning himself for a vice-presidential nod. Or — at the least — he is keeping his name alive for future political gain.
After all, what took the former senator so long to endorse a candidate? MLive.com quotes Brent Slay, a retired Plainfield Township businessman (and an Obama supporter), who had some interesting thoughts on the matter:
But, perhaps the most intriguing portion of Slay’s thoughts:
Republican National Committee Chairman Robert Duncan has been the most precise in his criticism of Edwards’ endorsement. Duncan asks, “Why didn’t Edwards endorse sooner?” — a more than valid question. He continues:
Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Edwards was posing serious criticisms of Obama as early as December 2007:
Sounds like a vote of no confidence to me. But suddenly — when Obama appears to have the majority of Democratic support, Edwards thinks he’s undoubtedly the man for the job. Does his description of Obama back in December reflect even a portion of the confidence one should have in a candidate they are endorsing?
And then there’s healthcare — an issue that a great many Americans have a personal stake in:
These are big issues — issues that Edwards has suddenly begun to ignore for the sake of an endorsement.
What about all the issues that McCain ignored when he endorsed Bush in 2000? Unfortunately, the complete lack of principles, as evidenced by endorsing someone that you completely disagree with on many issues for the sake of party unity, are necessary in our hyper-partisan political environment. Endorsements like these ultimately mean nothing because more Americans care about the color of Obama’s skin than what comes out of his mouth.
Excuse while I vomit.
Billy quotes a Republican National Committee Chairman as a moral authority on the subject of political hypocrisy.
After I recover from the nausea, I may die in the paroxysms of a laughing fit.
This is the organization that defrauded elderly people back in the ’80s by tricking them into checking off an option in a mailing survey that authorized the RNC to make automatic monthly deductions from their bank accounts.
Funny how when the subject is McCain’s lack of principles, Billy dismisses criticism of McCain’s duplicity with the words, “Welcome to politics…”
I need another barf bag.
Obama easily has the most principles of the three major candidates for president (this is most likely due to the fact that he has been in politics for the shortest amount of time).
Unfortunately, I happen to disagree with most of his principles.