A good race until Super Tuesday is good for the Dems and it increases our chances to beat Bush.That said ....
I have personally met at close range for extended periods of time everyone of the candidates in this race (except Graham and Kucinich) and I made a decision more than one year ago that John Edwards was not the man to challenge George Bush. He didn't go after him hard enough. His very "positive" sunniness is just the reason that he hasn't, isn't and in the future won't go for the jugular and that is how we have to battle this evil regime.
Second this is a progressive site and John Edwards is a DLC Democrat. The first time I heard him give, what at the time was a lamo speech, was at a DLC event where he happily proclaimed his fealty to their view of the world. He is an economic populist not a progressive.
At another event his Advance person personally brought me up to him to speak about abortion and the Supreme Court ( I have been on the board of a large prochoice organization, for 12 years. He would not commit then to making certain that a Supreme Court nominee was prochoice. At that time he hid behind the idea that he didn't believe in litmus tests. I was not happy with that. Why are we fighting Bush if not over the Supreme Court? Perhaps he has amended that view since, I hope so.)
Secondly any Democrat can beat George Bush on this administration's weakness which is the economy and jobs. That is the core of Edwards appeal ( that and his sunny dispostion and good looks). He can't defend himself on their strength which is national security nor can he he take that issue to Bush in the campaign. Kerry can do that, and he can aggressively take it to him. His military record gives him enormous credibility. We need a candidate who subverts the Republican strong suite.
When Bush is in New York for the Republican convention in Sept. near 9/11 , the Republicans will try to exploit that against the Democrats to say that Demorats are not patriotic. John Kerry won't let them.
Too many of you at this site have rigidified into ABK without realizing how that distorts your judgment of how to take on George Bush. 40% of the voters in Wisconsin were not Democrats; Democrats voted overwhelmingly for Kerry. I am from New York and we don't allow non Dems to vote in our primary and that is the right way to do it. Democrats should pick their nominee and pick someone most representative of their historic philosophy and principles and that is definitely more John Kerry than John Edwards (as was Howard Dean) If folks at this site are interested in a campaign that talks about real Dem principles, instead of just marketing with a pretty package, then you have to get over this anti Kerry obsession.
Edwards is unapologetic about his Iraq vote and how often do you hear him make Iraq and the mess we are in an issue? This is an issue that will haunt Bush-Cheney. Edwards is not positioned to wield this growing cudgel against Bush-Cheney. Edwards' lack of ambivalence or reconsideration of his vote leads me to worry about his decision making process and his gravitas. Kerry's ambivalence about the war or his nuances on the issue mirrors how the country has moved from early this year to the present. They will respond to his criticism of this regime.
Edwards has a story and a narrative about two Americas, but that doesn't make him a progressive.As much as I admire Bill Clinton, I don't want another Clinton style DLC type administration. Bill was a political genius, but he did't fight the Republicans hard enough, instead he tried to outmanuever them through co-option. Well in less than 3 years George Bush has undone almost every good thing Bill Clinton managed to accomplish.
I want to elect a real liberal, a real progressive and for 30 years that has been John Kerry.
Debra