Law Students

Why Edwards Will Back Obama

By js

Pretty obvious stuff here, but:

1. Edwards has framed this race up until recently as a battle between the forces of Change and the forces of Status Quo. That was likely an attempt to make it a two person race with Obama, but it's a fair characterization as well.
2. He and Obama share a strong opposition to reducing lobbying and corruption; possibly the only real policy difference among the three democratic candidates.
3. Despite the above, polls and completed primaries suggest that Edwards's supporters won't automatically move to Obama.
4. The stakes, as Tuesday approaches, couldn't be higher. There's no better time to give Obama even more momentum.

But if Edwards has more hubris and opportunism than I estimate, he could take a Clinton deal and endorse her. Of course, that will alienate some of his fighting-left supporters, not the least because it looks so opportunistic.

Edwards has run a strict, purist campaign. If he was going to compromise principle to get ahead, he would have done it already.

Full post as published by Expressio Unius on January 30, 2008 (boomark / email).