IMO, Edwards will un-suspend his campaign to try and break the deadlock. What do you think.

[CK_John]

Now he may also want a piece of the action, like commitments for some of his programs, a high level position. If it were me, that is what I would do, play hardball.

Before you say, he would never do that, he is just another politician.

What do you think?

[NYCGirl]

1. Where does he get any delegates? NT

[goclark]

2. I thought he had 26 delegates

?????

[NYCGirl]

3. I believe most of those have gone for Obama. NT

[Clintonista2]

73. Most of them have NOT gone to Obama

Most of them became uncommited. Only 4 endorsed Obama.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

97. Raleigh News & Observer: Now they like Barack

North Carolinians voted with their wallets last month, giving Sen. Barack Obama nearly three times as much money as they gave his rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
An analysis by the Charlotte Observer found that Obama raised more than $600,000 from North Carolinians in March, compared to just over $200,000 for Clinton.

...He also tapped supporters of former N.C. Sen. John Edwards, who dropped his own presidential campaign in January.

Now they like Barack

Those former Edwards supporters came out for Obama on Wednesday. The Illinois senator's campaign released a list of 50 of Edward's former supporters in North Carolina who are backing Obama in the May 6 primary.

Included on the list are: former state House Majority leader Phil Baddour of Goldsboro, former state Democratic party chairs Libba Evans and Wade Smith, former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, and former N.C. Supreme Court Justice Henry Frye.

"We are going to be in the trenches helping him to do well," said Ed Turlington, a Raleigh attorney who was general chairman of Edwards' 2004 presidential campaign.

...more at the link

[TheDoorbellRang]

20. He's down to 18 now

He lost eight of them to Obama when Iowa had their county convention. Could lose more when they have their state convention.

Right now Edwards has 6 in IA, 4 in NH, and 8 from SC.

It's really moot, tho. They won't be needed to clinch anything.

[CK_John]

4. He has a few (26 I believe) but that would give the convention a 3rd choice. n/t

[NYCGirl]

17. As of March, some of Edwards' delegates switched to Obama

http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Obama_expands_delegate_lead_03152008.html

Half the 14 delegates allocated to John Edwards on the basis of caucus night projections switched Saturday and Obama got most, if not all, of them.

[joeybee12]

5. Too late...the Edwards wing of the Dem Party now consists of...

...John Edwards! And maybe Elizabeth.

[CK_John]

9. At the convention he could pickup the secret undecided. n/t

[cali]

18. I suggest you check in with reality

It's clearly not going to the convention. The strong majority of SDs have already endorsed. There are only about 260 out of the 796 who haven't, and many of them have made clear that they'll be endorsing in June or before. Obama doesn't even need half of the remaining to clinch it. Sorry, it's almost over. No Gore. No Edwards.

[CK_John]

24. It has to go to the convention and there will be vote. Many will switch if there is a 3rd choice. nt

[cali]

28. Why do you believe it has to go to the convention?

What do you base your belief that many will switch on?

[CK_John]

Do you think we can not have a convention? No Denver, no official vote? n/t

[cali]

43. OK enough of your complete dogshit

I asked you why and you simply repeat like a mindless little bot that it has to. Grab a clue: Not only does it not have to, but odds are overwhelming that it won't. SDs have made that very clear, and there's no reason to believe that Clinton could go on with her campaign if the SDs put Obama over the top. He doesn't even need more than 33% of the remaining SDs and the majority of SDs have endorsed already. You spout nothing but creepy delusional garbage and you post this same pathetic crap here over and over.

[onehandle]

14. Wanna bet. JE was #1 here for a while even after he dropped out.

That being said, there's no chance he will restart his campaign.

[CK_John]

16. It's never too late. n/t

[mnhtnbb]

35. And me. I'm still a fan. I haven't converted to Obama or Hillary.

[goclark]

62. I met him in Los Angeles at a Rally

he shook my hand.

He seemed so nice.

[mnhtnbb]

99. Living in Chapel Hill, I'm hoping to run into him or Elizabeth some day.

[SammyWinstonJack]

63. And me and many others as well. Thanks for your concern, though.

:eyes:

[cali]

6. I think it's delusional.

He's waay smarter than that. And he lives in the real world.

[onehandle]

15. Yep. nt

[Triana]

7. You're on crack (n/t)

[CK_John]

13. Crack may be part of your world, not mine. n/t

[Triana]

25. OK so it's a natural delusion, but a delusion nevertheless - and a silly one! (n/t)

[CK_John]

27. Why, all he has to do is un-suspend and start twisting delegates to vote for him. n/t

[onenote]

38. unless he plans to mount a campaign in his own state, no SD is going to go his way

That's so obvious it barely needs to be said.

And he doesn't have the money or organization to mount a campaign in NC at this point.

[CK_John]

45. He doesn't need to campaign any place, except at the convention and on the phone to delegates. n/t

[onenote]

51. Realistically, he does. Delegates aren't going to suddenly shift to him

If hasn't shown an ability to actually wage a campaign. Its unrealistic to think otherwise.

[onenote]

8. not likely.

He may endorse someone, but I don't see him "un-suspending" his campaign. He simply doesn't have the money.

[CK_John]

41. Then why did he just suspend. No money needed, except to wine and dine delegates. n/t

[Benhurst]

10. No, it's too late for that. Short of a brokered convention, we are down to

our final two candidates.

[SammyWinstonJack]

65. ...

:spray: We so blew this! AGAIN! x(

[PVnRT]

11. No - unless it is much closer later on

the 30 or so delegates he has will not be enough to really sway things one way or the other. That is not to say I don't think he has no influence, just that it isn't enough at this point. Plus, frankly, I think he's just tired of campaigning.

[cali]

30. He only has 18 left

6 in IA, 4 in NH and 8 in SC.

[CK_John]

33. Delegates and SD can and will switch. n/t

[cali]

36. indeed.

once Obama passes the 1627 pledged delegate count, some Clinton supporters will switch. They've said so. Switch to Edwards who didn't win a single primary and who dropped out before Super Tuesday. Not a chance in a million.

[RBInMaine]

12. PIPEDREAM POST.

[hayu_lol]

23. Edwards had a lackluster Senatorial term...

one of his high points was voting for the IWR...but none of you guys picked on him for that did you.

Let Edwards enjoy his time with Elizabeth and their new home.

[CK_John]

29. It's about being an old fashion king maker/breaker. Good old American politics. n/t

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

98. Edwards campaign general chairman in the trenches for Obama now

"We are going to be in the trenches helping him to do well," said Ed Turlington, a Raleigh attorney who was general chairman of Edwards' 2004 presidential campaign.

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1047916.html

[DBoon]

19. click your heels three times

and you will wake up back home in Kansas

[NeedleCast]

21. Nope

[backscatter712]

22. It'd be more productive and less divisive for him to endorse.

He's still got twenty-some pledged delegates to his name. If he endorsed Obama, it's be enough to erase Hillary's Pennsylvania victory and then some.

[CK_John]

He could get 300 or 400 hundred and get more than a thank you from another candidate.

[cali]

32. utterly absurd

where would these 300 come from? Pledged delegates? hardly. SDs? There aren't even 300 left and it's delusional to think that SDs who have endorsed will move to someone who got a tiny percentage of the vote in Nevada, a small percentage in NH and who's only real showing was in Iowa. Doesn't work that way. Ever.

[CK_John]

37. SD's would switch for a better parking spot. n/t

[karynnj]

42. Do you remember how many SD he had when he was running?

Do you remember how many of his former peers endorsed him? Edwards ran a campaign that was anti-establishment this time - wouldn't that make him the last person to get any SD?

Also, unlike Gore, what has Edwards ever done that could be used to nominate him rather than either of 2 candidates that both beat him soundly. Edwards spent 2003 - the beginning of 2008 mostly running for President - and in all that time won ONE primary. Why would the superdelegates see him as the one beat McCain. He is not a sure vote getter and he's not a great debater.

[cali]

48. he doesn't even have that to offer them. duh.

[olkaz]

26. I think you're either trolling or nuts. nm

[CK_John]

31. Read Politics 101 or a history book. n/t

[olkaz]

40. Alright, give me an example of this happening. Ever.

Why don't you break out some of your materials from your "Politics 101" class or your "history book", and school me on this.

And I don't think I ever took a 101 class in Poli Sci. I took several 200 level classes though. Do those still count?

[CK_John]

52. Too lasy to do research?. n/t

[olkaz]

58. Here's how things work:

When someone makes an outlandish, bizarre, illogical claim, the burden of proof is on the person who makes that claim, not the person who rightly questions it.

But I have a distinct feeling that I'm wasting my time with you.

[CK_John]

59. Edwards can un-suspend his campaign any time between now and the convention.

Is that not true? Will he, I think so, you don,t. So what's your're problem.

[olkaz]

60. I have no problem. I just think you might have picked up the bottle a little early today.

Are you willing to put money on this?

[CK_John]

67. Don't drink. bye

[olkaz]

70. I drink! Hello!

How about that bet? Not feeling as confident?

[karynnj]

47. Give me the name of anyone from your history book

who came out of a brokered convention as the nominee - after winning no more than 1 primary in two Presidential races? The rest of likely took politics 101 decades ago - or could test out of it.

[CK_John]

55. Primaries only came into play after the McGovern unelection(1980 i think) prior the that

convention were brokered conventions and many went into multiple ballots. Stevens/JFK comes to mind. n/t

[onenote]

57. right. and wrong

JFK won the majority of the primaries and won the nomination on the first ballot. It was not a "brokered" convention in any sense of the term.

The last "brokered" convention on the Democratic side was 1952, when Adlai Stevenson won the nomination on the 3rd ballot, after finishing second in the first two rounds and despite having not run in any of the primaries.

THe differences between that situation and the situation presented today are legion. First, there were very few primaries in those days. Delegates were selected through state conventions where political "bosses" controlled much of the process. When Truman dropped out of the race and Kefauver became the "leading" candidate, there was a void left. And when Truman signaled his support for Stevenson, it pushed him to the forefront. Keep in mind that by not having run at all, Stevenson actually was in a better position since he didn't have a "losing record" to overcome.

The system we have today makes it almost impossible for such a scenario to play out. Too much has been invested by the leading candidates to take one out in favor of someone who competed against them and lost.

[CK_John]

61. Thank you for the info. My folks were big Stevens fans and remembered

staying uplate listening to it.

[onenote]

66. no problem. And a minor footnote

Stevenson actually tried to make a comeback in 1960, jumping into the race against JFK late in the game. But he couldn't capture lightning twice. The convention regarded him as an "old face" who had failed in his earlier campaigns. THey wanted a "new face" to go up against Nixon.

[karynnj]

89. Stevenson, I hope - unless you like Alaskan Republicans confused about the internet

[karynnj]

75. Stevens/JFK ????

Are you speaking of Adlai Stevenson/Estes Kefauver? That's what I remember from High School American History. I remember watching the last few brokered conventions with the rounds of ballots. The point is that they were ancient history and will not not come back to say that a candidate that the electorate did not choose in more than one primary or caucus should be given a nomination over two people that beat him soundly.

Why would they? The results show he had less support, you can't point to an overwhelmingly superior record, and he has little support among the powerful. Al Gore and John Kerry have the golden resumes that Edwards lacks - but neither of them should or would be given the nomination - it would be completely non-Democratic.

[LibraLiz1973]

34. IMO, Larry King should retire tonight

Opinions are like......

Well, you know the rest.

[GoldieAZ49]

39. Presidential Nominee!!!!!

That is what the Super Delegates should do, they can contact all the pledged delegates and totally change the whole contest.

[PufPuf23]

44. Not going to happen with Edwards

but IMO John is a better democratic candidate than Hillary or Obama in proposed policies and head to head with McCain.

[CK_John]

50. But it could, and I'm surprised people don't understand that. n/t

[onenote]

53. and I could win the lottery. Only difference: my odds are better.

Saying something "could" happen is meaningless. Yes, it could. The convention could suddently decide to nominate John Edwards. Or Dennis Kucinich. Or Madonna.

But none of those things is likely to happen.

[SammyWinstonJack]

69. He is and would have won the nom and the GE. We may have actually got

some bu$hco damage repealed and some helpful legislation enacted. But noooo -- it was so much more important to have an historic election than too actually win the WH back. :banghead:

[book_worm]

46. It's too late. He should have stayed in the race and he would now have 300 delegates or so

and really be able to bargain.

[berni_mccoy]

49. Whatever you are smoking, I want some. WOW!

[BonnieJW]

54. I think you're dreaming.

Something like that would diminish Edwards.

[FSogol]

56. I believe FDR will rise from the dead to save us from Preznit Boosh n/t

[AtomicKitten]

64. And where would he get the delegates to catch up? Guam? That's Hillary's firewall, doncha know?

[Armstead]

68. He's probably been doing that behind the scenes already

Could be one reason he has been witholding an endorsement.

Doesn't want to cash in his chips prematurely.

[cali]

77. I just don't see what chips he has.

he doesn't have much influence in the party, polls show his endorsement in NC wouldn't be worth much and he has only 18 delegates.

[Armstead]

81. He has 18 delegates and a fair amount of residual goodwill

Since both candidates are clawing for delegates, 18 falls into the "every little bit helps" category.

Plus I believe Edwards still has a lot of residual goodwill and support among Democrats (including many who didn't vote for him). Again, it would not be decisive, but since both candidates are scraping for any advantage they can get, he has some clout there.

[JackORoses]

71. John Edwards has too much respect for his Party to abet Hillary

She has lost. She cannot be saved.

[Buzz Clik]

72. A third candidate will somehow break the deadlock?

Eh?

[Texas Hill Country]

74. If he endorses obama, i think elizabeth might go ballistic... If he is gonna come out, its for Hill

[Seabiscuit]

96. That's a big IF. I think Elizabeth has always been a kind of woman that makes up her own mind.

John may just stay out of the fray until we have a nominee. Elizabeth may endorse Hillary and that's fine too.

[OmahaBlueDog]

76. If he were smart, he's unsuspend, pick up more delegates...

and take his chances in the convention floor fight. I don't think either Hillary or Obama will reach 2025, so all Hell will break loose.

[CK_John]

78. Made my day, got to go out now. n/t

[cali]

80. where would he pick up more delegates in your scenario?

Possibly KY, WV and NC, but doubtful. Polls indicate that even his endorsement in NC is of no value. Would he reach the 15% threshold? Debatable. Even most of his prominent supporters are on board with Obama. And say he did pick up 20 or so pledged delegates, how would that help him? In any case, SDs have made it abundantly clear that it's not going to the convention. Obama needs only 42 to clinch it as long as he performs as expected in the few remaining contests. Most of the SDs have already pledged. And every single day Obama rolls out more SDs. Two today. Two yesterday. It's just about over.

[OmahaBlueDog]

82. Disagree

I think a lot of us would love a "none of the above" option at this point. I think he could pick up 15-20% across the board from disgusted Obama and Clinton supporters.

[cali]

83. OK, but even if he could, he couldn't pick up more

35 delegates or so- tops. All that's left are NC, IN, KY, WV, OR, NM, SD, Guam and PR. That's just not enough to change anything.

[OmahaBlueDog]

84. It further reduces the odds that either frontrunner reaches 2025

If neither candidate reaches 2025 on the first ballot, Edwards could present himself as a compromise candidate for the second and subsequent ballots, when the delegates are no longer committed to a candidate.

[cali]

85. What on earth makes you think it's going to be decided at the convention?

SDs have been clear that they'll put one or the other over the top, long before then.

[OmahaBlueDog]

86. The SDs are politicians. You believe everything politicians tell you?

[cali]

87. Common sense comes into play here too.

Do you actually think the SDs want a fractious, brokered convention? Duh, they want to win. And I tend to believe what Dean says, yes. I'm quite familiar with the guv. I'm a Vermonter.

[OmahaBlueDog]

88. Hmmm, common sense..

So... a brokered, fractious convention decided by the will of the delegates is bad, but a nomination decided by the will of unelected SuperDelegates is good?

So...Howard Dean wants every vote to count...unless your state legislature decided they'd like to join Iowa and New Hampshire, and have their voice heard before Super Tuesday, in which case your votes don't count.

Look.. I know you're a die-hard Obama supporter, and I'm not, so we could keep arguing all day long and not get anywhere. I'll vote for Obama if nominated; I may even send a few bucks (I don't do door knocking -- tried it for Kerry and hated it). Quite honestly, I like our chances better with a fractious, brokered convention because a)I don't see a forming a unity ticket (which I could see winning) and b) I don't see either candidate beating McCain on their own. Saying that is really sad, because this is the most winnable election for the Dems since '32 -- even the GOP isn't wild about McCain.

[WinkyDink]

79. Dream on.

[bluetrain]

90. It would be so great if he pulled the rug out from underneath both of them and the machine.

[2rth2pwr]

91. Great idea!! Take the nomination away from the Woman and the Black man and give it to the White man,

they could never win anyway.

[DerekJ]

92. Is this one of those "Anyone but Obama" Threads.

Hillary Can't win, so draft gore, draft Edward, just not Obama please ?!!

[MrSlayer]

93. I suppose he could just spend his own money but this will never happen.

No chance.

[quakerboy]

94. Um. Not terribly likely.

It would add an interesting dynamic, but the time for that has passed. His delegates are nowhere near enough to tip the balance either way at this point.

[Seabiscuit]

95. I don't think he will unsuspend his campaign, I do believe his working behind

the scenes to ensure that his key issues are taken seriously by both candidates. Until now, its only Clinton that I hear and see talking about the healthcare and poverty issues (as well as a green job sector etc.). I believe that Edwards will resurface again hopefully within a new democratic administration.