Edwards out
 

It seems John Edwards has droped out after getting smacked around by Kerry on super tuesday.

AP link

I have a feeling that Kerry will have him run as VP, but no one will know that untill it happens.

This makes me the sad.

Now it is time for us to watch John F. Kerry Self Destruct.

Bring it on!!

Yeah, I think the VP would be an ideal position for Edwards. He was a little too inexperienced to go for the top slot so soon. The Vice Presidency would give him the inside track to the Presidency later on. Edwards would also be able to help Kerry out by giving the ticket some youth and energy. Kerry-Edwards would be a very formidable team.

I could easily be wrong, but I don't think Edwards will be V.P. I don't think he will help Kerry enough. If Kerry looks to the South, I think someone like John Breaux from Louisisana makes more sense. Gephart works and a number of others. I also think he may be looking for a Governor to put on the ticket.

However, I don't think this will be the last we hear of John Edwards, he is only 50 years old and has a great deal of momentum. I wonder if he is regretting not running for reelection to the Senate.

Just remember Gary Hart, young, handsome, full of energy, gone. Edwards may be back, but a lot can happen.

From the people I know in the south, even those who don't like Bush, they REALLY don't like Kerry. He is going to need someone very strong from the south. Had Zell Miller not basically defected to the republicans, he would have made a good choice. He needs someone the south will trust.

My prediction: Edwards for VP.

Something good could come out of NC.... right?

Kerry doesn't need to win southern states to win the presidency. Even one or two would be great, but not necessary.

Then again, if things are going well for Kerry, he might win Arkansas, Tennessee, or Florida. But, winning those states (or others) won't be the measure of his campaign's success.

My god. Two days and two subjects we agree on. ;)

I think Kerry will bring in somone who can generate votes in a state where the vote is expected to be very close.

Kerry doesn't need to win southern states to win the presidency. Even one or two would be great, but not necessary.

WRONG.

Not one President has won the Presidency losing all the Southern states since Lincoln. Sure mathematically its not necessary, but i'd bet that if he loses all the southern states Bush will still be sitting in the white house come January.

Picking a VP just to get his or her home state isn't a good strategy. For one, its not guaranteed at all, especially in the south where they are likely to vote for Bush anyway. And what's one state when someone like Edwards could help attract people all over the country.

Didn't say it was a good strategy but I think it's one that will be followed.

Ustwo - Gary Hart is gone for Clintonesque reasons. Edwards is gone because he didn't have enough time (or money) to make the impact he'd need to. The liberals seem to crave Kerry... it'll be a close election regardless, and we'll be either very Conservative (Except concerning spending and immigration) or very Liberal (Except concerning whatever issues are controversial) for the next 4 years.... which means the other half of us will spend a very pissed off 4 years. Great!

A lot of the news programs are touting Hillary for VP over Edwards. They seem to thinks Edwards would do better to stay in the senate and try to advance himself there.

Now we get 8 months of Bush vs. Kerry. I really hate election years.

If Kerry wins all the Gore states (excluding Florida) plus Ohio, Kerry is our President. That's a win without the South.

It doesn't follow from that statement that every elected president in the future will win a southern state. Your sample is just too small. Key states for Democrats this time are outside the south. States like Arizona, Ohio, Iowa, and Minnesota are all in play. You're exactly right that it's mathematically possible. Gore would have won if he picked up one other non-southern state. I think NH or VT went to Bush, I forget which. If Kerry gets the Gore states (give or take), and VT/NH, he can win. No southern states.

Like I said earlier: a successful Kerry strategy won't focus on winning in the south, but, if Kerry wins the election, it's likely that he'll win a couple of southern states too. See what I mean? His success isn't determined by how Arkansas or Florida goes. It's the other way around.

I think he should be the Vice President

Yeah, it's a little scarry huh. Actually you are right on. So many people forget (and considering 2000 I don't know why) that the final say is by the Electoral College not the popular vote. If he is smart, he will pick someone who can bring him a state Gore lost and try to keep what Gore won.

And by the way there is NO WAY Hillary is on the ticket. Kerry has a long enough road to hoe without carrying all of her baggage with him.

If I recall correctly, didn't Edwards say very early on in the primaries that he wasn't interested in the Vice Presidency? Of course, I could be mistaken and that is a decision that could easily changed, I wa sjust hoping someone could clarify.

Damn make that three times in three days. I've held the possibility open for a while that Hillary was going to pull what Sen Lautenberg pulled here in NJ (basically Torricelli ran for Senate and took all the hits from the press, made his opponent spend all his money fighting him, and then dropped out at the very last minute for Lautenberg to step in). I still think it's a possibility and it's a strategy that will be used again sometime in the future.

Hillary getting on this ticket will only hurt her. I do not like Hillary in the least but it would be idiotic for her to jump in to be VP. People already take it as a given that she has her sites set on the Presidency she shouldn't settle for anything less at this point. I'm not sure she can get to that level, but strategically getting on Kerry's ticket will only give her more baggage when she attempts it.

Tholo, as far as Edwards saying he wasn't interested in the VP slot, I don't doubt that he did say it but last week during one of the tv discussions among candidates (I wouldn't even call it a debate) he seemed to be trying to ingratiate himself to Kerry.