If this diary gets picked up, I expect to take a lot of heat for my comments. But I just have to share my urgent appeal to John Edwards: please drop out of the race and campaign for Obama.
Now, before you jump down my throat, let me make something perfectly clear: John Edwards is my preferred candidate. John's position on the issues most strongly mirror my own. I was committed to his victory, so much so that I agreed to serve as a voluntary advisor to the campaign, and I believed that he had a chance to pull off a win. But that opportunity has passed. John's strategy to win in Iowa and use the bounce in media coverage and contributions into New Hampshire and beyond failed. So the question at hand is this: what now?
Here's where people might get pissed: John's continuing campaign through to the convention, even while his aides concede that he's unlikely to win a single state, is starting to remind me of Ralph Nader. Why? Because it shows an unwillingness to recognize the current reality.
Does it suck that the mainstream media has frozen John out? Absolutely. Does it suck that some of his opponents for the nomination have a huge fundraising advantage because they're willing to accept money from large donors and special interests? Yes. Does this speak to our broken system? Damn straight. But the reality is still the same. John will not win the nomination.
So that leaves him and his campaign with one fundamental question: How can he best champion the change for which he's committed? My personal opinion: Back Obama while there's still time. I think John has until Super Tuesday to influence this race. If things proceed as they are, Clinton will score major victories on February 5th and Obama will be left in the dust.
There are significant differences between Obama and Clinton. Whatever reservations or concerns I may have about Obama, he's substantively different from Clinton. Our country needs a major change and Clinton does not offer us that. Refusing to recognize that difference is like Nader saying that there was no substantive difference between Bush and Gore.
So, in my opinion, Edwards staying in this race only helps secure Clinton the nomination. While Edwards only got 4% of the vote in Nevada, that difference nearly covered the spread between Obama and Clinton. If Edwards drops out now and endorses Obama as the only viable candidate for change, the line will be drawn in the sand. If he drops out now, he can push for commitments from the Obama camp. If he waits, it'll be too late.