on Edwards' bowing out

Much as I am a devoted fan of Obama and have been pleased with Clinton until last week, I am quite sad to see John Edwards drop out of the race. As Tenured Radical makes clear, Edwards is no doubt a worthy candidate. I like his commitment to finding a way to ease poverty in this country. The reports that he called both Clinton and Obama to ask them to consider giving more emphasis to poverty bring to mind the work of my friend (and colleague) who has statistically proven that the issue politics of losing opponents ultimately make a difference in the platforms and policies that those elected end up promoting (though she phrases it more elegantly, I'm pretty sure). Or, as I argue in my own book in a different context, the give-and-take of the contest itself can end up being quite productive. Heartening. And for that reason, I wish he could stay in the race even longer. Here's hoping that Clinton and Obama incorporate his message, and moreover, that they won't be the only ones.