It’s becoming a pilgrimage, of sorts. First, Senator Hillary Clinton visited former Senator and former Presidential wannabe John Edwards — seeking his endorsement and support. And now, in yet another meeting at Edwards’ home, Senator Barack Obama has visited Edwards.
The goal of each campaign: get Edwards’ endorsement and, not parenthetically, his delegates — particularly as the battle between Clinton and Obama goes down to the wire amid predictions that, if one of them doesn’t pull ahead, it could come down to a party-splintering convention where “superdelegates” could make the final decision.
The most intriguing report about the Edwards-Obama visit comes via ABC’s Political Radar …particularly the last line of it, which will have pundits trying to read the political tea leaves:
ABC News’ David Wright and Sunlen Miller Report: Mother Nature may have called a cease-fire in the snows of Wisconsin, but Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., appears to have put the time to good use.
A helicopter cameraman for ABC’s Raleigh-Durham affiliate WTVD spotted Obama leaving former rival John Edwards’ house on the North Carolina.
Such secrecy. (Who does Obama think he is? Tom Cruise?) MORE:
Clinton met with Edwards on Feb. 7.
Obama speaks with Edwards over the phone regularly. On Wednesday at a campaign event in Racine, Wis., Obama said, “He is going to be a major voice in the Democratic party for years to come, and I want him involved and partnering with me in moving this country forward.”
But much had happened in terms of political junkie stories before that:
–A story came out saying Edwards was seriously considering endorsing Clinton, because he didn’t think Obama was tough enough to do what it took to change some aspects about America.
–Other stories said Edwards had decided to remain neutral like former Vice President Al Gore.
And now?
The weather helped the meeting take place this time, as Obama’s event in Appleton, Wis., was cancelled because of snowy conditions. Obama, who had spent the night at home in nearby Chicago, took advantage of the unexpectant gap in his schedule and flew down to Raleigh early afternoon. Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth, was present for the meeting.
Apparently, Obama and Edwards hugged at the conclusion of the meeting.
So what does that mean? To play the speculation game:
–He is going to endorse Obama in the end.
–He isn’t going to endorse Obama, but respects him and wishes him well
–He’s going to remain neutral but had a good session with him.
What would an endorsement mean? Firstly, if the timing came soon, it could influence the remaining primaries.
Endorsing Clinton would signal Edwards is in-effect saying “Whoa. Wait a minute. I don’t care what Ted Kennedy says, this dude isn’t really ready for prime time. We need someone who has more experience and is tougher.” Endorsing Obama would likely carry a lot of weight right now, it’d be a signal of yet another prominent Democrat who feels Obama is tough enough to bring about some changes but also can combine that with political skills so that he could bring about substantive change without polarizing the country.
And if Edwards stays neutral?
It would signal that Edwards, seeing how close the race is, is keeping his options open so he can be the Kingmaker/Queenmaker at the Democratic convention (on the other hand, a Clinton adviser says nothing really matters since Mrs. Clinton will win all the superdelegates in the end and be nominated, no matter what happens in future primaries).
Here is a cross section of other weblogs indulging in some tea-leaf reading and reaction:
An endorsement from Edwards could be very beneficial to either the Obama or Clinton campaigns, which are in a virtual dead heat at this point. Clinton has moved on in her campaign from Wisconsin to Texas in an attempt to rally her support there.
The report says that the two men hugged at the end of the meeting. (They know this how?) That doesn’t sound too good for Hillary Clinton, does it?
They hugged as Obama left John Edwards’ home after their sit-down today. Elizabeth was at the meeting too.
More tea-leaf reading anyone? Will Edwards wait until after March 4 and Ohio and Texas to announce his endorsement or will he give a much needed boost to Obama in those states? Or, could he be considering endorsing Hillary?
I wrote before that I think Edwards has waited too long to announce an endorsement for it to really sway anyone. But Obama and Clinton clearly disagree, so what do I know? It occurs to me that Obama is also on the lookout for a running mate and Edwards may help bring some of the southern states which in Obama vs. McCain matchups seem to be going overwhelmingly to McCain. People are talking about a Republican Southern Sweep. That’s got to have Obama worried.
I doubt any endorsement is in the works, particularly given how close the race is between Obama and Clinton.
–The Daily Kos has an extensive and intriguing diary which includes this as an update:
CNN: Elizabeth Edwards was also in the meeting. Obama campaign said it was about the campaign and the issues that are facing America. Edwards looking for two things: who will be most effective in carrying on his message RE: fighting poverty; which of these candidates is most electable? He wants to make sure that whoever he backs can beat a Republican. Notes that Edwards has not committed to endorsing anyone at all — wanted to keep out of the endorsement business for a long time. Notes that an endorsement from today would make a lot of impact in Wisconsin. Notes that it was planned in advance, not a detour due to the weather (so I was wrong?). Planned in advance to essentially talk about an Edwards endorsement. Notes that endorsement will likely carry either candidate over the top in Ohio.
Note that Elizabeth Edwards was reportedly lobbying her husband in favor of Sen. Obama, per a CNN report which the family later denied.
John Edwards is still very popular here in Wisconsin–he lost narrowly to Kerry here even after Sen. Kerry had built up momentum. (I’ll always remember being on the stage in Middleton, chatting with Kerry’s siblings and meeting Sen. Max Cleland ,while we waited for the results to be final in 2004.) The day before our Feb. 19th primary would be the perfect time for an endorsement of Sen. Obama.
Barack Obama avoided a snowbound Wisconsin today and flew to North Carolina for a visit with John Edwards. The reasons for this meeting are probably obvious. Edwards has had a lot of attention lately, particularly from Hillary Clinton. This quiet meeting may turn out to have been more definitive as Obama edges ahead of Clinton in the primaries. But no one’s talking right now.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.