A USA Today/Gallup presidential horse-race poll shows Edwards gaining widespread support (2 to 1) for his decision to stay in, despite his wife's recurrence of cancer.
Americans by 2-to-1 support the decision by former North Carolina senator John Edwards to stay in the Democratic presidential race even though his wife, Elizabeth, has been diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer.
Last week we saw what had to be the lowest moment in American politics since "macaca", when idiot pundits from Rush Limbaugh to Katie Couric cynically questioned the Edwards' decision. Critics were widely condemned, and only the "backwash" of American politics, knee-jerk reactionaries terrified at the prospect of powerful progressive leadership in America, chose to repeat the repulsive slander.
Nonetheless, Edwards (14%) gained only slightly against Obama (22%) and Hillary (35%), and he still trails Al Gore (17%) who has not shown any inclination he will run.
John Edwards got a boost in the horse race of Democratic contenders in the new poll. He was the preferred candidate of 14% of the respondents who identified themselves as Democrats or independents who lean to the Democratic Party. That's up from 9% in a USA TODAY Poll three weeks ago.He ranks fourth, behind New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, at 35%; Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, at 22%, and former vice president Al Gore, at 17%. No other contender receives more than 3%.
On the Republican side, the big story is Former senator Fred Thompson...
former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson shook up the field when he said he would consider getting into the presidential race. These days, Thompson is familiar as the actor who plays District Attorney Arthur Branch on the NBC drama Law & Order.Chosen by 12% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters, Thompson is third in the Republican field, jumping ahead of a half-dozen contenders. He trails former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, at 31%, and Arizona Sen. John McCain, at 22%. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is at 8%.
One reason for Thompson's fast start is name identification, says Republican strategist Rich Galen. "More people watch him every week on TV than will vote in total next Feb. 5," he says, the day of primaries in about a dozen states.
Lots to say here:
Fred Thompson (12%) has star quality: pudgy, gruff, but like-able, gram pa-style, star quality, but he's on TV so how bad can he be? I don't know a damned thing about his policy or positions except I hazard to guess he's less of a flat-earth, anti-science, gay bashing, reactionary than Sam Brownback (3%). The point is nobody else knows what he stands for either, he's just this nice old guy who seemed to get something done in the Senate and now he's on the tube. Thompson's popularity just shows how very, very, very, very weak the rest of the field is.
Rudy (31%) is taking a lumping from the Fire Fighters in a series of attacks that go to the very heart of his all-9/11 candidacy. Get this: apparently, Rudy called off rescue attempts for fallen firefighters at ground zero. This was an understandably unpopular move among the fire fighters, but Rudy went on to have protesting representatives of the fire fighters arrested. He then excavated the area dumped the debris, including the remains of fallen fire fighters, in landfills, and potentially used the bones of dead fire fighters to fill in Manhattan pot holes. That's the story from the fire fighters as best I can tell and it's a doozy. I mean, sending fire fighter's bones to a landfill is bad enough, but to FILL POTHOLES!!!???!!! Jesus wept!
John McCain (22%): has there ever been a more disappointing national leader? Anyone with a lick of sense knew that Bush was going to be a disaster. Even those who supported him, knew he was dumb as a bagga hammers and as a dry drunk was essentially capable of anything. McCain, on the other hand came out of the 2000 election season with a powerhouse "maverick" reputation, and a record of bi-partisan leadership that assured him a position in this year's race. Then he just caved in to the Arch-conservatives who will never embrace or forgive him, and he abandoned every semblance of credibility in the process. His newer, shinier, "Straight-Talk Express", bus is a pitiful shell of the previous, authentic version. From "maverick" to "inauthentic" in no time flat.
Mitt Romney (3%) is loved by nobody except Ann Coulter, which explains his dramatic fall to the bottom of the heap. Icarus-like, he strapped that wax harpie onto his back to reach for the money-soaked sunshine of CPAC endorsement. Her fall is now his. Romney has come crashing back to earth, with his hate-filled wax wings melted and his candidacy in tatters.
Newt (8%) doesn't seem to have gotten the "outright hypocrisy and pandering to the belligerent fundamentalist" bounce that he was hoping for. He made a play for the "Darling of the far right" position that was left vacant when George Allen was defeated by Jim Webb last fall. No, it seems that nobody drank the kool aid when Newt claimed absolution at the feet of the Right Reverend Dobson for conducting a illicit affair while prosecuting Bill Clinton and championing his impeachment on the same grounds. So pitiful. If Elizabeth had been married Newt Gingrich instead of John Edwards, she likely would have been served with Divorce papers in her hospital bed. Newt is such a pariah that even desperate members of the "ignorance, hatred, and greed" caucus won't choose him as their candidate.
One final note for the repulsive idiots who even hinted at a condemnation of John and Elizabeth Edwards' decision to carry on and face the future together. These people are precisely what the American family is all about, facing the future, staying together, pursuing dreams and serving society at great personal cost. This is why marriage is an institution for everyone that must be supported and nurtured by us all. They are the best of what we all can be: examples of devotion in the face of adversity. I am proud and honored to be a member of the party of John and Elizabeth Edwards.
H/T Doug Mataconis.
Al Gore has real star power right now, and not just netroots but real national poll numbers to back it up. In this poll where the story is Edwards, the REAL story is how Gore is polling better than Edwards and he's not even a candidate.
Then to the Republicans, Thompson is polling better than most of thier field and he's also not a declared candidate.
Al Gore for the Democrats.
Fred Thompson for the Republicans.
You heard it here first. =)
Despite my absolute and endless respect and trust in John and Elizabeth Edwards, if Gore comes in to this race, he's my candidate.
NEITHER of these guys are in the race now. Gore most probably won't enter the fray. And his star power is very much overestimated.
Thompson is a frickin movie star for petes sake. To think he can take Giuliani OR McCain is SILLY SILLY SILLY.
Sorry to go off on a rant or be a flamer. But this is such a stupid post that I really can't help myself. Dude, if you want people to take you seriously on political matters you should get some more political education and savvy.
To Thompson, the GOP base is going crazy over a possible Thompson run. Just google Fred Thompson and you'll find out.
Your entire reply to my comment is absurd. Your the one that looks off his rocker and not me.
Thanks for playing.
As for Fred Thompson, I would concur with Josh in that Thompson's current popularity show how weak the GOP field is. Despite the fact that he's hovering above the lower-tier of the GOP field, and the fact he gets virtually millions of free advertising each week, I doubt he'd ever amount to anything in a primary above a potential VP nominee. Once he declares, so comes the oppo-research and the digging of old senate votes and what not...most of what is out about this guy right now isn't necessarily political (how many of those Thompson supporters know his issue stances off the top of their head?).
his built in name rec shoots all the figures to hell. no way those polls have serious validity.
AGAIN. HE IS NOT RUNNING. Does he have to swear on the Bible and pinky promise to every one in the US to get you wacktivists to get it.
GIVE IT UP
As for Thompson, the GOP never nominates a dark horse. It'll be Guilliani or McCain.
As for Edwards, as much as the national poll boost certainly helps, I'm interesting in seeing some Iowa or other early primary/caucus state polls. Edwards has been polling at or right around the top of Iowa for sometime. If he gets a big boost there like the Rasmussen, then he's sittin' pretty.
Also would be interesting to see how Hillary is doing in Iowa after Gov. Vilsack endorsed her earlier this week.
Gore's advisors have got to know that there'll be a moment after he wins the Nobel Peace Prize and before Christmas when he'll have enough time to put his team in place and enough momentum to surpass the rest of the field.
Gore has so much potential. Imagine what he could do to address the climate crisis with both the full force of the executive and the bully pulpit.
Gore's a game changer, don't count him out.
Ok here we go
Clinton (35%) has there ever been a more rehearsed and scripted leader? everything this woman says is focus grouped and polled. Especially in our current international climate we need real leadership on issues not carefully scripted rhetoric.
Obama (22%) Nice guy but is anything behind him. Start talking about issues during your speeches. Given the global situation again are we really comfortable with having a president who will not even have a full senate term under his belt for national experience (that didn't work too well with the current president :-p ) and he has no executive experience at all.
Edwards (17%) I would be one of those 20% of republicans who is most scared of him. He has talked about important issues for democrats (healthcare, class issues, unions) However, like the rest of the democrats his foreign policy is weak. It would be interesting to see how he tacts to the center during the general elction
Close on the positive
I am a McCain guy. He has the experience and leadership that is needed. Instead of listing all of the issues I would encourage people to check out the website.
Your criticism of Obama (not experienced enough) seems to be the opposite of your criticism of Hillary (too experienced, too much a gamesplayer), nonetheless, I can't help but echo your concerns.
I want Hillary to show me her authenticity. I want Obama to show me some issues and leadership for the movement. I want Edwards to win the nomination unless Gore comes in.
McCain lost me and any chance of being elected when he decided to become the champion of Bush's failed war in Iraq, while simultaneously bending his knee to the reactionary, evangelical nationalists.
As far as foreign policy cred, Hillary's got everything she needs, but to reinforce it all, I think you've put your finger on why Webb will likely be chosen for VP in '08 regardless of who wins the Dem nomination.
I'll admit that I am an unapologetic Obama supporter, but I feel that there's just so little attention paid to what Obama has actually said and done. And to my knowledge, he's the only candidate to lay out a specific plan to withdraw from Iraq.
Look at his issues page and tell me what more you'd like to hear from him.
www.barackobama.com/issues/
Can you imagine? Bush camelot... who are these idiots?
I don't think I personally could, as a husband, pull myself together under similar circumstances. You almost must be super-human to fight cancer and run a Presidential campaign simultaneously.
But I am no John Edwards. I admire the hell out of him and his family. Politics and presidential hopes aside, at this point in time I just hope and pray for the health of Mrs. Edwards - and a long life. That is what is most important.