The media counted him out. The pundits dismissed him. The elite riduculed him, said he was "angry". His opponents outspent him - by vast unheard of ammounts. And yet John Edwards message of change - has become THE message of the 2008 elections. For Democrats, and even Republicans. Who put out the health care plan for universal health care? Who was the first candidate to see that we need to tax wealth the same as we tax work? Who is the Democrat that rejects leaving 10s of thousands of troops in Iraq for "training" of Iraq troops indefinitely? Who was the first to put out a tough plan to prevent and end disastrous climage change that set the bar for others? Who constantly speaks out for the forgotten STILL struggling in New Orleans and the Gulf area?
That democrat is John Edwards. And his fight isn't over. Its moved to Round 2. And I hear the bell ringing.
Today was a victory - for Barack Obama. Congratulatulations to him and his campaign. As an Edwards supporter I won't deny that. His campaign made an incredible turnout happen and it went his way. Its a victory for him and for the Democratic party as a whole - whoever the nominee ends up being.
But more than a victory for Obama, it was a victory for change. And change is the theme that has run through John Edwards campaign from the very beginning And that is what the contest comes down to now moving to New Hampshire. Who will fight the hardest for change?
Edwards, against all the odds, against the media predictions, against the pundits who wrote him off almost a year ago, against a Clinton campaign and Obama campaign who outspent him overwhelmingly and had the media narrative wrapped around their finger, kept up. Not only kept up, but created the template for the race, formed the pollicy framework, and beat the national frontrunner in a a race where noone really took him seriously.
To all the Edwards supporters across Iowa and across the nation - THANK YOU.
Its an election - not an auction.
CNN calls it - Edwards takes 2nd. The results:
Obama - 38%
Edwards - 30%
Clinton - 29%
Here's the lastest from the Edwards campaign:
EDWARDS: STATUS QUO LOST, CHANGE WON
Victory over Senator Clinton proves strength of Edwards’ message of standing up for the middle class and fighting for real change
Des Moines, Iowa – By standing with John Edwards in his fight for the middle class, the people of Iowa delivered a powerful message tonight that the American people are sick of the status quo and ready for real change. Despite being drastically outspent by Senator Clinton, tonight’s results show that more Iowans agreed with John Edwards’ vision for change.
"The one thing that’s clear from tonight’s caucus is that the status quo lost and change won," Edwards said. "The results show that the American people are ready for a president who will stand up to corporate greed and fight for hard-working families, someone who will fix the broken system in Washington and achieve real change in this country.
"Tonight showed that if you’re willing to have a little backbone, a little courage, and stand up to corporate greed, we will be unstoppable – no matter how much money is spent," Edwards continued. "The Clinton campaign thought big money would make them inevitable – but despite being dramatically outspent by not one, but two celebrity candidates, we finished a strong second. And now we move on to New Hampshire and the other early states, where the voters will choose who is best suited to bring about the change this country so desperately needs."
As president, Edwards will fight for an America where everybody has the same chance to work hard and build a better life for their children. Edwards grew up in small rural mill villages in the South and was the first in his family to go to college. He has spent his life standing up and fighting for ordinary Americans against powerful entrenched interests – and winning. Edwards is fighting for an America where every person in our country has the same opportunities he’s had to work hard, find success, and live the American Dream.
Because of the strength of Edwards’ message for change and his appeal among voters in red and blue states, he is the Democrats’ best chance for taking back the White House in November. Poll after poll shows that Edwards is by far the Democrats’ strongest candidate in a general election against any of the top Republicans. He is also the only Democrat who has won in a "red" state, and he earns high favorable ratings among Independents in states across the nation.
The Clinton campaign can't say they didn't try - both the Obama and Clinton campaign put everything they had into Iowa. Listening to CNN now, an amazing 70% of Iowan Democratics rejected the status quo candidate thats been pushed at all of us for almost a year. Obama and Edwards also won independents overwhelmingly over Clinton. And the most recent ARG poll, which (unlike Iowa) accurately predicted 2004 results, shows Edwards leads independents in New Hampshire, even over Barack Obama:
Edwards now leads Obama among undeclared (independent) voters 38% to 23%, with 17% for Clinton.
As CNN is saying now - worst case scenario for Clinton. Inevitibility is dead. Its a whole new race.
As Larry King says now:
what happened to Hillary?
The reality is - the race begins now. And the theme is change. In 2004, Edwards won 2nd in Iowa, same as today, and went into New Hampshire with 8 staff people - now he has 80 with offices around the state. Unlike in 2000, he is completely prepared to take advantage of a close 2nd place in Iowa. He has strong endorsements from SEIU New Hampshire (and neighboring Mass SEIU), from Friends of the Earth, from other groups and a strong statewide message.
And in the delegate total - its pretty much tied up.
Per CNN, a win in Iowa at current delegate levels gives the following:
Obama - 18 delegates
Edwards - 17 delegates
Clinton 16 delegates.
And word is from Dodd and from Biden now - they won't be in New Hampshire. They ran a great race, but its done for them. At the next debate in New Hampshire the choice for voters will be even clearer.
So what does than mean? That means its tied. And its a whole new ball game. One state has spoken - its time for the the rest of America to makes its choice, starting with New Hampshire.
Here is Edwards most recent ad in New Hampshire - expect more very soon focused on change and who will fight most for it without compromising the soul of the Democratic party:
and another:
Edwards is ready for the next step.
So are you ready? Its time to roll up your sleeves and make the case for real change, look to see how you can help.
This race is just getting started. As Edwards said tonight: "The one thing that is clear is that the status quo lost, and change won".
Change is just getting started and message matters. This isn't just about John Edwards - its always been about more than one person. This is about a fundamental new direction for America.