The DC chatter says that John Edwards is pulling out of the presidential race due to his wife’s health. (She was treated for breast cancer in 2004.) I sure hope not. It would be a shame, on both counts.
They will be holding a press conference at 12 noon (ET). We’ll see.
UPDATE:
From The Politico:
John Edwards is suspending his campaign for President, and may drop out completely, because his wife has suffered a recurrence of the cancer that sickened her in 2004, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, an Edwards friend told The Politico.
“At a minimum he’s going to suspend” the campaign, the source said. “Nobody knows precisely how serious her recurrence is. It’ll be another couple of days before there’s complete clarity.”
“For him right now he has one priority which is her health and the security of the two young children,” said the friend.
As for the campaign, “You don’t shut this machine off completely, but everything will go on hold.”
UPDATE, UPDATE:
The press conference is going on now. Elizabeth Edwards cancer has returned, and has spread to her rib bones. At this stage, once breast cancer has metastasized, it is “treatable but not curable.” Both Edwards and his wife are smiling, and keep expressing their hope.
“The campaign goes on… the campaign goes on strongly.”
Whether you pray, chant or just think kind thoughts, now would be a good time to do so for the Edwardses.
They’ve been through a lot.
Would Edwards Withdrawal Bring Gore In?
Declared candidates don’t call press conferences to declare their candidacy. Edwards called this one to discuss his wife’s health, and that can mean only one thing — his 2008 campaign is over.
In October 2006, upon the occasion of Sen. John Warner’s withdrawal, a Cox Newspapers writer offered the following analysis:
“Some experts suggested that Warner’s withdrawal could encourage two other well known Democrats to join the fray: former Vice President Al Gore … and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois ….
“With Warner out of the race, Edwards is the only Southerner still actively exploring a presidential bid in 2008. …
“But Bayh may be the closest to the Warner political model …. ‘Warner’s decision not to run leaves Evan Bayh as the candidate for balanced-budget Democratic moderates,’ said Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who has done extensive focus group research on the Democratic and Republican presidential fields. ‘In a race dominated by liberals, that’s not a bad place to be.’
“‘Warner could have been the fresh face, in the Carter-Clinton mode, and he’s from a critical and up-and-coming swing state,’ said pollster John Zogby of Zogby International. But Zogby’s research shows that while Clinton still is ‘the clear front-runner,’ her ‘principal challengers’ are Edwards and Gore, even though the 2000 nominee has discouraged speculation about his presidential aspirations.
“Others agree. ‘Because there is still a significant Hillary alternative movement in Democratic circles, the big winner in all of this is actually Al Gore, with Edwards a close second,’ said Tom Schaller, a University of Maryland professor …. ‘If Gore could talk Edwards into forming another all-Southern ticket, they could run through the Democratic primaries and put … John McCain on his heels.’
“But Chris Lehane, a former senior aide to Gore who is now a political consultant in California, said Democrats are hungry for a candidate who will run ‘a different kind of campaign” based on ‘their visions and life stories,’ much as the late Bobby Kennedy ran in 1968. And in Lehane’s view, the two Democrats most capable of doing that are Edwards and Obama, the only African-American in the U.S. Senate. ‘Both show hints of “getting” it,’ said Lehane.”
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Bayh, of course, withdrew in December. If Edwards is now out, that leaves Gore as the Democrats’ only southerner. And Gore, although he says he’s not running, has studiously avoided saying he’s definitely out. Suddenly the door not only swings wide open for Gore, but his party needs him. But if Gore doesn’t step in, that leaves Obama as the big beneficiary of an Edwards withdrawal — and also places on Obama’s shoulders the enormous burden of being the party’s only plausible Hillary-stopper. But an Edwards withdrawal would raise another interesting question: Would it open the door wider for Bill Richardson, who although not a southerner, is a southwesterner? It does seem probable that Richardson would get a closer look from those who were gravitating toward Edwards. But if Edwards does withdraw tomorrow, this may be now-or-never time for Gore.
Sorry about the truncated post, but Goldy’s clunky software wouldn’t let me post it intact, or even all of the pieces. One paragraph, in particular, simply wouldn’t go. And the article link is in the filter.
It’s really strange how this software will accept a long fragment like the one in #5, while rejecting a much smaller one consisting of one sentence with no links, no vulgar or unusual words, absolutely nothing that should cause filter software to reject it — yet I couldn’t post it no matter what I did to it.
This could swing me, unless Gore comes in, I’m very likely for Richardson!
Here is the fragment that made Goldy’s software reject the entire comment:
And he has shown a lot of strength in three states that will play pivotal roles in choosing the next Democratic nominee: Iowa; Nevada; and South Carolina ….
Except I removed ellipses after Iowa and Nevada … by process of elimination, I deduce the software didn’t like three … in one sentence. How weird.
Anyway, all of this bitching about Goldy’s software is a distraction, so I’ll stop that and say what I think about Edwards.
I initially supported Edwards in 2004, but there was only 1 other vote for him in my caucus, so I switched to Kerry in order to go on to the district caucus as a delegate. I was pleased when Kerry chose him as his running mate, but Edwards did so poorly in his debate with Cheney that my enthusiasm for him evaporated.
Here’s where Edwards stands today, in my thinking. The sum total of his political experience is one Senate term. He’s been out of office for 3 years, adding nothing to his resume in terms of political or policy experience during the interval between presidential elections. He’s a proven weak debater. Not exactly a compelling resume.
If Edwards withdraws tomorrow, I think this thinning of the Democratic candidate ranks may be beneficial. The way this race is shaping up, there’s Hillary and ________ (fill in blank). We need to fill in that blank pretty damn soon, if we want to avoid a coronation. Democrats who, like me, are less than wildly optimistic about Hillary’s chances of beating the Brand X party’s nominee presently are all over the map; and need to come together and focus on one or at most two names. A narrowing of the field by removing one of the big names will help that process along.
An Edwards departure won’t make me an Obama fan. I’m not in Edwards’ camp now, so I don’t need to go looking for an alternate candidate. At this early stage, I like Bill Richardson’s resume best of all, but I have questions: Can he raise serious money? Can he catch fire? Can he become a contender? I’m not sold yet. What I really want is for Gore to come in, and everyone else except Hillary and Obama to drop out, and then conduct a winnowing process in the primaries. I think our party would be in an extremely strong position going into November ’08 if we did that.
I think the primaries will give Hillary a chance to build her popular appeal to the point where Democrats can feel confident of her ability to win in November; or, if she doesn’t, will convince Democrats to choose someone else.
At a time like this, the only appropriate thing is to wish Mrs. Edwards the best we all can!
MATH
People need to learn some math. On Feb 5th, unless one person gets about 50% of the vote, we may end up with … a convention! If Mr. Edwards is out that means Feb 5 is down to to two andidates. Makes braking 50 easy.
Of course I wish Mrs. Edwards the best — that goes without saying. I would hope our trolls do, too.
@15 “If Mr. Edwards is out that means Feb 5 is down to to two andidates.”
I tend to feel it’s shaping up that way.
“Newt Says Private Lives Are Off-Limits
“By ROSE FRENCH
“AP
“NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 22) – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich … said on Tuesday the personal lives of White House hopefuls shouldn’t become an issue in the 2008 campaign.”
Quoted under Fair Use; for complete story and/or copyright info see http://tinyurl.com/2qbjoz
Roger Rabbit Commentary: If Gingrich is the GOP nominee (Oh God yes!! Please God yes! I’ve never asked for anything from You before but just this one time yessss!!! yessss!!! yessss!!!), he can hope all he wants that screwing his secretary while his wife lay dying in a hospital won’t be an issue, but we Democrats will make it the CENTRAL ISSUE of the campaign!!!
“Romney Camp Catches Flak for Hitler Ad
“By COREY WILLIAMS
“AP
“DETROIT (AP) – The co-chair of presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s finance committee contributed to a group that used the money for a newspaper ad comparing Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to Adolf Hitler. …
“The full-page ad last summer featured a photo of Hitler and urged black voters to reject Granholm’s 2006 re-election bid. The ad included a swastika and photo of Granholm, who defeated Republican businessman Dick DeVos in November. The ad appeared in the Michigan Chronicle, the state’s largest black newspaper.”
http://tinyurl.com/2f74fp
I agree with John and SJ. I don’t think anyone could do much of anything if their wife was fighting cancer, let alone run for the office of President. So I’ll also be sending out my best wishes to Edwards family.
I like Richardson myself, but I think it’s pretty much already down to Hillary vs. Obama. But I doubt either would have that much trouble putting the final nail in the Recraplican coffin.
“I don’t think anyone could do much of anything if their wife was fighting cancer”
Unless he’s someone like Newt Gingrich. Then he’ll divorce her.
Good point, ArtFart.
All four of the Democratic contenders have good family relationships. Definitely with John Edwards, Al Gore, and Barack Obama. Stong marriages all three of them. Hillary Clinton has had marital problems, but she hasn’t been the one at fault for them.
Three of the top four Republican candidates have had multiple marriages and a reputation for having trouble keeping their pants zipped — Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and John McCain. On the other hand, a lot of “neo-cons” are making Rovian-style attacks against the fourth major candidate, Mitt Romney, for his religion and for actually living out the principles of his faith.
It will be sad if John Edwards drops out of the race. True, he lives a lifestyle far above most everyone else — but that could be said about most of the contenders on both sides. On the other hand, he didn’t grow up rich and made his own way, which people can relate to. And the politics that Edwards espouses seem to be more towards the center that most of the other contenders in either party.
And since a Democrat will likely win in 2008, it would be best for the public to have a larger field of candidates from whom to pick.
Good to see Edwards move on. He has a good tag line but couldn’t even win in his own state (so he didn’t even run again). Better for the Dems not to have a trial lawyer as nominee anyway.
GO BILL RICHARDSON!
I wish nothing but the best for Mrs. Edwards, and no doubt, she will have.
John Edwards, as a presidential candidate, was going nowhere.
For a democrat, I LIKE Bill Richardson…… I guess we’ll see how that goes.
WingNutz™ Dictionary:
Truth = Fishing Expedition
It would be great to see Gov. Richardson get n the race. He offers a real gravitas that might make the race focus on issues.
Roger .. caouls you email me?
In reading comments about “front runners” and various campaign tactics, I find in necessary to occasionally remind myself that it is still March 2007, and the first primaries are still almost a year away.
In 2003, we had Governor Dean (Interestingly enough, a September 2002 poll favored Senator Lieberman as front runner.)
In 1999, we had Vice President Gore, but he was, after all, the VP
In 1995, we had an incumbent
1991 gave us Mario Cuomo
There is an interesting Pew Research paper at:
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/41.....tial-polls
that discusses the matter in some detail. It seems that we Democrats are a rowdy bunch that have a nasty tendancy to actually look at the candidates, consider their positions and even their personalities and then decide.
(Republicans, on the other hand, tend to shut up and vote the way the party leaders tell them to vote.)
GOLDY, I’D BE SUSPICIOUS OF QUOTING THE POLITICO. THAT SITE IS RUN BY A PARTNER OF MARK HALPERIN, THAT GROVELING BELTWAY SYCOPHANT.
WINGNUTS LIKE CRAZY ROB HAS QUOTED THE POLITICO AS WELL. THAT TELLS ME IT IS A BORDERLINE TOOL OF THE RNC.
MY BEST WISHES TO JOHN EDWARDS AND HIS FAMILY. I HOPE THEY PULL THROUGH THIS VERY DIFFICULT TIME.
AND WE NEED JE’S VOICE TO BE HEARD THROUGHOUT THIS CAMPAIGN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE.
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/
The Authoritarians
free internet book
http://www.conceptualguerilla.com/
“The only thing I want to persuade an opponent to believe, is that he is going to lose — and he therefore ought to settle. The audience for my “argument” with my opponent is NOT my opponent. It is the people who decide which one of us is right.”
This is precisely why uSP and all other righty blogs ban certain commenters.
re 32: … and it is precisely why Goldy does NOT ban righty commenters.
They make themselves look like fools .
MEDIA SAVY FOLKS – TOOK THE HEAdLINES Away from Obama and Clinton – friendly, folksy, real life stuff —
Smart, smart, smart
I guess that AIDS-infested CUNT Ann Coultergiest will now say that Mrs. Edwards is also a fag and that’s why she got Cancer.
35 Hey, let’s not be drawn down to her level, huh? Let Coulter discredit her ilk by being her disgusting self.
I just wonder where we would be if the Right Wing God Ronnie Teflon Ray Gun listened to Carter, and did not unwind his reality based energy policy……
Imagine how the right wingers worship the braindead ronnie raygun as their hero, when all he did was help destroy America in a hundred different ways, which we are suffering from today.
The mofo took the solar panels down from the White House.
What a fu*king traitor.
He wanted the Saudi Royal Family running our government!
“35 Hey, let’s not be drawn down to her level, huh?”
Most of the lefty folks here passed Coulter long ago…Maybe you can all meet her on your way back up.
Hello.
I may not be the biggest fan of John Edwards politically, but I wish the best of luck to him and his wife. If she is not able to beat cancer, I hope that at the very least it is not too painful for her. Watching a loved one succumb to cancer is a fate I wish upon no one. If I was a religious man, I would pray for her… and for him for the strength they will both need for this.
There comes a time to drop party affiliation and remember that we are all human.
Thank you.
39 – I SUPPOSE YOU’RE A BIG FAN OF THE CHIMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE?
I MEAN THE ONE WHO IS RUNNING FROM SUBPOENAS BECAUSE HE HAS NOTHING TO HIDE?
My sympathies and prayers go to the Edwards family. Cancer is ugly. Hopefully living in the upper level of the two Americas she can get the best treatment possible
I noticed a few libtards DID NOT give their best wishes to them in this thread. Typical Typical!
#40: Do you have any mental retaining power? Do any synpases work in that paramecium “brain”? I know where LBBTNDP stands on GWB. Why can’t you remember…?
Oops… answered the question already… You’re CLUELESS! Now I know why you dropped that nick!
Richard Pope says: Good point, ArtFart.
All four of the Democratic contenders have good family relationships. Definitely with John Edwards, Al Gore, and Barack Obama. Stong marriages all three of them. Hillary Clinton has had marital problems, but she hasn’t been the one at fault for them.
Sounds all fine and dandy except that your gal Hillary is an enabler.
PUDDYBUD (OR IS IT MWS?) OR (IS IT TYPICAL LEFTY)?
WE KNOW WHERE YOU STAND ON THE CHIMP (YOU HAVE UNDYING LOVE FOR THAT SIMIAN).
I WON’T APOLOGIZE TO THE LIKES OF YOU IF I DON’T KEEP TRACK OF EVERY TROLL THAT RUNS THROUGH THIS PLACE.
IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT YOU CAN KISS MY ASS.
BY THE WAY, PLEASE BRING BACK MWS. THAT LOSING LUNATIC WAS AT LEAST ENTERTAINING, AT TIMES.
YOU BORE ME TO TEARS.
[sarcasm]As a show of my support. I will work tirelessly to undermine her efforts to beat her enemy, and burn her in effigy.
I will do it because I support her efforts.[/sarcasm]
43 Enabler of what? Aside from that, you’re making a pretty bold assumption that Hillary is “my gal”. Personally, I consider her only a slightly more desirable Democratic candidate than Joe Lieberman. Not the least of my reasons is that the right-wing pundits seem to be all smiles about her being nominated next year. That can only mean they consider her the easiest to defeat.
@47;
They also might just want a Clinton to pick on for the next 4-8 years.
I mean, think about it. The movement is falling apart, their radio/TV ratings are going down the crapper… They were only on the rise as a movement when there was a clinton in office ;)
I’m betting that the realistic Rightie strategists are planning on pulling a 1976 job; They know they’re boned for the time being, so they’d rather get a democrat they can really rag on/sabotage in office to rebuild the base for 2012.
<SNICKER>TYPICALLEFTY: YOU’RE A MORON</SNICKER>
“YOS LIB BRO says:
TYPICALLEFTY: YOU’RE A MORON”
Hey! How’s it going picklesniffer?
Figured you’d be having your mom drop you off at the big code pink occupation of Pelosi’s office today. Didn’t expect to see you here.
How’d the crying and cutting go last night EMO LIB TARD?
It’s a good thing Edwards won’t follow the Publican example. What did GOP hero Newt The Hoot do when his wife got cancer? He had an affair with his intern (while trying to impeach President Clinton for the same thing) and then the turd Newt tried to divorce his wife while she was in the hospital. Real class act.
Hey Goldy – it’s been a while since we had an update on all of Puffybutt’s alias names. How about it?
How’s it going picklesniffer?
C’MON TL, YOU DON’T WANNA REFER TO YOUR VERY CLOSE BUDDIES GANNON AND CPL. SANCHEZ THAT WAY. DO YOU?
OH SORRY. NOT CPL. SANCHEZ – I MEANT PIERRE LABRANCHE!!!
YOU GOT ALL OF PIERRE’S MOVIES RIGHT? I BET YOU LOVE THOSE KINDS OF FRENCH FILMS. MAYBE YOU GOT THE SPLIT SCREEN GOING WITH O’REILLY AND HIS FALAFEL VIBRATOR.
LMAO!!!
@27 If I emailed me, you would be able to find out who I am, and I’m very particular about whom I entrust that information to. Is it possible for you to email Goldy and ask him to forward a private message to me? Or is the message too personal in nature?
correction – should read “If I emailed you”
@28 “In reading comments about “front runners” and various campaign tactics, I find in necessary to occasionally remind myself that it is still March 2007, and the first primaries are still almost a year away.”
John, the timeline is different this year, for several reasons:
1) The primary dates have been moved up, and both parties’ nominations are likely to be determined in February;
2) Everyone expects this to be the most expensive campaign in history, so the fundraising is starting earlier (one pundit has predicted candidates will have to raise $100 million by the end of this year to stay in the race); and
3) We have an open race (i.e., no incumbent president or veep is running) for the first time in 80 years, and neither party has an anointed standard-bearer.
Another possible factor is the troubles of the incumbent administration are sustaining a high level of public interest in politics and focusing public attention on Bush’s successor at an early date.
If Edwards were a Republican, he would have already cheated on her….. Done a Newt! Ya got caner, I’m outa here!!!
@35 No, the Coulterbeast will say something mean-spirited and offensive (in order to draw attention to herself and sell more books), but who knows, maybe she’ll be next. Cancer is going around these days (even Tony Snow has it), and Coulter is no spring chicken herself, so her clock is ticking too. Must be the dirty environment.
Coulter has one thing going in her favor, though — you can’t get cervical cancer from a dildo (unless you’ve been sharing it with someone else).
@38 What can we expect to come out of a winger’s mouth except a load of crap? Yeah, we’ve gotten mean, dickface. It’s called payback. You want to re-civilize politics? You guys started the shit-slinging, so you go first.
@43 Jack, you’re an enabler of every evil thing that has come out of this administration — lies, war and killing, torture, corruption, environmental destruction, economic rape of the working class, etc. Next to you and your ilk, Hillary is a saint.
@47 ” … the right-wing pundits seem to be all smiles about her being nominated next year. That can only mean they consider her the easiest to defeat.”
The polls certainly make her look that way.
It’s important to remember, though, that polls don’t mean a whole lot at this stage. The candidates really haven’t gotten out there in front of the public very much, and those who are unknown, or whose popularity is lagging, still have time to polish their image and build support. It’s way too soon to predict who will get traction with voters.
“RightEqualsStupid says:
It’s a good thing Edwards won’t follow the Publican example. What did GOP hero Newt The Hoot do when his wife got cancer? He had an affair with his intern (while trying to impeach President Clinton for the same thing) and then the turd Newt tried to divorce his wife while she was in the hospital. Real class act.”
You sure are an idealistic little monkey – I’ll give you that.
You really believe, deep down in your heart, that one party is better than the other. That’s cute.
Let’s face a few facts;
The breck girl (Edwards) is a trial lawyer who got filthy rich by explioting others pain and misery.
The Breck girls wife was diagnosed in 2004.
Her type of cancer gives her roughly 20 more years.
Yes, cancer sucks. BUT, why the big public press conference TODAY?
Politics young man.
The trial lawyer is using it to his advantage. He’s playing politics with his wifes cancer.
When he loses the nomination (which he will – badly) he will sue her Doctor to pay off campaign debt.
Hillary 08!
Hello.
#40-YOS LIB BRO. For your information, I am NOT a supporter of President Bush. And I refuse to call him, or any other politicians, names… it is beneath me. For the record, I am hoping to see a presidential race between Rudy Guiliani and Barack Obama. That, my friends, definately wets my appetite for a good race.
YOS, can you for 1 minute put aside your hatred of all things not of the Democratic party and realize that my well wishings were just that. I bear no ill will towards John Edwards, his wife, or his family. A a man who had to witness the slow painful death cancer causes to two men I deeply loved (my grandfathers), it is not a pain I would wish my worst enemy.
There is a time and a place for partisan attacks.
This is NOT it.
Thank you.
There comes a time to drop party affiliation and remember that we are all human.
SO WHY DIDN’T YOU CHANGE YOUR HANDLE IN 40?
SORRY BUT WE HAVE A WINNER TAKES ALL SYSTEM IN THE USA AND THE CURRENT REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY EXTREMISTS. IMHO, OUR COUNTRY IS IN PERIL FROM THESE EXTREMISTS. MANY AMERICANS HAVE COME TO SAME CONCLUSION AS EVIDENCED BY WHAT HAPPENED LAST NOV 7.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS NOT PERFECT BUT IT IS ONLY PRACTICABLE CHOICE I HAVE.
AS FOR NAME-CALLING, IT IS UNFORTUNATELY THE STATE OF THINGS HERE AT HA.ORG AND MANY OTHER POLITICAL WEB SITES LIKE (UN)SOUNDPOLITICS.COM. I WOULDN’T HARBOR SO MUCH ENMITY TOWARDS THE CURRENT OCCUPANT OF THE WHITE HOUSE IF HE ONLY TRIED TO GOVERN AS THE CENTRIST HE SOLD HIMSELF AS IN THE 2000 ELECTION.
THAT TURNED OUT TO BE A DAMNABLE LIE.