Reuters Blogs

Front Row Washington

Tracking U.S. politics

06:20 February 11th, 2008

Clinton, Obama vie for support of John Edwards

Posted by: Caren Bohan
Tags: Front Row Washington

ARLINGTON, Va. - rtr1wh9a.jpgSome of Hillary Clinton’s supporters were mystified when she was nearly two hours late last Thursday for a rally at a local high school.

Clinton fan Jenny Morgans, 17, said she was a little annoyed at the delay but would still vote for her and chalked up the tardiness to Clinton’s “celebrity image.”

While the Clinton family is well-known for its tardiness over the years, it turns out the reason for the delay may have been a secret mission to North Carolina to meet with John Edwards, the former senator of that state and previously one of Clinton’s erstwhile rivals in the contest to become the Democratic presidential nominee.

Aides to the New York senator on Monday confirmed the meeting with Edwards had taken place but would not say what they discussed.

Edwards, who made fighting poverty the top theme of his campaign, exacted pledges from both Clinton and rival Barack Obama to take up that cause but he didn’t immediately grant an endorsement to either of the candidates.

Though Edwards failed to drum up enough voter support to be competitive with either Clinton or Obama, his message of standing up to lobbyists and big corporations resonated with a number of voters.

If Edwards were to grant his endorsement to one of the two, it could help give a boost to that candidate in an extremely close contest, especially if he also encourages his delegates to offer their backing as well. 

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage

- Photo credit: Reuters/Lee Celano (Edwards announcing his withdrawal in late January.)

29 comments so far

It seems many of you think very highly of John Edwards. I do as well. If you feel this way…. What happened? Why isn’t he the Democratic front runner now? He should be!

- Posted by Julie

Anyone elected president Clinton or Obama will not change the american system.

You will still have to pay bills. They will not heal you if you get sick.

The sun will still shine if America elect a black
man. It will happen anyway why not now.

Minnesota

- Posted by paul

I sincerely hope that Edwards supports Obama, he just seems more genuine. However, I will support either candidate if they are nominated. Edwards will not be the vice for either, he announced last week he is done for now. I am sure he wants to spend this time with his wife and stay out of the campaigning for now. I believe I read this on CNN if you want to read about it yourself.

- Posted by Roslyn

come on people! You all talk like if someone works hard and got to be successful, it then becomes a moral crime and it then must be punished by taxing them back to the poor. This is pure jealousy politics and beggar-thy-neighbor mindset, which will only hurt our country. We don’t need to punish the entrepreneurs who believe it or not are actually the real job creators of this country, not the government! The new tax policies proposed by both HRC and Obama does not distinguish between real big corporations and your small business owners who actually are the real victims of their political class warfare witch hunt. Middle class will be destroyed by the high tax scheme and jobs will surely be lost. A tax system that punishes savings and investments and job creation cannot be called pro-growth! Please do your research and compare different schools of thoughts before you make your decision!

- Posted by Tim

The “Clinton Era” also brought us NAFTA, and cost us hundreds of thousands of AMERICAN jobs.

H. Clinton voted for a stupid war and cost us thousands of AMERICAN lives and billions of our dollars.

Edwards is cool. He is anti-lobbyist like Obama, pro-poor like Obama, and pro-green, like Obama.

But, let’s top it. Obama/Gore 2008.

- Posted by Lisa W.

Earlier, I started to read blogs with the “naive” idea that they would help me to become better informed. Unfortunately, 85% of the blogs are nothing more than stupid nasty remarks.

When I decided to check things out myself, I came across an article written in the Chicago Sun Times. It is about the Rezko/Obama 19 year relationship. To read only one article only makes one wonder about their relationship. So far I have read about 52. Each suggests the possibility of shady deals. Unfortunately, they all end up saying: To date there is no actual proof of any specific thing ! ! ! Now that Rezko is in jail and will soon go to trial, one of two things should happen. One, Obama simply has poor judgment because of his continuing a long term relationship with a “known undesirable person” or Obama is not the untarnished person he portrays.

Edwards is not stupid. He has been involved in the political scene long enough to know if the Rezko/Obama connection will become the “swiftboat” in the general election.

If this is a real possibility, I pray that Edwards comes out now1 and prevent the bias TV reporting that is being been done.

- Posted by Phyllis/PA

If Senator Clinton is so experienced why did she lack the good judgment to read the NIE reports on Iraq before her vote in support of the war? Why didn’t she read the Patriot Act before she voted for it? Why didn’t she fight the illegal wiretapping of phones? Why hasn’t she filibustered every conservative judge this administration has put in the pipeline?

The Schrub’s father was a very experienced politician, but he was a lousy President. As I recall in 1992 then Governor Clinton ran against Mr. Bush and his lack of ‘vision’ not on Governor Clinton’s wealth of experience. Senator Clinton voted to support the attack on Iraq for the sole purpose of insulating herself from Republican attacks when she ran for President. Is this the type experienced judgment from day one she will give us? Will more American soldiers and families have to pay the ultimate sacrifice so she can prove she is tough? Will the future have to continue to pay our debts so our Presidents can prove they are macho enough?

The nation needs to move beyond red and blue states. I know that President Eisenhower’s daughter is starting a Republicans for Obama and if he can inspire hope in those on the other side of the isle that is a positive. Senator Clinton if the party nominee will not be able to bring both sides back together.

The hopes of America is what President Johnson called the nation to do: “So let us from this moment begin our work so that in the future men will look back and say: It was then, after a long and weary way, that man turned the exploits of his genius to the full enrichment of his life.” Barrack Obama represents the best hope to lead the Nation in that direction.

- Posted by Robert

All of you who continue to question Obama’s specifics obviously have not fully listened to one of his stump speeches, watched him in interviews, or read his web site. Obama has wonderful well thought out plans for this country. The only thing he doesn’t have that Billary have is debt owed to lobbyists, as well as the corrupt tactics of the old Washington politics. If you want to know how someone will run the country, look at how they run their campaign. Obama started from nothing, no name recognition, no establishment support, and no malicious campaign tactics, and yet he is prevailing. Hillary’s big argument for her ability to beat McCain is that she has been vetted and tested, and that she has already stood the negative adds they will run on Obama. Please, you don’t think there is a huge file of information they (the Republicans) are gathering on her, just waiting to throw it all out there? The Republican’s mouths are watering at the thought of going up against the Clintons. Remember Whitewater, Vince Foster and Lewinsky? Well, how many years have passed since then, how many shady operations have the Clintons been involved in since then? If you don’t know the answer to that question you will find out if she is nominated because the Republicans are holding in their hands just waiting to expose it.

- Posted by Sarah

I agree! Obama/Edwards would be a dream team!
Hillary is too polarizing, you either love her or hate her! I’m of the latter.
It is true Republicans (who aren’t happy with McCain)would vote for Obama not Hillary, most of them can’t stand her!

- Posted by Amy

Post Your Comment

*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture. Click on the picture to hear an audio file of the word.
Click to hear an audio file of the anti-spam word

House Rules:
  • We moderate all comments and will publish everything that advances the post directly or with relevant tangential information
  • We try not to publish comments that we think are offensive or appear to pass you off as another person, and we will be conservative if comments may be considered libelous information.