How About an Obama - Edwards Presidential Ticket?

Last night, in a complete surprise, John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama for President. It turns out that his endorsement had long been delayed, for the obvious reason that John Edwards was the most sought-after endorsement of the long 2008 Democratic primary season. The endorsement wrests the news cycle out of the hands of Hillary Clinton’. Even more important, however, are the 19 pledged delegates that John Edwards brings along with him. Edwards is practically his own state, politically speaking, and his endorsement wraps up the nomination for Obama.

Will their partnership end there? Will John Edwards fade off into the background now, to live quietly in North Carolina once more? Don’t bet on it.

After seeing the crowd’s enthusiasm for John Edwards last night, combined with the immense surge of support for Obama, I’d say that an Obama-Edwards ticket is more likely than ever.

John Edwards is compatible with Barack Obama, politically and biographically. Both come from modest economic backgrounds, and understand political issues from the perspective of working Americans. Both have rejected negative campaigning and lobbyist influence as well, and that will be a strong point in comparison to John McCain, who has filled his Senate office and his campaign staff with corporate lobbyists. Edwards and Obama also both represent an idealistic vision of a better American future, not a desperate clinging to the past.

If you think that you've caught me being enthusiastic about the idea of an Obama/Edwards presidential ticket, you're right. I’ll admit it. Isn’t it time, after all, that Americans begin to feel a sense of optimism again? That’s what the Barack Obama campaign is about, really, overcoming fear with hope. With John Edwards on Obama’s team, that hope is all the more believable.

Ending the Bush Republican reign of fear is the unspoken idea behind this Obama-Edwards bumper sticker - and I’ll add on a note about the Obama Edwards campaign tshirt as well: It’s made in the USA, not in some overseas sweatshop factory that uses outsourced labor to make big profits for some corporate executives on the backs of child labor. This t-shirt fits the moral vision of the Obama Edwards campaign.