Obama & Edwards: saving the best for last

What do they say—timing is everything?

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina who bowed out of the presidential race in January, endorsed Senator Barack Obama at a rally here tonight.

Officials announced the news of Mr. Edwards’s endorsement shortly after Mr. Obama landed here late this afternoon. The campaign timed it to coincide with the start of the major evening newscasts, which would have otherwise focused on Senator Hillary Clinton’s landslide victory in West Virginia, which raised new questions about Mr. Obama’s strength with white working class voters.

Edwards has been out of the race for months, and yet still polled 7% in West Virginia. Doing this today—and in Michigan, no less—is a media coup.

Add to this NARAL’s endorsement of Obama earlier today, and this interesting statement from Senator Clinton, also from earlier today, and you can now see (not the end, not the beginning of the end, but) the end of the beginning.

John Edwards just gave a heck of a speech. In the words of Barack Obama at the same event: “I haven’t been seeing John as much—I forgot how good he is.” If Edwards can move Obama to the left on healthcare and poverty issues in exchange for his help with blue collar and more liberal Democrats, this could be a big win-win.

Your thoughts?


(cross-posted on The Seminal)

John Edwards helps me blog for choice

Tuesday was the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and the folks at NARAL Pro-Choice America wanted all of us bloggers to say a little something about why it’s important that we vote pro-choice. I was out all day, so I thought I’d turn the keyboard over to Senator John Edwards:

Roe v. Wade was an important step on the road to full equality, opportunity and dignity for women. On the 35th anniversary, it is important to reflect how far we've come as a nation, but more importantly how far we still have to go.

I strongly support a woman's right to privacy and reproductive choices. That right has been under attack though -- by President Bush and his anti-choice agenda and by the Supreme Court, which has been moving the right-wing's agenda faster than we've seen in decades. The hard right turn of the Supreme Court is a stark reminder of why Democrats cannot afford to lose the 2008 election. Too much is at stake - starting with a woman's right to choose.

As President, I will guarantee the right to choose and ensure that women can make choices in their lives with dignity and can participate in our society fully, as equals.

Thanks, John!

I plan to vote for a presidential candidate that I can trust to appoint staunchly pro-choice judges to every level of the federal bench. I also plan to vote for the presidential candidate that I can trust to appoint advocates for reproductive rights, privacy rights, and intelligent, scientifically sound sexual health education to all of the federal agencies concerned. And, very importantly, I am voting for the presidential candidate that offers the best plan to achieve truly universal health coverage—because access to good medical and gynecological care is also very important to a country that aspires to respect women and respect choice.

I am taking all of that into account on primary day (February 5th for me), and that is why I plan to vote for a presidential candidate named John Edwards.

(Check out many other bloggers great reasons to vote pro-choice over at Bush v. Choice.)

(cross-posted to Daily Kos)