(sorry, I had to do my happy dance)
That was very classy. The man gets up in front of hundreds (thousands?) of screaming Obama fans, and the first thing he does is spend a good five minutes praising ...Hillary Clinton.
The crowd actually booed the first time he mentioned her name, but he stuck with it and was so obviously sincere that by the end he had them on side. He talked about their friendship, and the beliefs and values he and Clinton shared. He talked about her determination and her commitment to healthcare, to workers, and to a whole raft of other issues near and dear to his heart. Hell, by the time he got to Obama I was half convinced that he'd changed his mind and was actually endorsing Clinton.
I've always been impressed with John Edwards, and after seeing him tonight I'm convinced that he would make the best possible running mate for Obama. This may, in fact, be what's going on here - which would have all sorts of implications as o motives, timing, etc., but in general I think it would be a huge positive.
Edwards has all of Clinton's strengths, none of her weaknesses, and I suspect he would be far more willing to work with Obama instead of trying to horn in on his limelight. Plus he said something tonight that set him apart from Obama, Clinton, and everyone else in this race:
He said that Americans need to end their dependence on oil.
Not "foreign oil". ALL oil.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have our dream team. Now if we could only generate that kind of passion and enthusiasm and political engagement on THIS side of the border.
(Edit: video added 11:20 p.m.)
I'm glad to see that Obama's campaign is starting to act more conciliatory towards Clinton. He's going to win, he just has to make sure he pulls as many Dems as possible to win the big race in November.
ReplyDeleteAs to generating that kind of enthusiasm up here: we'd need prime ministerial candidates who deserve that kind of enthusiasm. The only one I know of that's saying the right thing is Elizabeth May, but she doesn't have the je ne sais quo that Obama does. As to the others, they're tainted by their party's histories.
Now if David Chernushenko replaces Liz in 2010, I think we may have a winner.
I think Edwards is great and wouldn't be unhappy with this dream ticket but I don't think it is going to happen. Obama needs someone who complements him either from a swing state or someone with foreign affairs creds.
ReplyDeleteI think that although Edwards has the Dem working class creds (the infamous working white man) I don't know if his name and support gets passed the boundaries of the DNC.
I think that Edwards would make a great Anti-Poverty Czar or AG. There is speculation on HuffPo that he would like the AG spot.
That way Obama can have it both ways. He can let folks know that Edwards would be part of the administration but he would also be able to have that complementary veep I described above.
Yeah, the Kossacks seem to be divided as to whether Edwards would make a better AG or VP. VP is higher profile but more practically useless. Unless you're Dick Cheney, of course.
ReplyDeleteStill, Edwards does seem to have broad appeal with exactly the demographic that Obama is losing to Clinton (aka, the "Deliverance Vote"), and his endorsement did result in the instantaneous support of the Steelworkers Union. And I still prefer him to the major alternatives (Clinton and Richardson), just to avoid the perception of an "affirmative action ticket".
But WTF do I know - I'm just a Canadian. I'd never even heard of a 'Superdelegate' a year ago.