AMERICAN PRIMARIES

Edwards throws weight behind Obama

Thursday 15 May 2008

Good news for Barack Obama, John Edwards has decided to support his campaign for president. Could this be the final straw for Hillary Clinton? Some thoughts.

 
The decision by former contender John Edwards to throw his weight behind Obama’s bid for the Democratic nomination is a crunching blow to Hilary Clinton’s fast fading chances of pulling off a miracle.
 
“There is one man who knows in his heart that it is time to create one America, not two, and that man is Barack Obama,” Edwards said at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan,as Obama sat at his side.
 
Both candidates have courted Edwards’ endorsement hard but until now he has played hard to get – a point quickly picked up by Republican National Committee Chairman Robert Duncan, who asked pointedly why Edwards had taken so long to make up his mind, recalling too that Edwards had not so long ago slammed Obama as inexperienced, hypocritical and lacking in substance.
 
But that will be water under the bridge as far as Obama is concerned – Edwards is a party heavyweight and the speculation is now on whether he is shaping up to stand as Obama’s running mate against John McCain.   Obama did nothing to dampen the speculation by saying Edwards would be on anybody’s short list for the vice-presidency.
 
An Obama-Edwards ticket would make a formidable combination.    Edwards is an experienced campaigner who as John Kerry’s vice-presidential nominee in 2004 brought flair, energy and charisma to an otherwise faltering campaign.
 
But more importantly he appeals to the white blue-collar constituency that Obama has so far struggled to attract.    Edwards’ populist economic agenda and evident popularity among the white working class could help Obama widen his demographic appeal.
 
Hilary Clinton is having none of that though.  Listen to her and you could be forgiven for thinking she is within an ace of stealing the party nomination.    “This thing is far from over”, she said after hearing of Edwards’ decision.    It looks like she wants to go down fighting to the last.