Political Forecast

Or why the Register endorsed Hillary Clinton.

I’m not bitter, of course, but I think that it just stupid that the Des Moines Register decided to look past Edwards because he wasn’t as happy-go-lucky as 2004. When Atrios highlights Edwards’ statements on ABC’s This Week, I think we get a pretty good look at what Edwards is thinking, and it is about right:

“I didn’t consider it a consolation prize. I’m excited about being on the cover of Newsweek. The only thing I would add is, we did have a very serious debate when I was at the editorial board about a really fundamental difference that I have with them, which is, I do believe we have to take on a very serious issue of too much influence of corporate power in Washington and how it affects the public policy in this country.
[…]
I mean, they have a position. I respectfully disagree with it. I think that if we’re going to have serious change in this country, universal health care, attacking global warming, a tax policy that works for most Americans instead of just a few, a trade policy that creates jobs instead of costing jobs, I mean, all those things are going to require us to have a president of the United States who’s tough and willing to fight these powerful corporate interests that stand between us and the change that we need.

And I think the notion that you can sit at the table and negotiate and compromise, and these powerful interests will give away their power, I think is a fantasy. If it were true, it would have been working over the last few decades. And it does not.

I think we have a huge fight, an epic fight on our hands against those powerful interests, not against politicians. Nobody cares about politicians fighting. But I think we need a president who’s tough enough to take these people on and win, and I’ve been doing it my whole life.”

Simply put, the Register is being naive. And their endorsement of John McCain is just another example of wanting the status quo.

But that’s ok with me. Because I’d rather not have the endorsement as a way to keep up the fight against the conventional wisdom and against the status quo. That’s why I’m glad to have First Lady Mari Culver’s endorsement. I’ve met the First Lady several times and she’s a dynamic part of the Culver political duo. She’s a big part of the reason that the Big Lug is governor right now, and I think most Iowans know that.

Anyway, that’s why I enjoyed Simon Stevenson’s fisking of the endorsement over at Bleeding Heartland. A bit harsh? Maybe. But there is some pretty good argument and analysis, too.

In the end, it is going to be things like Edwards’ rural strategy here in Iowa that help him on caucus night. He was the first candidate to visit all 99 counties and has been to lots of small towns more than once–which can really help him come caucus night. While some of the candidates are still focusing on a big statewide blitz or drawing huge crowds in the big towns and cities of Iowa, Edwards contrasts that with a populist message of change and a fight throughout Iowa. With new polls and new observations, Edwards may be “mounting a comeback” (if you look through the media lens) or we’re finally seeing the true strength of the Edwards organization that was left over from 2004.

With a message that promises a fight and promises change, it won’t be long before we get to see just how strong John Edwards really is as a candidate.

Cross-posted at Bleeding Heartland.

Well, now that we’re less than three weeks out from the Iowa Precinct Caucuses, it is time for me to make a tough decision: Who am I going to caucus for?

After watching the debates, attending events, reading the profiles, and listening to my friends I decided that it was time to face the tough decision. Our field of Democratic candidates is an amazing spectrum of leadership, experience, and real desire for change. I would be proud to call any of these candidates our nominee.

Why did I hold off so long in making my decision? There were numerous reasons, but the primary one was that I wanted to make sure I was going to remain unbiased for as long as possible in my coverage of the candidates and to maintain a level of openness on both Political Forecast and Bleeding Heartland. But the time has truly come to pick a candidate. And for me, the candidate of choice is John Edwards.

Edwards appeals to me because he is the candidate with the experience and leadership to challenge the status quo. He’s been in a tough presidential race and involved in a general election campaign. He knows what it means to fight, and I’m telling you, that’s what we’re going to have in 2008. No presidential race is ever a cakewalk. And John Edwards knows that.

More than his experience in the political field, he’s got the populist rhetoric and policies that make me want him to go to Washington, removed the entrenched special interests, and bring back an era of unabashed compromise politics with all players on an even footing. Having “politics” determine our policy courses in this country is fine with me; in this country we value the institutionalized agreement to disagree. But that agreement has been co-opted by the conventional wisdom, those with wealth, and those with power. Those folks have to be removed and I believe John Edwards is the candidate who can do that.

Finally, on the issues, Edwards has the right ideas and has shaped the progressive issues debate in this presidential race. He was the first to seriously propose a plan for universal health care and I believe it is still the best one out there. He’s talk about rural revitalization, protecting the middle class, fair trade policies, protecting the environment, ending the war in Iraq, and a variety of other issues every where he goes.

I don’t want to go on forever, so I hope you’ll appreciate my honesty in telling you my caucus choice. And if you disagree that’s fine. Other bloggers in Iowa have different opinions and I respect my colleagues. Some have endorsed Joe Biden, others have endorsed Barack Obama, and others have endorsed John Edwards as well. I respect their decisions, and I hope we have a vigorous and competitive caucus. As we get closer to picking the Democratic nominee, I hope we can all unite behind the candidate and fight hard to take back the White House in November.

What does this all mean for me? Well, first of all, Bleeding Heartland isn’t going to have two front-pagers touting John Edwards. Desmoinesdem will be the one touting Edwards there. My focus will continue to be on the caucuses as whole, whether it be polls, issues, the horserace, or whatever else may emerge. But remember, Bleeding Heartland is a community blog; it is your site and I hope you sign up, start a diary, and get involved in the discussion.

On Political Forecast, I’m going to keep covering Iowa-specific policies as well as highlight why I’m supporting Edwards and talk a bit about his campaign.

Finally, I’d like to show you John Edwards’ new campaign ad airing in Iowa. It is called “Voice.”