You know, sometimes it's hard to believe the perceived opposition actually hopes you do well, maybe even cover the spread, knock down some of your opposition. Sometimes we let the fights of the past and the defeat of the moment cloud our judgment and we lash out, in rage and impotence. I understand -- I've seen my guy lose right here in Connecticut and while I may have contributed for what some might call cynical reasons, the sting of defeat was still real.
Now that the winds are turning, looking back on all the petty fights and the bitterness of rivalry, I can't help but say that the Edwards supporters of this site were, at the end of the day, remarkably effective. Through their carefully coordinated efforts and their (somewhat waning) dominance of the Recommended Diaries list, they managed what the national Edwards campaign never could: A commanding lead in the polls.
What's more, I remember a time when, in view of the popularity of Edwards on blogs I often find myself reading, I thought Edwards would be a significant factor in the primary, splitting the progressive vote and throwing the nomination to Hillary, which would obviously be a tragic turn of events. In retrospect, I should have been more careful and studied the polls to get a better understanding of the demographics in play. Being the "most progressive candidate" as he was touted on the blogs, I naturally assumed he would attract the most progressive voters -- this supposition has turned out to be very wrong indeed.
In fact, at this stage, Edwards seems to me to be more a threat to the Clintons' campaign than to Obama's. As it should be. Two southern Democrats, by rights, ought to find themselves in direct competition. It only makes sense. If Edwards can split the "black guy can't win" and conservative votes in further primaries, I say more power to him. In fact, I hope he beats Hillary again and again, just like he did in Iowa.
So Godspeed you, Edwards supporters. May you go on to take second on Super Tuesday. Continue to fight the good fight and stick it to Hillary at every turn. And if you must, stick it to Obama too -- I'm sure he can handle it.