Hillary Clinton’s recent racial tactics against Obama has made her ineligible for my vote, under any circumstances, including the General Election. If this nomination comes down to Edwards vs. Clinton, I’m rooting for Edwards all the way....
.....but that would be my worst nightmare! Because Edwards vs. Clinton will be a walk in the park for Hillary. And that is largely due to the fact that Edwards just doesn’t appeal to most African-Americans.
Edwards: "Awww, he ain’t going nowhere!"
I recently went to my parents’ home in South Carolina for the Holidays. I talked a little politics with my mother. She is a middle aged, African-American woman who always votes in the South Carolina Democratic primaries. Needless to say, the airwaves are littered with campaign ads from almost all the major candidates.
I was sitting with my mother when a John Edwards ad came on. I personally thought his ad was warm and his message was inspiring. I turned to my mother and asked, "What do you think of John Edwards?"
She just sucked her teeth and frowned her face and replied:
"Awww, he ain’t going nowhere!"
My mother, by the way, is a bad grammar hawk. She is quick to correct me when I say "ain’t" instead of "isn’t" or use a double negative in a sentence. So when she responded with this kind of language, I knew she was serious.
Edwards is not part of the African-American conversation.
Sadly, my mother is representative of most African-Americans, in South Carolina and around the country. If Hillary is facing Edwards one-on-one, Edwards can only expect to receive a tiny percentage of the black vote.
As someone recently put it (paraphrasing), "It’s not that African-Americans don’t know John Edwards. He’s just not on their radar. He’s just not part of the conversation" And that’s exactly right, at this point.
Edwards supporters: The False Hope
Like I said, Clinton has forever lost my vote by playing the race card against Obama. If the race comes down to Edwards vs. Clinton, I’m supporting Edwards all the way. But a vote for Edwards, at this point in the race, is really a vote for Clinton, because it would knock Obama out of the race and give Clinton the lion's share of the black vote.
Edwards supporters are holding on to the false hope that a small Edwards win in Iowa is enough to "sling-shot" him to victory in the end. And that would be true in a "normal" race, where you don’t have candidates who can win 70-90% of the black vote. But this is NOT that kind of race. This is NOT 2004. Edwards will NOT be able to do what Kerry did.
Face it!
Edwards could possibly win, as long as Obama stays in the race to split the African-American vote with Clinton. But if Obama drops out of the race early, Hillary will win the black vote, and win the nomination, because Edwards is simply not part of the African-American conversation. He’ll only get marginal support in the black community.
I like John Edwards, but it’s just time to face reality.
It's time to support the candidate who really CAN beat Clinton.
UPDATES!!!
Just wanted to clarify a few things:
First, "Zero" simply means, not enough to be significant.
Second, this diary is not about my mother's opinion alone. It's about how her opinion is very similar to what the polls show. Edwards has no significant support in the black community.
Third, this is NOT an Edwards "hit diary". If you read the diary, you'll see that I said that I like Edwards and will vote for him, if it comes down to it.
Fourth, I admire you Edwards supporters. You are so passionate about Edwards that you don't wanna hear anything bad about Edwards. Even if it's true. But, while the passion you have for him is admirable, it's not exactly helpful for any constructive conversation.