There have been many, many diaries here on dkos decrying that John Edwards has no chance to win the nomination and that if continues his campaign, he will dilute Obama's support enough to cause Hillary to be our nominee.
I am a liberal. My candidate is John Edwards. I had hoped that Al Gore would enter the fray. He did not. I had hoped that Gen. Wes Clark would toss his hat in the ring. He declined.
I looked at our candidates, read thier policy statements and youtubed their speeches. I chose John Edwards early and enthusiastically.
Then the primary season began.........
I gravitated to John Edwards because I believe that the primary reason for our country's ills is the corporatocracy. It is the reason that we continue to have for-profit healthcare, rather than for-health healthcare. It is the reason we are at war in Iraq, despite the fact that terrorists from Saudi Arabia, aligned with a group in Pakistan, attacked us on 9-11. It is the reason for the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. It is the reason for our massive deficits, the telecoms immunity bill and the lack of a competent response [still] to Hurricane Katrina, among so many other problems that the Bush administration has allowed to flourish.
But that's not why I'm here.
I'm here to explain how I, a liberal Democrat who belives in John Edwards message of strong unions, nationalized health care, stregthening social security and a less regressive tax system came to doubt my Super Tuesday vote- only to be pulled back from the edge by my somewhat more moderate spouse.
There are, as we all know, many, many diaries explaining why we Edwards supporters should drop our candidate in order to prevent Hillay Clinton's nomination. I considered the notion a logical arguement until my wife explained this to me:
So long as John Edwards stays in the race, he forces Obama and Clinton to tack to the left in their policy positions. Despite what their advisors and innate political sensibilities may tell them. When John Edwards offered a plan for universal healthcare coverage- Hillary and Barack were obliged to follow suit. When John Edwards spoke out against Democrats appearing on Fox- the others were obliged to follow. John Edwards now speaks out against the Wall Street gimmick of a tax rebate to deal with the Bush Depression. The other candidates will soon be forced to follow suit.
The reality I now appreciate is that so long as John Edwards is in the race, Obama and Clinton must tack left instead of right. They cannot seek the soft middle ground while John holds their feet to the fire of FDR liberalism. That is why John Edwards must remain in the race. Regardless of how many delegates he may or may not have. A John Edwards campaign drives the Democratic platform.
In the coming days I expect John Edwards to take a strong stand against the Telecom Immunity Bill being pushed by Bush and Lieberman and Harry Reid. When he does, Hillary and Barack will be forced to follow suit or face a firestorm of outrage from the Democratic base. This, apart from all other considerations, is the value of the campaign of John Edwards. He forces our nominee to campaign as a Democrat. Whomever our nominee may be. And that is the power of a strong liberal progressive that deserves my unwaivering support in this campaign season.
Can John Edwards win the Democratic nomination? Of course. Will he? It seems unlikely. Should he remain in the race? Absolutely. Because his advocacy for the ideals of the liberal wing of the Democratic party influence this race only so long as he remains in the race. I sincerely thank my sweet wife for opening my eyes to this fact. Someone should convince her to become a kossack.