Well I finally am finished with my schoolwork (finished my Orgo exam today, with a little help from the Orgo fairy at the end), so I figured I’d give posting a try. Probably the biggest story in American politics is that John Edwards finally made his endorsement for a Democratic presidential candidate, and unsurprisingly, endorsed presumptive nominee Barack Obama.
I’m curious as to what made Edwards decide to endorse Obama at this point in the campaign. It’s pretty much past the point of having any significance, except for perhaps being the final nail in the coffin of the Clinton campaign (next stop, a John Olver endorsement). The endorsement was too late to prevent Obama from getting trounced in an essentially meaningless West Virginia primary, though of course the media has played up the fact that Obama lost even among white voters who would be expected to support him.
I remain intrigued by the possibility of an Obama-Edwards ticket, which could help him carry the white working-class voters that are in danger of defecting from Clinton to McCain (at least according to polls). Could the #2 spot on the ticket have been the cost of an endorsement? Unlikely, as it seems that Edwards had very little at stake in endorsing a frontrunner. Still, I am curious about the behind-the-scenes politicking that goes into making endorsements. What do you guys think, is the Edwards endorsement a big deal? No deal?