Disclaimer: I am working for Barack Obama, but I will always be an Edwards Democrat
Ever since John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama I have seen many of my fellow kossacks eviscerate him for not endorsing Obama earlier. Many kossacks have been accusing Edwards for being an opportunist that is only looking out for his one political fortunes.
I have to say that I share many of these frustrations as an Obama supporter, but still think that many of these accusations have been unfair. So please, before any more attacks are made, let me explain the dilemma that many Edwards supporters like myself have been through ever since Edwards started going down hill.
When John Edwards lost both Iowa and New Hampshire, it became clear to me that he wasn't going to win. Thus, I began to shop for a new candidate. I have to say that I was at first very torn between Clinton and Obama. I thought,
"Well, Obama seems like he would bring about change, but he only appears to offering empty rhetoric while Hillary offers detailed policy proposals. Wasn't one of the reasons I supported Edwards was because he lead on very key issues, and offered detailed and comprehensive policies to show America what he would do as President? Plus, my family has been involved in the labor movement for years, and most of the unions are backing Hillary. I also can't help but be a little nostalgic for the Clinton years."
The main question on my mind was, "Who is more of a fighter, Hillary or Obama?"
I remember staying up till 3am almost every day agonizing over who I would support. I spent hours surfing the web, examining blogs, and watching C-Span hoping to find something that would make my decision easier. This ordeal continued until Obama's rout in SC. When I watched Obama's victory speech, I was finally convinced that Obama was a fighter and I officially became an Obama supporter.
As for why Edwards himself took so long to endorse, here's my explanation.
First, as I said before it is possible to be torn between Hillary and Obama, and I'm sure JRE underwent a similar ordeal to what I went through.
Second, I've heard rumors that Al Gore was pressuring Edwards to reamin neutral in order to help unite the party after the primary was over. Edwards and Gore have been growing closer together ever since Edwards dropped out, so this is not hard to believe.
Third, it became pretty clear after a while that Elizabeth Edwards was supporting Hillary. She also gave me the impression that both her and John were backing different candidates. Imagine the fallout if during the height of the primary battle, both John and Elizabeth endorsed different candidates. The pundits would have had a field day and said, "The Democrats are so divided that they are even splitting families." Imagine the unwanted press that the Edwards family would have received, and the pressure that the press would have put on Cate Edwards to choose between her mom and dad.
The main reason why Edwards did not come out for Obama sooner was not because of his own political fortunes, but because he was trying to protect his family.
However, when Hillary failed to achieve her game changer in NC, Elizabeth stood aside and allowed JRE to endorse Obama.
So, to my fellow Kossacks and Obama supporters, stop the attacks on John Edwards. It's time to unite the party and bring all Democrats together.
Update:
Looking back I realized that I probably exaggerated the extent of the attacks on John Edwards. I just got hotheaded after seeing a few diaries attacking Edwards. I'm new to the blogosphere, so give me a chance to adjust to the flow of the discourse.