Reply #15: The "Hillary can't win" group [View All]

[PATRICK]

is a disheartening counterpart to the GOP wild hope should she run. Personally I argue against that sentiment among DUers except for the reminder that our last two Dem winners of the vote never got to serve(Gore and Kerry).

Without bashing or predictions of defeat or dire results of the GOP or herself continuing to take the country to corporatist rule, the various factors weigh very heavily. Maybe some are not true or subject to harsh disagreement.

Edwards is running populist, positive and will earn a mandate unlike most other progressive candidates to lead the nation this way. And in specific policies fairly large and significant in scope. Publicly backing the paper ballot after years of nearly universal deafness and blindness by the party to the entire subject. A realistic health care program that will pry the fingers of the middlemen off the money pot and make them compete with the government- a very instructive lesson as to the real nature of the "free" market and government services. In the past most Dem candidates offered model programs with symbolic value much smaller than these two alone. Edwards surpasses Bill Clinton in leading the nation away from the blue dogs and into the blue.

As a Southener and talking that talk he will help move that region toward progress, higher Dem representation. More Reps. more progressive and tied as well to the top of the ticket progressive lean. Purportedly the GOP who might cross over will only accept Edwards or Obama and Hillary is frozen in negatives that would hurt the entire party. As a local concern, ironically in NY, Hillary's home state,
my guy Eric Massa will again try to unseat the troll Kuhl. It is a gerrymandered heavily GOP district. A bit of cheating and big turnout such as Hillary and possible victory for the GOP might inspire and his chances of an upset are grim. What of the other seats we could have won in 2006? To build on that progress we have to surge not start calculating our fixed line stuck with the Clinton factors frozen in time. Obama seems to have good possibilities in the big win department, GOP crossover too, but it is not so much HIS experience but OUR experience of him that is lacking. We really are not sure how this first timer is going to do. Still, that is better than fixed, virulent, enemy emboldening negatives, unfair and despicable as they are. Yes Hillary can win, but no one wants then to talk about coattails.

Edwards can and seems poised to make a big noise about making damn sure this time the vote will count -even in a win- and know the reason why and who is responsible. Impunity, immunity from prosecution should be swept off the table. Repress the suppressors with honest to God fear and consequences. The others will choose not to notice and try to fight the Kerry style fight off the center stage.

On all the issues and most of his positions I am behind him and that is added to electoral advantages sorely needed just to get quickly and most of the way back to the representation and agenda that truly represents America. Obama is certainly aiming that way himself although he has evinced some perturbing DLC attitudes that are the taint of the last corrupted decades of fake conservative influence and lies.
If he later chooses a staff in comes the hungry Clinton crowd, plan B, and others to sell the progress and restoration short.

If Obama's charisma and general appeal is still uncertain and unproved it is only fair to point out that the above reasons may not be absolute or totally successful against the big GOP smear machine. We currently have no great sure name that would give us the track record proof. Bill Clinton would because he won- and served. Gore and Kerry won as well, but that has produced a lot of fog and doubt concerning our real strength among the real voters. We start off, despite some progress against a growing and unpunished fraud machine, with a deficit, knowing we can win and yet not "win". Stumbling around in that doubt gives us worse footing than in the past trying to argue electability. If you combined all of our candidates into one superhuman mega-messiah it would make the whole situation go away. As it is the GOP almost dares us to hope, teases us to despair, by grooming pathetic no-ways in total arrogance that the will of the people is any obstacle to perpetrating another fraud.

It isn't absolutely clearcut or certain, but the weight of it all comes down for me to Edwards as the best and most progressive hope for both victory and the best agenda and the most steps for putting things right.