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TechnoratiFirst let me say what this essay is not: it's neither some desperate idealistic lunge at lost hope, nor is it sour grapes. Ironically, my stubbornly lingering support for Senator John Edwards is oddly pragmatic: it's the only way I can think to register support for progressive ideas in the Super Tuesday sweepstakes, thus presenting a principled obstacle to messrs Obama and Clinton. Sound funky? Read on.
Politics is about negotiation, leverage, power - and, yes, ideas. In my estimation, Senators Obama and Clinton have failed to exhibit a strong consistent commitment to progressive ideas, and need to be pressured and held as accountable as possible to ideas such as universal healthcare, strong sturdy anti-war policies, and economic justice. The only sensible way to express that sentiment on Super Tuesday is to vote for Senator Edwards -- and make the two would-be nominees fight harder for his endorsement and delegates. A vote for Edwards will also remind them that even if his candidacy is dead, the principles - and constituencies - his campaign represented are not.
Neither candidate has been clear and consistent on the war and when/how to end it (not even Obama, who has since voted for war payments). Both candidates' Iraq pull-out statements remain fuzzy and ultimately non-committal. Neither candidate has taken a strong clear stand on a universal healthcare plan that truly breaks the insurance industry's hold over America's healthcare system. (Check out Paul Krugman's astute critique of Obama's healthcare plan versus that of Clinton, in which he points out: "the big difference is mandates: the Clinton plan requires that everyone have insurance; the Obama plan doesn't." Not exactly what I'd call "progressive.") To the extent that either has mentioned issues of poverty and workers' rights, and corporate greed/power (which is to say hardly at all), it has been by virtue of pressure from Edwards' candidacy.
This is not an anti-Obama or anti-Clinton appeal; ultimately I'll line up like a good soldier behind either nominee to bring an end to this particularly vicious and damaging era of Republican executive power. Rather, I encourage voting for Edwards tomorrow on the basis of representing progressive ideas in the electorate, and sending as many delegates his way as possible, in the hopes that he will be that much more empowered to exact some pledges for his endorsement of either candidate. Otherwise, progessives who wanted a candidate who stands strongly on a range of key domestic and international issues will have no electoral means of registering their opinion.
Politics is largely about the bargaining and wielding of power and ideas; you don't start the negotiation by bargaining away your ideals, you start with your ideals and work back as little as possible.
Progressive ideas win only when they are strongly represented -- not when they are tucked in the back pocket and slipped in on the margins later, if at all. As Adolph Reed astutely pointed out in The Progressive magazine recently, we saw how well such hopefulness worked out in the first Clinton era (witness the "end of welfare," early erosions of civil liberties under his counter-terrorism bills, rampant media consolidation, among other progressive fatalities). So-called "unifying" centrism - ably represented by both Clinton and Obama - never begets liberalism or progressivism.
It may seem that the pragmatic thing to do on Super Tuesday is to support Obama or Clinton and rally the party toward a quick nomination of one or the other; but if we want progressive policies to be promoted by either of these two, they need to hear from us -- and we can speak through our votes by telling both of them that they need to be more accountable to the ideas promoted by Senator Edwards.
Ultimately Democrats will rally behind whoever takes the nomination -- but right now, the primaries offer a critical moment to impact not only who gains that nomination, but what they say they stand for, and to whom they are accountable. So let's bring a little pressure on these two and vote for Edwards tomorrow -- and as his pile of delegates continues to accrue, even at small levels, so will at least some small measure of pressure for more progressive policies in the party platform. So, oddly, the best way to make your vote count tomorrow is to vote for the leading drop-out candidate, John Edwards, and send a message that both would-be nominees will have to hear.
Christopher D. Cook is an author and award-winning journalist who has written for Harper's, The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor, Mother Jones, The Nation and The Progressive. He is the author of Diet for a Dead Planet: Big Business and the Coming Food Crisis (New Press). His website is: www.christopherdcook.com
44 Comments so far
Show AllI, too, was an Edwards supporter. I must point out that Edwards plan also had a mandate.
It's a sad state of affairs, but Wall Street would rather have either Clinton or Obama as President, rather than McCain or Huckabee. Imagine, Republicans sticking up for Main St over Wall St!!!! Hillary is where all of Wall Street's early money went. It's an insult to John Edwards and his supporters to suggest that Hillary is an acceptable 2nd choice. Corporate/Wall Street greed and abuse of power is THE CENTRAL ISSUE of our time. It drives all the other issues, even though the mainstream media won't talk about it. Huckabee brought the divide between Main St and Wall St up when being interviewed by Chris Mathews, last night. Mathews completely ignored the subject and ask Huckabee about something else entirely. Maybe I can vote for Obama. Please come back, Edwards. Please come back.
Thanks. I voted for Edwards. What are Clinton and Obama in the era of tragic corporate malfeasance: Enron, Haliburton, Blackwater saying about corporate power and its effect on people's lives, government, and our country? It should be a top issue. Instead there is mainly silence.
you want change....vote for none of the above..none are worth the time and money being spent..GOD HELP US..we slide downhill faster and faster every day.....and our eyes are closed...
On the latest ballot I got Edwards was still listed and I cast my vote for him. He is the best choice IMHO and I don't feel that I am having to pick the lesser of two weevils.
Jeeeeeeeeez.
I'm getting the feeling that so many on here won't be happy until we inaugurate McCain. If Hillary wins the primary, you certainly can't vote for Obama in November.
You'll have the choice of obnoxious Neocon in Blue vs. elderly Neocon in Red. But, you'll get this weird type of consolation. Congratulations.
As I have often said. Voting is like doing maintenance on your car. Change the oil,tune up,wax it vacumn out the interior. These things prolong and keep the car operating to its fullest potential. However if the engine has been blown up, transmission needs and overhaul, interior is torn up,paint bad etc. A tune up is a waste of time and money.
I think you get my point. All this whoop over who is going to be out next president seems so futile like the prisoners at Guantanamo getting to choose the color of their new jumpsuits. It may not be that exteme but the point is I can't get excited about any election when the government is so far out of whack. Time to trade the old whoopie in!!
Precisely why I will vote , yet again, for Ralph Nader. The author states ,and rather eloquently, that politics is about ideas, about negotiation, about leverage then caves and becomes a good little robot in agreeing to vote for a corporatist who will lie to our faces, accept the money and influence of the wealthiest and ensure that no changes occur.
The only differences between Dems and the GOP are cosmetic, basically. Only when the influence of the people is restored to the process, and do not be deceived, our votes are bought or stolen and we are lied to endlessly, can real change become reality. Third Party politics, whether Green, Populist or other, pledged to refrain from accepting the money or the influence of the corporations that rule this nation is the only path to real restoration of the principles upon which this nation was founded.
Thank-you, for putting into better words what I've been trying to say in my posts: If you want Media Reform, Public Campaign financing, Federal Election Reform, OUR Constitution Restored, 'FAIR Trade, B/C & Admin.(Crime Family) held accountable, REAL healthcare Choice (NOT just Insurance), There is ONLY one candidate:
!!JOHN EDWARDS!! !!SEND THE PARTY A MESSAGE!!
stop, TAKING THE PROGRESSIVE/POPULIST vote for granted. We're NOT Sheepel, we won't fall in line, behind your DLC/Centrist/Corporatist candidates!!
If the Dems. want your vote, MAKE them give you something/one to VOTE FOR!!
Congress will listen to the people as soon as that is politically expedient to do so. The people need to get on these bozos 24/7 and corner them at all public appearances, bury them in letters, show up at the ribbon cuttings and yell. Fear of losing the cushy jobs and fatigue will do what good sense and honesty can't.
Well Hillary won tonight, but Obama did really good and he'll get better press during the next weeks and he has more money to spend. It is getting to be very interesting. I'm glad McCain won big, Hllary or Obama can defeat him. "IF" however, he selects Hucka- berry as his runing mate, it will cause some problems with the born again idiots coming out of the wood work again. If he selects Juli-ano, there is no problem.
Does anyon here honestly believe Congress listens to any strong messages from we the people? If so, how come they haven't impeached Cheney and Bush?
I'm capable of governing myself, thank you.
I too voted for Edwards, but in Illinois anyway, (don't know if it's the same elsewhere) we also vote for delegates aligned with candidates. I voted for Obama's as there were none for Edwards on the ballot. I don't consider the Edwards vote to be wasted. Edwards is (was) the best candidate.
Is a write in vote for Paris Hilton or Richard Nixon a wasted vote?
I was sorely tempted to vote for Johnny when I saw his name on the ballot this morning... but I cast my vote for Obama.
After JRE dropped out, I went back and listened to Obama's speeches more carefully. The similarities between the candidates far outweigh the differences.
I figured he needs every vote to beat Clinton, and the differences between them -though small - are significant to me.
Edwards expressed the sense of outrage that most of us feel, and I am grateful to him for that. But outrage seldom gets anyone elected to office anymore.
I'm going to keep working for instant runoff voting.
It's not a wasted vote to vote for John Edwards. It's a vote. Period.
In 1992, the people who voted for Ross Perot had little chance of seeing their man win the presidency. But because of his movement, budget balance became a big national priority.
It's time for those of us who believe in economic justice to find ways to have a voice. One way is to vote for John Edwards or Dennis Kucinich. I voted for Edwards because I know he already has amassed many delegates, and that fact alone may give him some clout. Also, I strongly disagreed with Kucinich's suggesting that his supporters vote for Obama in Iowa, because on economic justice issues, Obama is sometimes to the right of Hilary Clinton.
American presidential politics is a horse race. But I was not placing a bet on a winning horse. I was setting my heart a decent man, Dennis Kucinich, to be president of the United States.
But no, we have a horse race. Not only are the candidates horses (some are horses' asses), but we voters are horses too. We are horses with blinders on: we're not allowed to look left or right. We are corralled into a narrow pen, into a severely limited choice.
Do you see the pundits on TV bemoan the fact that Huckabee is still a candidate? "Damn, he's taking votes away from Romney." And "Oh, if he wasn't there Romney would be beating McCain." Huckabee has no right to run. They want it a race of only two horses as they have given us in the Democratic primaries already.
I have written a cry of anguish at the withdrawal of Kucinich. It's called "The Tragedy of Dennis Kucinich" at the link below
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=36328
Voting for Edwards in the primaries will send a strong message to the powers that be. You can always vote for Obama or Clinton in November. Either one won't make much difference.
He or Kucinich may be on ballot in some states, sure Edwars is techniclly a candidate, so is anyone someone wants to write in. We can vote for Paris Hilton or Richard Nixon if we wish to. They won't win and it's a wasted vote.
This only works if you do not already by now prefer Obama or Clinton. I prefer Obama and don't want to waste my vote hoping for some other outcome from pressure by Edwards or anyone else. Besides, if you want to vote for a progressive to demonstrate your views, vote for Kucinich. He is the authentic, original progressive. Edwards is just as Johny-come-lately as the others on many of the ideas for which he is now being given credit.
I thought Edwards only suspended his campaign, which means he's still (technically) a candidate. Is that right?
I wonder if John and Elizabeth Edwards will waste their votes? __ Wonder if Kucinich will?
I never have felt so bad about a presidential campaign as I have in this one and I've voted in every presidential election since Eisenhour. When Edwards dropped out, I was really down in the dumps. Now Hillary sounds as if John gave her his slate book on the issues. Will she delivr if she's the next presient?? __ I dunno.
I have never voted to make myself feel better. I have voted for the one whom I believed would be the best overall for our country, in spite of not always agreeing with everything they said. I never voted for the tallest, or the best bull shitter, or the one who had the best TV ads. I always have voted on the issues.
I will vote for Hillary Clinton if she's the nominee, not because of her past as the wife of Bill, but for what she is telling us she will do as the president. I also believe she will have John Edwards in her cabinet if she is the next president, perhaps Edwards as the Attorney General.
If Obama wins the nomination, I will vote for him in the general. For certain, we cannot afford to have another republican president. And those who say it makes no difference, that the repugs and democrats are the same, I will state that the differences of Obama and Hillary, are a million miles apart from McCain or Romney. Those are my opinions, others have theirs and I respect their right to have them and to express them if they so choose.
I'm off to vote for Edwards right now. I hope I don't have to do a write-in, they are such a pain in the ass on a voting machine. I wonder if that's intentional?
Exactly my sentiments.
Hello,
I was deeply involved in the John Edwards' campaign this past year. I believe in his passionate vision and mission of economic and social justice for America. Though John Edwards suspended his race last week, I voted for him on absentee ballot nonetheless.
I voted for John Edwards, absentee ballot, because I want him to amass delegates for the Democratic Convention, because he had the best vision and mission, because I want Media to know that they will not swamp my vote, and because I want the remaining candidates to know what I think should be the priorities in a Democratic campaign for the Fall.
I respect many who see it differently.
But if you agree with me, a site where you can register and be counted for your support for John Edwards:
http://edwardshasmyvote.wordpress.com/
Thank you,
Karita
If you want to register a progressive vote, vote for Kucinich, or take a Green ballot (in 4 states) and vote for McKinney.
I voted for Edwards this morning in Massachusetts, pretty much for the reasons set forth in this article. So did my husband and another friend I ran into at the polling place.
Edwards has spent the last four years, since he left the Senate, trying to fight poverty. His campaign championed economic populist ideas that the corporate media and elite detest. Since this sort of bread and butter working class agenda is not the agenda of either Hilary or Obama, I did not vote for either of them.
I wonder why it took Common Dreams so long to post this article? It obviously could have had more impact if it had been posted this morning.
Edward supporters are a complete puzzle to me. Please explain what "strong consistent commitment to progressive ideas" Edwards has exhibited. John Edwards is the one candidate that has run against his own record. What "strong sturdy anti-war policies" did Edwards display? He voted FOR the war, just like Clinton. But his supporters manage to see him as an anti-war candidate. Obama opposed the war, yet according to Edwards supporters, his statements are not clear enough. Edwards voted for "No Child Left Behind," but now claims it was a mistake, as was his Iraq war vote. He voted for the Patriot Act, which he now opposes. Edwards has a record, which is anything but progressive. John Edwards is simply an opportunist who unsuccessfully tried to carve out a niche as a "populist" candidate. He's not. He's a complete phoney. If you're really committed to progressive ideas and want to make that known to the other candidates, vote for Kucinich, whose record matches his rhetoric.
I voted for Edwards this morning. In Chappaqua. Hillary was the next person in that booth after me. Obama's delegates got my vote, just to be sure.
If your state proportions delegates based upon vote %, here in CA an Edwards vote will easily go to Hilary. Think. After Kucinich, Edwards was my guy. I am so glad I did not vote absentee. I want to know what Edwards' talks with Obama and Clinton entailed. I want Edwards on the supreme court. But since we are not told anything, this whole process is part of the joke.
If you can't trust the alternatives go Edwards.
Speaking of Obama, Mulroney was equally charismatic - and we are just finding out about the smooch money:
In Committee from the House of Commons:
LIVE ONLINE 3:30pm ET / 12:30pm PT
House of Commons Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics: meeting to discuss the Mulroney Airbus Settlement with Norman Spector, Brian Mulroney's former Chief of Staff, and former Justice Minister, Allan Rock.
That is why I don't trust sweet words.
Oh, for those still pissed off at the American media treatment of John Edwards - you have an online alternative!
CPAC Special:
LIVE ONLINE 8pm ET / 5pm PT
U.S. Presidential Primaries
CPAC provides LIVE coverage online as the race for the White House shifts into high gear with two dozen presidential primaries set to determine the frontrunners. Will Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama take a lead on the Democrat side? Will John McCain maintain his Republican momentum?
link to live online TV (takes a couple minutes to load):
http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&pagetype=watch...
Remember, voting for the lesser of two evils is still evil. Sophie's choice.
Exactly what I'm doing - except, if Kucininch is still on the ballot in NY, I will vote for him.
Apparently, the true believers are not up, yet. Mr. Cook prepared to be pilloried for compromising your principles by voting for someone who is less than perfection.
I agree, John Edwards is who should be elected..not Obama or Clinton or anyone else..we suckers have already proved we're really too dumb to vote, having reelected Bush. Health care, war spending....nothing will change no matter who is president. Remember, they'll say anything to get elected, then when they're elected they don't fulfill ANY of their campaign promises. So it really doesn't matter who is President...nothing will change...but the USA might be bankrupt, because of Bush. Oh, one other thing....Bush & Cheney will get away with everything...they'll never be prosecuted, because nobody in Congress has the balls to indict them....
Edwards supporter voting for Obama
Wish I had seen this article earlier. Once Edwards withdrew, I thought my vote for him would be wasted. First thing this morning I went to the polls, and despite my long-time support for Edwards, I voted for Obama.
I plan on voting for Edwards tonight in the Colorado caucus. I will be asking for bribes to change to either of the other two. They can fight this out and in November I will vote Democrat.
I'm still voting for DK.
shirtsleeves missed the point
Edwards won't have any delegates--he ended his campaign, remember?
Thanks, Christopher, for an excellent suggestion. I'll be following it.
Had Edwards exposed in detail the shenanigans of the Clintons in the Middle East and Asia, he would be winning
the primary by a landslide.
The Bushco called "The Carlyle Group", has yet to be exposed by the two leaders in the Dem Primary..
The Money that both, Bush and Clinton have been reaping should be declared a crime against the USA..
The only wasted vote is the one that is not cast!
This is a no brainer. Good call.
I will vote for John in WI on Feb. 19.
JRE was the only electable actual Democrat.
Now we're stuck with a corporate, triangulating Dem.