Edwards Abandons Presidential Bid

John Edwards will end his presidential bid today.

The former North Carolina senator is scheduled to speak in New Orleans this afternoon -- an appearance billed as an anti-poverty speech that is now expected to serve as the platform for ending his White House run.

Edwards, the party's vice presidential nominee in 2004, has failed to win any of the Democratic primaries so far, narrowly capturing second place in Iowa and finishing a distant third in South Carolina.

On Tuesday Mr. Edwards placed separate telephone calls to Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, telling each he was considering leaving the race and asking them to commit to talking about poverty more during the rest of the Democratic nominating fight, as well as the general election. But top advisers said that Mr. Edwards would not be endorsing another candidate today when he makes his formal announcement at 1 p.m.

I supported Edwards because he had the most aggressive & detailed policies on ending the war in Iraq, achieving universal health care coverage, strengthening unions, fighting poverty, and stopping global warming.

While it's obvious that he won't be offered a VP spot, let's hope that he at least gets a cabinet position once Hillary or Barack beats McCain or Romney in November.

And since I'm sure you're all dying to know (haha) my support will now go to Barack Obama.

I cannot vote for Hillary because she's a part of the corporatist/DLC wing of party that often times put the concerns of big business and the wealthy ahead of the middle class. She also takes more money than anyone (Republican or Democrat) from nearly every corporate lobbyist group. A return to a Clinton White House would be a return to the NAFTA & Telecommunication Act-approving days of Bill and I don't want that.

Additionally, her refusal to apologize for voting to authorize the invasion of Iraq is simply inexcusable. An inability to admit mistakes (and in-turn take a new course of action) is exactly what has gotten us bogged down in Iraq.

And finally, is it too much to ask that we not have a Bush or Clinton as the Pres or VP for the first 32 YEARS OF MY LIFE?

Bring on Super Tuesday...

Comments

[Rachel C.]

Universal Healthcare is very very scray. Ask someone in Europe who has needed and MRI, Heart Surgery etc how happy they are. By the time they get to them (months and months later) they get stuck with a doctor supplied by the government, not their own choice.
While I support getting healthcare for people who need and can't afford it, be careful what you wish for. Edwards would have buried this country is the crappiest health coverage plan possible.
We have the best doctors, and best facilities in the world. Letting government take over would make our healthcare as efficient and dependable as the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

[torr]

That's an awful lot of right-wing talking points so let me a take a minute to dispel these myths:

http://www.cbpp.org/8-28-07health.htm

In 2002, the U.S. spent more on health care per person than other industrial countries like Britain, Canada, France, and Germany.

http://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/index.html

The U.S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance. But unlike those countries, which have universal health care systems, there are roughly 47 million Americans who lack health coverage.

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/29/52/36960035.pdf

The U.S. is behind in preventing asthma-related deaths, vaccinating children against polio, and providing flu shots to seniors. Americans also, on average, die at a younger age compared to the average age of death of comparable nations.

http://www.kff.org/insurance/7527/upload/7527.pdf

U.S. health care premiums continue to rise.

http://pollingreport.com/health3.htm

And 71 percent of Americans believe our health care system is in a state of crisis.

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/15715

According to a CNN poll, 64 percent of the public believes the government should provide universal health care.

[Ewan]

As someone who has experienced universal healthcare in Europe and the American healthcare system, I have to say that the European model is far better. The wait times are shorter, the service more personal and it's overall more effective.

You can choose which of the doctors in your local surgery you would like - just as you can in the US. You are in no way "stuck with a doctor supplied by the government."

Also, there is both socialized healthcare AND private healthcare available, so those who can afford it or prefer it can choose to go private.

"We have the best doctors, and best facilities in the world. Letting government take over would make our healthcare as efficient and dependable as the Registry of Motor Vehicles."

This is an absolute joke - any time I've been to a doctor in the US, I've had to wait just as long as I do at the DMV, and for worse service.

[Brandon]

I was coming on here to echo something said by "John" about Ron Paul I saw earlier. Where did his comment go? Sensorship?

[torr]

yep, I won't have this post on who the Dems should nominate overrun by Ron Paul trolls. Sorry.