Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both appeared Thursday night on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”
Clinton mocked her “3 a.m.” ad. After fixing a malfunctioning projection screen and having a make-up artist address the challenge of Colbert’s “too shiny” forehead, the host gasped, “Senator Clinton, you’re so prepared for any situation.”
“I just love solving problems. Call me anytime. Call me at 3:00am,” said Clinton.
Obama added manufactured political “distractions” to host Stephen Colbert’s “On Notice Board.”
Reflecting on debate questioning about whether he wears a flag pin, Obama added “manufactured political distractions” to Colbert’s “On Notice” board list of troubling phenoms.
“I think the American people are tired of these games and petty distractions,” declared Obama, to Colbert’s response: “Speaking for the news media, we are not tired of it, It allows us to ask the same questions over and over again, and we don’t have to do any work.”
So who won?
John Edwards.
The candidate of the adult wing of the Democratic party who didn’t make it to Pennsylvania — but who looks better and better in hindsight — suddenly appeared during Colbert’s faux news report on the courting by Clinton and Obama of white male voters.
“Finally, America’s white men are being heard, and the candidates are attempting to address” issues of concern to them, Colbert said, as images of Clinton downing a shot and a beer and Obama attempting to bowl.
Mocking the efforts of both remaining candidates to secure his support, the former senator from North Carolina declared, “No white male vote is being courted more vigorously than this one.”
Weighing his options, Edwards noted that, on the one hand, he did not want to cast a vote that was “anti-hope.” But, recalling the response of a particularly virulent Clinton backer to former candidate Bill Richardson’s endorsement of Obama, Edwards said, “On the other hand, I don’t want James Carville to bite me.”
Restating his campaign call for a more serious focus on economic issues — which were almost entirely missing from Wednesday night’s debate — Edwards announced that he would vote in the upcoming North Carolina primary for the candidate who best advocates for ending poverty and providing universal health care.
Failing that, he said, “I will only support the candidate who promises to make me a spy. That would be so cool.”
Even Colbert was cracking up.
Easily the least defensive and most good-humored “contender,” Edwards reminded everyone of what was lost when he left the race — and of why the remaining candidates really are still campaigning for his endorsement.
John Nichols is a co-founder of Free Press and the co-author with Robert W. McChesney of TRAGEDY & FARCE: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy — The New Press.
© 2008 The Nation
Yup, Edwards was the right man for the job. And always has been. Hillary, don’t know if she truly will pass Universal Medicine, she lies about everything. And Barack Obama his is plan is not Universal Medicine, but he is untainted and is not receiving campaign contributions from the Military Industrial Complex. So what to do, what to do. It was a very sad day when Edwards left the campaign. I see that Americans don’t want what’s best for them and they are easily manipulated.
I’m predicting that the country goes into a depression and we see Edwards elected in 2012. Better late than never.
I gave money to Edwards. Now I wish that I didn’t. He gave up too easily. Compared to Dean, he articulated about half as much clear and strong differences with Republican policy. This half as much was, in turn, still ten times clearer and stronger than were the vague-on-purpose lines of Obama and Hillary Rodham Bush.
The point? Candidacies like Edwards are nothing more than the lightening rod for the DLC (Now really DNC) which in turn is NOW COMPLETELY CORPORATE BENDOVERCRAT. Of course they need a campaign like Edwards, for rhetorical purposes.
But for what ends? In the end its just another Move-On decoy strategy designed to fold on que.
By the way if Dean REALLY felt as strongly as he did about the direction of the Dems, then why did he take a position that guaranteed he would keep his mouth shut?
The Democratic Party: Communications Strategies instead of an opposition party.
John Edwards is a good man and would have been a fantastic president. I think so anyway. But we have to notice that, though he campaigned for five years, voters did not select him.
Unless he is afraid that giving either Clinton or Obama his support would cause that person to also catch his own hard-to-get-voters virus, I can’t imagine why he doesn’t endorse one. Coy isn’t cute. And, being a lawyer and all, he DOES know in his heart which one he thinks could best advance his agenda against poverty and lack of health care. So what’s the deal?
When are we going to see some real investigative stories such as whatever happened with the Abramoff scandal. Remember that? It was supposed to take down half of the repugs in Congress. The Washington maddam was supposed to take down the other half. Rove stepped in and replaced the US attorneys who were investigating the scandal with his thugs and the media just turned a blind eye. I guess the maddam was paid off not to reveal names. There are probably a few hundred stories that aren’t being investigated but let’s just concentrate on lapel pins.
In the development of media content, it is in fact a peculiar US approach to speak of who “wins” debates.
Generally, debates are forms of exchange for mutual information and illumination. Stressing the “winning” - and conjunctively “losing” - element of debates is a distraction from the main potential of mutual benefitting from debates.
Edwards, injecting humor and absurdity into the debate, seems to have grasped this limiting and false polarization. His remark of making “me a spy. That would be so cool.” - coming from outside the field of convention, challenges the debate-content. Through his well-grounded absurdity the remark highlights the absurdity of the competitive debate-form itself.
I wish I’d seen the Colbert Report last night! I hope this is on YouTube - I need a good laugh.
Oh yeah, those Dems in Congress with that comittee power are really going hard after the Abramoff scandals. Typical Dems. They wanted the cheap headlines of asking some ‘tough questions’ in fake committee hearings. But then they fold up shop and go away. And the last thing on earth they want to do is to shine a light on the lobbyists and the money they pour into the politicians. The reason why the Dems keep coming out here and beg that you vote Democrat is only because they want that money going into their pockets. To the Dems, that’s the only thing wrong with the current system. They think they should be getting paid off instead of the Republicans.
The Dem primary is a completely rigged game. Its rigged to make sure that the only one’s who had a prayer are the super-corporate-friendly candidates with warchests full of corporate and wall st money. There wasn’t a snow ball’s chance in Hades of a candidate who was mouthing even semi-kinda-sorta statements about supporting workers over corporations getting the nomination.
The Dem party rules are designed to let big money dominate. Their primary calendar was designed to force our early any candidates who didn’t hav big buckets of corporate money behind them. That’s what Feb 5 was designed to do by only allowing the candidates who could afford big ad campaigns in 20 big states all at once to advance. That’s what the super-delegates are really there far. To make sure those pesky voters don’t elect a nominee that might interrupt the corporate money gravy train that the Democrats are riding. If it was Edwards v Hillary, all the party hack super-delegates would go to Hillary and Edwards would have needed 60% of the people’s vote to win.
Now comes the next line of BS from the Dems. They’ll tell you that you had your chance. You had your token candidates in their crooked carny game that’s their nomination process. Now you are supposed to shut up and get in line and go vote for their corporate-backed candidate like good little sheep. You are absolutely not allowed to think about what’s good for you and your life and your family. You are absolutely not allowed to consider any other candidates that might support policies that would help you against the corporations. Certainly not. What, you think this is a free country or something? We have a ‘two-party system and you are not allowed to have either party. So, vote for the corporate puppet with a (D) after their name like a good little wage slave. Then watch American Idol and go shopping because the corporations need the rest of your money.
Perhaps Edwards hasn’t endorsed one of the candidates for the same reason I haven’t. Rather then tossing Nader into the mix, writing John Edwards name in would be the best vote [and protest] for disgusted Democratic voters - Especially Progressives!
I would love to see Edwards endorse Nader.
Just curious, but what does writing in Edwards do for us?
What we need to do is to build a party and a movement that’s on our side. My main complaint with Nader is that he’s never really committed to building the Green Party.
Now, I’d love to hear Edwards say he’s leaving the Democrats and building an anti-poverty, pro-worker party. I’d be glad to support him and help build it if he did that. But, if he doesn’t do that, I’m not sure what a write-in vote accomplishes.
One thing about voting for a candidate on a party line. IF that candidate gets 5% of the vote, then 4 years from now that party will have qualified for Federal matching funds. If you are building a party. If you are building a movement that will be better funded next time because of matching funds, then you are accomplishing something. You might not win that day, but you are building for the day when you can win.
PS … Mr. Nader has done a lot of good for the Green Party in the ways he’s worked with them over the years. Don’t mis-interpret me on that. I just wished that a decade ago he’d have jumped in with both feet and joined the party and help full-heartedly to build them all this time.
Its the building that counts more than the campaign right now. If you just think of the next six months, you can say we can’t win and get depressed. You might even get so depressed that voting Democrat might even seem to be a good idea.
But if you think about 6 years or 12 years or even longer from now, what do you want to have then? What choices do you want on the ballot then? What sort of political movement do you want to fight for YOUR interests? If you want that then, start building it today. That’s not a waste of anything. That’s just beginning the journey we need to take to get back to being a free country of the people, by the people and for the people.
I gave money (not a lot) to Edwards campaign, and worked as a volunteer for him in the run-up to the NH primary. I still think he’s the best candidate this time around (as Mr. Nichols says, he looks better now that the choices are so limited). I can also understand why Edwards hasn’t endorsed either Hillary or Obama–both are deeply flawed, in some ways different and in some ways the same. I think Edwards is wise to leave it to voters to decide who to vote for in the remaining primaries. I’m sure he will support whichever of the two is the Democratic candidate, which is what I’ll do.
The most important thing to do is NOT vote for either of the 2-party system - it doesn’t matter who else you vote for, just make sure those thugs know we won’t support them anymore. I don’t know much about the green party, but since Nader is not a war-monger, he has been my protest vote. If there are Greens on my ballot, I will vote for them - as long as they’re declared against the military and war-mongering (or continuing to support the war with funding.)
Where do the Greens stand on the ethanol boondoggle? There isn’t much information about them easily available to most people (including me) - and no traditional conservative has run in decades, so I have nowhere else to turn. But we have to STOP VOTING FOR WARMONGERS - NOW!!! It doesn’t matter who wins if they support the military machine - if the US has a huge military, you can believe it will be used. That’s where the buck stops - end military rule first. Otherwise there will NEVER be anything left for societal needs - which are always a low priority to warmongerers.
OBAMA\EDWARDS 2008
Past national polls indicated Edwards was the one of the last three Democratic contenders with the capability of beating McCain. However, his message was deliberately blacked out by the U.S. Press. Why? Because US Corporations were scared of his message. Oh, you could read about their reaction to him in the UK press. But not here! Corporations (owners of media) and the MSM have manipulated the Democratic Party process by their constant first black man/ first woman coverage designed to promote a candidate - Obama or Clinton - who will most definately lose to McCain. My only hope is a Gore/Edwards run in 2012 to deny the ‘old man’ a second term. Sure stinks of the Democrats being ‘had’ again! Sorry to sound so cynical!
The real question: is any party or political movement able to “save” America?
I doubt it. There are no able leaders who are interested. The people are too weak and subservient.
I think the US Coporate media accurately reflects the interests of the citizenry…..
….or at least the interests of the vital 3 to 6 year old demographic
Coming soon to a FOX NEws segment near you…the vital discussion of Obamma’s alleged poopy-pants…and Hillary’s alledged case of the “kooties”
followed by how McCain is a nice old Grandpappy who gives candy to all good girls and boys….(but dont mention about the time when Grandpappy called Gramdma a “cunt” on TV)
Daniel David April 18th, 2008 12:40 pm
“John Edwards is a good man and would have been a fantastic president. I think so anyway. But we have to notice that, though he campaigned for five years, voters did not select him.”
That is because the majority of Democrats are dumber than mud! They picked the two most vulnerable candidates for this election, and they were led there by the money and the horse race coverage of the media.
Can you say president McCain?
Yeah, it’s hard to lead when there are no followers. And if Americans lack anything, it is courage. Education is also high on the list. Then there’s the hit-squads that take out any Left-wingers who might make a difference. I’m a conservative, but I know it takes a strong Left to keep things balanced - and there has never been a real ‘Left’ in the US in my lifetime. Just Centrists, Right-wing, and Right-wing extremists. That’s what’s wrong with this country - it’s unbalanced. The Right Wing in civilized countries would be called ‘Left Wing Radical Extremists’ in the US - just check out Europe and Scandinavia if you don’t believe me. And check out their living standards while you’re at it - that’s a real education for you.
The replies are hilarious when taken in context: the same people advocating for Edwards will be voting for either Obama or Clinton. This is one of the best belly laughs Ive had in a month. Everyone recognizes Edwards plan as the MOST PROGRESSIVE in the Republicat Party, while at the same time sucking it up at the end of the day and voting for WHATEVER they get by why of the Super Delegates. What a frigging hoot. This despite the fact that the only candidate with a more PROGRESSIVE program than Edwards is Nader and Kucinich.
THE SHEEP WILL ALWAYS BE SHEEP!
Hey, I’m not voting for no Democrat - nor will I vote for a fascist warmonger either. So it’s either Green, or Nader, or Cynthia, or anyone else on the ballot. Not that our votes count anyway, not with Diebold and the Supreme Court-of-Fools making all the decisions.
John was my first choice and I was sorry to see him go.
If he has a place in the Obama admin. I hope it’s as
his AG.
Funny, Nader says everything Edwards says only better. In fact Nader(and other candidates who are continually ignored by the media) go much further than Edwards in that he calls for a single payer health care system and drastic cuts in military spending.
This does not matter to Nichols. Only a DEMOCRAT can say anything useful as far as he is concerned. They are the people who have the power and, therefore, the only people who matter.
As usually, Common Dreams, does its best to prop up, instead of consistently oppose, our obviously corrupt 2-party system.
Sadly predictable.
Ahhhh….and the DNC machine wins. What a great day for America.
The Time/Warner complex did the same thing to John Edwards as they did to Steven Vander Ark.
Missed John Edwards on Colbert - saw him on Letterman, though. Have to leave the TV off until the little one is completely asleep so miss the shows some times.
Does anyone have a link to the video?
I donated to Edwards campaign and I am glad I did. You vote with your dollars and I wanted him for President. I still do, but I understand why he left the race, it was the right decision.