Edwards gives Obama boost among working-class whites

Jessica 05-15-2008

John Edwards gave his long-awaited endorsement to Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday, bolstering Obama's efforts to rally the Democratic Party around his candidacy and offering potential help in his attempts to win over working-class white voters in the general election.

"The Democratic voters in America have made their choice, and so have I," Edwards told a roaring crowd of more than 12,000 people here in the Van Andel Arena, on a day when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was trying to capitalize on her big win Tuesday in West Virginia and convince superdelegates and contributors that she still has a chance to capture the Democratic nomination.

"There is one man who knows in his heart that we have to build one America — not two — and that man is Barack Obama," Edwards said. Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina who dropped his bid for the Democratic nomination in January, said Obama represented hope and reconciliation to a nation buffeted by war and economic distress.

His endorsement came after wins by Clinton in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and other states with large working-class populations indicated potential weaknesses with voters along racial and class divides — weaknesses Clinton has tried to exploit to convince superdelegates, contributors and voters in the five remaining contests that she has a better chance to beat Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, in the fall.

Edwards could potentially help Obama with that group of voters. A Southerner, he had made a pitch to the same white and working-class voters Obama is trying to woo.

"I'll just point out the obvious," Edwards told one audience when he was campaigning in Iowa last year. "In the last — can I do the math, 45, 50 years — what is it, the last two Democrats who actually got elected president? Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton. Both of 'em talk like I do."

Raven

Honestly I pretty much disappointed in Edwards on this one. Mainly becuase he did it after West Virginia. If he did it before hand I would of had some respect for Edwards.

Nina

I think Edwards only did it to maybe get VP out of it and as long as he did it afterwards they can't said his endorsement didn't do shit since they will never know.

hugo281

Well I'm guessing that Hilary Clinton will be saying something about this endorsement sooner or later, but yeah I agree I think he did it to get the VP position if Obama becomes "El Presidente"

Hsoolien

Not that he would make for a bad VP, and maybe he really did just realize what his endorsement might do...
But it does come off sounding like a bid on VP.

hugo281

right!!! well I wouldn't be surprised if you hear something later on that Obama has chosen Edwards to be his VP when or if he's running against McCain

Hsoolien

Speaking of McCain has anyone else seen this site:
http://www.thingsyoungerthanmccain.com/

hugo281

lol this pretty funny, pretty much everything is younger than McCain

Hsoolien

He'd have pretty high odds of dying from old age in office...

hugo281

right!!! lol we should start a new thread that says things younger than McCain... and just have everyone start naming stuff out of the blue