July 4th has come and gone. And now the primary campaign is truly underway. For months now I've been torn between John Edwards and Barack Obama. And while I am not allied with either camp, I am beginning to conclude that it's time for progressives to get behind Obama.
Obama was an early opponent of the invasion of Iraq, and he has a solid history of progressivism. On the other hand, Edwards is the only candidate who speaks openly and honestly about the divisions of race and class in this country. Not since RFK has a candidate spoken so forcefully about poverty. And while Edwards did vote for the Iraq war resolution, he conceded long ago that he made a grievous error in doing so.
And then there's Hillary. Like Edwards, she voted for the Iraq war resolution. But unlike Edwards, she has never admitted her mistake. It seems that her position on Iraq changes on a daily basis, driven presumably by her advisors' reading of the polls. Whatever this is, it isn't leadership.
During the past several months, I've watched as the Obama campaign has taken off, while the Edwards campaign has stagnated, leaving me more and more convinced that Obama is the only realistic challenger to the Clinton machine. While Edwards' polling numbers remain mired in the teens, Obama is polling in the high 20s, within striking distance of Hillary. And then there's the $31 million Obama raised in the last quarter, compared to Hillary's $21 milliom and Edwards $9 million.
I admit I'm puzzled that Edwards hasn't gotten more traction. And while I still like Edwards, I am beginning to think that time has passed him by. To those of you who, like me, would like to see a nominee who isn't Hillary, I humbly submit that it might be time to throw our suppport behind Obama.