I know. It's not over till it's over and all that. But it's time to make a choice: Is the increasingly slim chance for an Edwards victory worth giving this thing to Hillary?
I have all the concerns about Obama that so many have stated here. I honestly, to this day, don't know what change Obama is specifically talking about. That scares me. I believe that in a democracy such as ours, in this modern age, you have to lay out what you really want to do, fights and all, and let the voters choose. Only then will we have the mandate for change.
But while I don't know exactly what an Obama presidency will bring, I have a damn good idea what Hillary's will. And it will be bad for the country, bad for the progressive cause, and bad for the party.
I would have liked to have seen Hillary knocked out early. That would have maybe given Edwards a shot and would have made for a great primary. But if Hillary's in for the long haul, by my calculation, then Edwards staying in the race benefits Hillary.
So the question is simple even if the math is not. Is the probability of an Edwards miracle high enough to risk a Hillary win AND are your differences with Obama severe enough not to care?
For me, it's a no-brainer.
I've been focusing on Obama's faults because he's our candidate's opponent. That's politics. But there are so many positives to an Obama victory that this isn't a huge sacrifice for me.
And I would remind you that FDR didn't exactly come out blazing either. He was sneaky. He kept his enemies close. And he waited patiently to get all his ducks in a row before he made a move. This drove progressives crazy at first. They sounded a lot like us Edwards supporters now.
This isn't FDR's world though. I stand by my belief that what we really need is someone who can use the presidency to build a progressive consensus. And this will not happen without calling out our enemies.
But I strongly suspect that Obama's heart is in the right place, his Overton window faces left, and he will be fuckall better than another Clinton era.
I wonder how many other Edwards supporters, all who share the same concerns - Kumbayah etc. - were also actually excited for what was happening in Iowa with Obama. It was hard not to feel a great sense of ...yes, hope, that new things are possible.
And maybe that's enough. Barack is a symbol of possibility. And maybe the inspiration we garner from that possibility is the real ingredient to change that the whole country has been missing for a long time.