Letters to the Editor
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Color me disappointed
Although I was never thrilled with Senator Edwards' performance while serving my home state, his 2008 presidential campaign stuck a chord within me that neither Senators Clinton nor Obama have been able to do. His message seemed the most honest, yet hopeful of the frontrunners.
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Bummer.
I guess I'll go with my second choice, although I keep going back and forth about who that is.
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John Edwards
I met John Edwards several times during this campaign and the 2004 campaign and he impressed me every time. He is passionate when he speaks and he made an impact on this race. We wish him and his family well. I wonder if there is any truth to the rumors about a possible Attorney General appointment?!
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Endorsement
Now the question that comes to mind is who will he endorse? I always liked Edwards the best but knew he didn't stand a chance of winning.
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The right thing to do
This is extremely good news for Democrats, no matter which candidate you support. If Edwards had stayed in, a floor fight at the convention would have been far more likely. If that had happened, Edwards' delegates would either have been herded along toward the candidate of Edwards' choosing (not a very democratic way to decide things), or they would have been forced to speculate on how their 'constituents' would want them to vote (a difficult guessing game indeed).
Now Edwards voters themselves will get to express their second choice. In the absence of instant runoff voting, this is the best solution for a democratic nomination process. Thanks for making the tough decision, John.
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too bad
he was my favorite on the Dumcrap side. Kind of like a "two" in a sea of "negative ones" (out of 10)
But then, I am voting for Ron Paul, even if he is not running come November and I have to scrawl his name onto the card using my blood.
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Disappointed
I think his withdrawl will help Obama more than Clinton, but even as an Obama supporter I would have preferred to see Edwards soldier on to the convention. In my book, he redeemed himself in this campaign, even for his vote on the war.
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Edwards/Bloomberg '08
I smell a viable third party run. Let us not forget that Edwards consistently beat the Republican field in national surveys.
A weird mash-up of populist liberalism with a free market pro-capitalism (as opposed to big business) policies might be a real winner in this increasingly dismal year.
Can you tell I am unimpressed with the remaining options?
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Damnit!
So a really good man is gone and we are left with who?
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Getting Ready For More Perpetual, Unwinnable Wars.
Once Joe Lieberman linked with McCain I realized the others hardly stood a chance of winning. I dispute the media reports that McCain is broke because the group of billionaires and millionaires who support the Likud policies in Israel created "Freedom Forum" which replaces the now defunct "Progect For a New American Century" and thus gave McCain unlimited access to a bottomless pit of money. So for those who love wars and more wars I suggest whenever you view their ads on TV you should keep a flag handy to wave. Even an American flag.
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More anti-Clinton votes for Obama
And hopefully, Clinton will continue campaigning the way she has so Obama will get more independents on board.
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Not sure where this leaves us.
In Tennessee, we have early voting in every election, including this primary. So, Edwards has been on the ballot here. I don't see how they could pull his name now. So, I think I'll still get a chance to vote for him.
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You can vote for him but it would be meaningless.
Personally I refuse to throw my vote away.
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Deadwards
Whoa. All brave talk aside, Edwards is out of the game. Now the question is where will the Edwards people go? I wonder if he decided to do this before Stupor Tuesday to give Obama whatever edge he could get against Clinton.
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Thanks, John ...
I'm sorry that you didn't catch on with voters (which would have made your fund raising easier). You brought humanity and a concern for the underclass to this campaign, which is one reason why I donated money to you. You also helped push both Clinton and Obama to adopt more progressive positions and I hope they don't drift back to the middle now that you're out of the race.
That said, I hope that you -- and your delegates -- support Barack Obama now. Far more than Hillary, he seems to share your ideas and ideals. Besides, we've all had enough of the Clintons.
My best wishes to you, to Elizabeth and to your family.
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I'm very sad about this.
{:-(
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This Edwards person
Doesn't really care what happens now. Although it would be nice if the Obamadroids and the Clintonocrats would quit calling my freaking house asking for money. No, you people cannot have my money. I'm sure Mark Penn and Donnie McClurkin still have a few friends who can throw some dollars your way.
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"This is extremely good news for Democrats..."
It sure is! No more difficult decisions to make! Would you prefer the candidate who's right-leaning or leaning to the right? Would you like your cup of capitulation tepid or lukewarm? Liberalism? Sorry, that's off the menu.
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Throwing your vote away
Personally I refuse to throw my vote away.
Voting for whom and what you believe in is never a waste.
The only wasted vote is one in which you decide to vote against your conscience for no other reason than to be able to claim that you "voted for the winner."
That is a wasted vote.
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He was the best of the lot
but now it is down to Obama Vs Clinton.
Irritating, but inevitable, because if there is one thing the Democratic party hates, its a populist candidate who cares about Democratic policies, as opposed to a pair of centrists who seem more concerned with getting in good with the Republicans than running the country.
That said, Obama is the candidate I hope wins. Hillary is the Republicans' one chance to take 2008.
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"Second choice" my ass
Ameilaelf writes: "Now Edwards voters themselves will get to express their second choice."
My first choices would have been Biden, Dodd, Edwards, and Richardson, probably in that order. Then come Obama and Clinton, not necessarily in that order.
So for me to vote for either Obama or Clinton is not an expression of my second choice, but of my fifth or sixth choice.
But since I live in a state with a late primary, I suspect that I'm not even going to "vote" for my fifth or sixth choice, since the election will have been decided by then.
Some find the primary season "exciting," but for me it's simply an exercise in being disenfranchised, as it is for tens of millions of others. It's time for a new "voting rights act" to ensure that, at least once in a while, everyone can have a meaningful role in the selection of the nominees.