Many leftie commentators are assuring me (somewhat worriedly it seems to me) that the natural home for John Edwards supporters is the Obama camp. My sense is that by a small margin, it will go the other way.
There are serious problems with each candidate if you are an Edwards Democrat, and eventually we each will have to decide which of the two has the least injurious problems. These break in very different directions.
Mr. Obama - in demeanor and rhetoric seems more in concert. He also is not taking lobbyist contributions in this election cycle after being challenged by John. Ms. Clinton has not agreed to do this (or to not do it, I guess). But his (Obama’s) policy proposals are timid, and he has not shown leadership in the Illinois General Assembly or in Congress. It’s quite telling that his explanation for all his "present" votes in the Illinois G.A. is that it was a strategic decision coordinated with the body’s leadership. It tends to make one wonder if his "different sort of politics" is anything other than a soundbyte. It also doesn’t give one much confidence that he’s willing to "Challenge The System" as JedReport http://jedreport.com described what John Edwards was trying to do.
Ms. Clinton is a tough sell to us as well. She seems strong in leadership skills, but didn’t seem to accept Edwards’ analysis that (referring to lobbyists) "You can’t be with these people, take their money, and then challenge them. It doesn’t work!" So she appears to be with the entrenched interests that we all wanted to stand up to.
But she has more aggressive policy proposals, and seems to have been motivated to achieve them sooner in her administration than she said originally. And I’m persuaded that she can accomplish things. I’m not, however, confident that all the things she’d accomplish will turn out to be to my liking.
I’m also troubled by a nagging sense that the Obama candidacy is something of a cult of personality. Too many of his supporters seem to like the image he portrays and have little sense of the positions he takes or his background. It almost seems as though an Obama lobotomy has been performed on these folks. I see these Obamalobs on Daily Kos and even invading the John Edwards blog.
I have the luxury of knowing my vote for President won’t count, still... I’d like Barrack Obama to close the deal that he’s the "guy".
Don Wheeler
South Bend, IN