On the heels of the latest news of a virtual three-way tie in Nevada, The Fix at the Washington Post blog has a new strategy memo from the Edwards campaign that lays out the path to victory. It makes the following essential points:
"Ultimately we expect the race to narrow to one of the celebrity candidates and us. And when that happens, we are confident that the remaining contests will break in our direction as voters are finally offered a choice the national media has ignored all year -- the most progressive, most electable candidate in the race, John Edwards."
Come around after the fold for more.
The memo makes the following essential points. While the media has annointed two celebrity candidates, both are flawed. Senator Clinton has electability issues and stands squarely for the status quo. As for Senator Obama, we saw his weakness in New Hampshire. If he was thrown off by Senator Clinton's attacks, think what will happen when the Republicans throw all they got at him. If Obama is too weak to stand up to the Republicans, and Clinton too corporate, then Democrats will look to another who both stands for change and is willing to fight for it. That one is John Edwards.
You can read the new strategy memo here
Facing two $100 million candidate, Edwards is only 7 delegates behind. Heavily outspent and out mediaed, he is right in the fight.
The delegate score:
Democratic Delegates
(2,026 needed to win nomination)
Hillary Clinton 24
John Edwards 18
Mike Gravel 0
Dennis Kucinich 0
Barack Obama 25
WLWT.com
It is so early. 98% of voters have not been heard from.
I'll paraphrase the major points of the campaign memo.
The nomination will go to the candidate who gets 50% plus one delegate. WE ARE A LONG, LONG WAY FROM THERE
Even after February 5, there will remain 45% of the delagates to be chosen. In 1992, Bill Clinton did not win a primary or caucus until Georgia and did not clinch it until April against Jerry Brown in New York. He did not win Iowa or New Hampshire. The race will go to the candidate who can compete in many states and over the long haul.
You can read the new strategy memo here
And organized labor in the SEIU is stepping up big for John Edwards and real change: State SEIU locals backing Edwards will spend $1.5 million to reach voters in the February 5, 2008 primary states.
John Edwards is the most progressive and most electable candidate:
As Paul Krugman writes today in The New York Times:
"On the Democratic side, John Edwards, although never the front-runner, has been driving his party's policy agenda. He's done it again on economic stimulus: last month, before the economic consensus turned as negative as it now has, he proposed a stimulus package including aid to unemployed workers, aid to cash-strapped state and local governments, public investment in alternative energy, and other measures."
snip
Anyway, on Sunday Mr. Obama came out with a real stimulus plan. As was the case with his health care plan, which fell short of universal coverage, his stimulus proposal is similar to those of the other Democratic candidates, but tilted to the right.
For example, the Obama plan appears to contain none of the alternative energy initiatives that are in both the Edwards and Clinton proposals, and emphasizes across-the-board tax cuts over both aid to the hardest-hit families and help for state and local governments. I know that Mr. Obama’s supporters hate to hear this, but he really is less progressive than his rivals on matters of domestic policy.
Paul Krugman, NY Times
In this campaign, John Edwards has led the other candidates in standing up for progressive change.
As Ezra Klein writes in The American Prospect:
"Much more so than Obama, it was Edwards who forced a new style of politics, untethered by the fear and timidity of the 90s, adamant that liberalism was an electoral boon and economic justice a popular sentiment. Knowing they had to defend against his challenge, both Hillary and Obama edged closer to his appeal.
"It left the Democrats in a much stronger position overall, and forced them to argue for, and commit to, a much broader and more inspiring agenda than we otherwise might have seen."
Ezra Klein, The American Prospect
John Edwards yesterday talked about a real grassroots movement, where it begins, and what it rests on:
"I must say I was troubled recently to see a suggestion that real change came not through the Reverend Martin Luther King, but through a Washington politician. I fundamentally disagree with that. Those who believe that real change starts with Washington politicians have been in Washington too long and are living in a fairy tale.
"Real change has never started in Washington. Real change came from those who fought in the trenches -- those who shed their blood, sweat and tears, and those who suffered broken bones. Real change started in Selma. Real change started with Rosa Parks. Real change started with the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King and the brave men who sat down at a luncheon counter at Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina. Real change started in churches just like this across America and across the South. And real change started not far from here in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
snip
"The dream is strong and the dream still lives, but we still live in two different Americas. One America for those who are doing extraordinarily well and one for everybody else. We've still got two public school systems in America. One for wealthy, affluent suburban areas and one for everybody else. We've got two health care systems in America. One for those who can afford the best health care money can buy and one for everybody else. We've got two economies in this country. One for those who make millions and millions of dollars every year and one for those who are struggling just to get by and pay the bills.
"You know what I'm talking about. That's what this election is about and we can do better than this. America can do better than this. We're better than this as a people and we're better than this as a nation."
Edwards: The Real "Fairy Tale" is Thinking Change Begins With Washington
John Edwards in SC: Change does not begin in Washington!
This race is just beginning. If you want to join this movement for real change, go here: Hit Contribute at johnedwards.com. Real Change begins with each of us.