If Kucinich drops out of the race on Friday,...

then I will vote for Edwards in the Missouri primary. I can't stand the sight of Hillary or Obama. They have no more business being president of the United States than I do.

But, for all you people who just can't help deifying Edwards, you are living in a dream world if you think he will fix the economy, fix health care or balance the budget. If we are lucky enough,(and that's a very strong if) to have some very serious minded leaders, intent on tackling some critical foreign and domestic problems, it could easily take a generation to repair the damage Bush and his criminals have done to this country.

Edwards may, if he uses the presidency as a bully pulpit, be able to reform lobbying. He could make some real progress on trade. Neither of those two issues will be easy, because, he will have to fight members of his own party, as well as the republicans.

I have come to believe that he has had some sort of epiphany, and am willing to throw my vote his way, in the hope that it can make a difference in this freakshow of an election season.

Not a ringing endorsement, to be sure, but this ain't my first rodeo. Many here would do well to lower their expectations of the man somewhat, and realize that he can only do so much. If he tries to live up to his rhetoric, if he truly fights for us,I will be happy. That, alone, would be a most refreshing change.

I thought I read that he did today.

Cleveland Plain Dealer said that he could announce he will drop out tomorrow.

I just saw it on Yahoo myself. Very sad. :( I was definitely going to vote for him, regardless of all the "can't win" conventional wisdom. Guess I will go with Edwards now, but ... damn.

I hope Dennis stays active and vocal.

That's just who he is.

*sigh*

social programs are more important than the deficit. I would be shocked if he explicitly tried to balance the budget at the expense of the environment, the squeezed middle class, and the poor. Healthcare will get done because the coalition that will pass it is already coming together. As for the economy, it will heal when Edwards signs the Employee Free Choice Act to expand unionization, and universal healthcare frees both business and households from skyrocketing healthcare costs. That's not to mention raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation. I also look forward to public financing for congressional elections, and a cap and trade system for carbon emissions. That's the minimum I expect, and I don't consider myself a dreamer.

He will most likely still be on the ballot, and damnit, I want to vote for a candidate this election cycle, not just voting against one.

However your words ring quite true. Edwards is simply another corporately controlled candidate, with debts and obligations to the moneyed men backing him. Sure, he's talking a good populist game now, but if he gets into office he will change his stripes quickly.

It is for this reason that I can't bring myself to vote for him in the primary, and come the general election I'm seriously thinking that I won't be able to vote for whomever the nominee is. Good chance I wind up going Green, out of sheer frustration.

:shrug:

His backers in the legal and financial communities aren't throwing gobs of money at him in order for him to go on a populist tear, neither are the rest of his backers in other sectors like the health care industry. They all expect a good value for their dollar, and while understanding that he is talking a good populist game to get elected, there is the unstated maxim that he won't follow through, at least not very much, on his rhetoric once in office.

Nope, like other corporate candidates, his corporate backers will reap the lion's share of the rewards while we the people get the scraps, if we're lucky. That's how it works in our two party/same corporate master system of government. That's why DK was so special, he had no corporate strings and the only ones he is accountable to is we the people.

from shutting out injured victims of corporate greed from justice. His second biggest contributing sector is called "Democratic/Liberal," which I think speaks for itself. His third biggest contributing sector is "retired" and their interests are protecting social security/medicare/medicaid, which are also our interests. He has received less financial money than Dodd, Romney, Obama, Clinton, Giuliani, and McCain, which is his fourth highest industry.

So "Democratic/liberal" takes second, and first is an interest group whose interests are our interests. Your "one corporate master" rhetoric doesn't work against someone who has spent his life suing them.

It is a handy little tool, but you're not using, or at least interpreting the data correctly.

Oh, and if you really think that the legal community is all that wonderful, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

Sorry, but I don't buy Edward's born again populism. He is coming out as slick and phoney, and frankly if he gets into office, he will change. He is bound with too much corporate money to do otherwise.

:pals:

in my primary.

I'd rather be disappointed than cynical.

Thanks for your support... however grudging... here's hoping... :pals:

I don't like being cynical. I've just been around awhile.

:toast:

I know.

You kind of have to be unrealistically optimistic in order not to burnout, around these parts (TX). :P