Within an hour of the news that Edwards was dropping out of the race, I had already begun receiving emails from my Obama friends requesting that I vote his way in six days' time when New York does its thing. To them I say "I know I won't vote for Hillary." The thing is I was really set on voting for my candidate because he stood up for the progressive values I hold dear. I know that Hillary represents the status quo and Obama says he's for change...but will Obama really carry out what John Edwards represents? Only one thing is for sure in all of this, both candidates left over will swoon the former Senator for his nod.
From The Huffington Post:
Obama's statement: Barack Obama offered this statement on John Edwards' withdrawal from the presidential race:
"John Edwards has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn't popular to do or covered in the news. At a time when our politics is too focused on who's up and who's down, he made a nation focus again on who matters - the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington. John and Elizabeth Edwards have always believed deeply that we can change this - that two Americans can become one, and that our country can rally around this common purpose. So while his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America."[...]Clinton's Statement: Hillary Clinton reacted during an interview with a local Alabama news station:
Well Senator Edwards is a friend of mine, he was a colleague in the senate and I have the highest regard for him, and I'm really admiring of what he has done to make sure that poverty was on the agenda here in America. He encouraged all of us in his passion and advocacy and I hope he will continue that work because it is really important that we stay focused on what we're going to do to help people.
We'll just let those two position themselves for his endorsement, if that comes. All I know today is that a great man with incredible ideas bowed out of the race to become the next President.
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